FAOoftheUN.docxVIP

Unlocking the Commercial Potential of Natural Fibres  PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 48 Unlocking the Commercial Potential of Natural Fibres  PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 49 FAO of the UN 2012 Unlocking the commercial potential of natural fibres Market and Policy Analyses of the Non-Basic Food Agricultural Commodities Team Trade and Markets Division Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Contents  TOC \o 1-3 \h \z \u  HYPERLINK \l _Toc350782686 I. Introduction  PAGEREF _Toc350782686 \h 2  HYPERLINK \l _Toc350782687 II. Factors impacting on market development and the economic significance of sisal  PAGEREF _Toc350782687 \h 4  HYPERLINK \l _Toc350782688 A. Many favourable factors currently at play  PAGEREF _Toc350782688 \h 4  HYPERLINK \l _Toc350782689 B. Past market growth below expectations as use of sisal in new applications lags  PAGEREF _Toc350782689 \h 5  HYPERLINK \l _Toc350782690 C. AN Improved competitive position: Price factors associated with the markets for crude oil and derivatives  PAGEREF _Toc350782690 \h 7  HYPERLINK \l _Toc350782691 D. AN Improved competitive position associated with environmental concerns  PAGEREF _Toc350782691 \h 8  HYPERLINK \l _Toc350782692 E. INCREASED RESEARCH ON INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS FOR SISAL  PAGEREF _Toc350782692 \h 9  HYPERLINK \l _Toc350782693 III. The economic significance of sisal  PAGEREF _Toc350782693 \h 11  HYPERLINK \l _Toc350782694 IV. State-of-the-art research on natural fibres in new applications  PAGEREF _Toc350782694 \h 14  HYPERLINK \l _Toc350782695 A. INTRODUCTION  PAGEREF _Toc350782695 \h 14  HYPERLINK \l _Toc350782696 B. Natural fibre composites  PAGEREF _Toc350782696 \h 16  HYPERLINK \l _Toc350782697 C. TECHNOLOGIES FOR NATURAL FIBRE BASED COMPOSITES  PAGEREF _Toc350782697 \h 17  HYPERLINK \l _Toc350782698 D. Composition of natural fibres  PAGEREF _Toc350782698 \h 19  HYPERLINK \l _Toc350782699 E. Principal ADVANTA