Biocomposites: A review of materials and perception

With the increasing global attention on sustainability, biocomposites have been touted as a solution to deal with the issues of unsustainable raw material production, product manufacture and disposal that are common with typical plastic and composite materials. However, after decades of research, the tangible outcomes in terms of impactful raw materials are few and far. It has been observed that though people are more aware of sustainability, this rarely translates into purchasing behaviour favouring biocomposites. In this review, the history of biocomposite development is considered, including their classification, raw materials, commercial aspects and notable products. This review reveals that the presence of a wide range of bio-degradation standards and inconsistent use of ‘eco’ terms creates confusion amongst consumers and, while many natural materials are valued for their visual aspects, most biocomposites are not. The lack of widespread acceptance for biocomposites could be driven by their lack of desirability and distinguishability. To create favourable perceptual attributes for biocomposites, various mechanisms behind material perception, ‘good’ experiences and ‘natural’ perception are reviewed. We propose that biocomposites could be made desirable and distinguishable by modifying the physical characteristics and the perceptual attributes associated with them.