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The420Guy
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A decade ago, the luxury German carmaker Daimler-Benz – now the DaimlerChrysler company – embarked on a project in Brazil to use coconut fibre for vehicle components.
The plan was to use the material for headrests, seats and sun visors. The project was a joint venture with the Para University in the city of Belem in a nature forest restoration project known as Poverty and Environment in the Amazons (POEMA).
The Brazilian and German governments and the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) are also involved.
Para University recently recognised DaimlerChrysler's contribution by awarding Mathias Kleinert, vice-president of external affairs and public policy at DaimlerChrysler, an honorary doctorate.
Kleinert said at the award ceremony that DaimlerChrysler intended to maintain the momentum by using its research and innovations resources to help protect the environment.
The advantages of using natural fibres were enormous, he said. People received an economic basis for their lives. The material was environmentally friendly, could be recycled and it was slightly cheaper than synthetic materials.
A co-initiator of the scheme was Willi Hoss, a former member of the firm's works council and once a Green deputy in the German parliament.
The POEMA project encourages small communities in the rainforest to farm their land in a sustainable manner. The project is centred in a little factory in the town of Ananindeua, in the Amazonian basin.
More than 100 tonnes of fibre are produced every month. Simple technical processes are used to extract the fibre from the coconut shell, turn it into rope and send it to the factory to be used in seats, sun visors and upholstery for trucks.
More than 9,300ha of land have been replanted since the project began. It is estimated that more than 5,500 people and more than 900 families today live from the process of processing coconut shells.
Today, coconut fibre from the project is used in almost all headrests, seats and sun visors made by DaimlerChrysler in Brazil.
Research by DaimlerChrysler engineers was leading to a rediscovery of natural fibres. Their use for vehicles made in Europe was increasing. In Germany, flax and hemp are the main natural fibres being used.
Copyright © 2003, Bangkok Post. All rights reserved.
Sunday, February 16, 2003
Daimler marks a decade of success
Werner Scheib, Bangkok Post
Provided by: www.globalhemp.com
The plan was to use the material for headrests, seats and sun visors. The project was a joint venture with the Para University in the city of Belem in a nature forest restoration project known as Poverty and Environment in the Amazons (POEMA).
The Brazilian and German governments and the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) are also involved.
Para University recently recognised DaimlerChrysler's contribution by awarding Mathias Kleinert, vice-president of external affairs and public policy at DaimlerChrysler, an honorary doctorate.
Kleinert said at the award ceremony that DaimlerChrysler intended to maintain the momentum by using its research and innovations resources to help protect the environment.
The advantages of using natural fibres were enormous, he said. People received an economic basis for their lives. The material was environmentally friendly, could be recycled and it was slightly cheaper than synthetic materials.
A co-initiator of the scheme was Willi Hoss, a former member of the firm's works council and once a Green deputy in the German parliament.
The POEMA project encourages small communities in the rainforest to farm their land in a sustainable manner. The project is centred in a little factory in the town of Ananindeua, in the Amazonian basin.
More than 100 tonnes of fibre are produced every month. Simple technical processes are used to extract the fibre from the coconut shell, turn it into rope and send it to the factory to be used in seats, sun visors and upholstery for trucks.
More than 9,300ha of land have been replanted since the project began. It is estimated that more than 5,500 people and more than 900 families today live from the process of processing coconut shells.
Today, coconut fibre from the project is used in almost all headrests, seats and sun visors made by DaimlerChrysler in Brazil.
Research by DaimlerChrysler engineers was leading to a rediscovery of natural fibres. Their use for vehicles made in Europe was increasing. In Germany, flax and hemp are the main natural fibres being used.
Copyright © 2003, Bangkok Post. All rights reserved.
Sunday, February 16, 2003
Daimler marks a decade of success
Werner Scheib, Bangkok Post
Provided by: www.globalhemp.com