Currently, bike helmets are made from several petrochemical products: polycarbonate shell, polystyrene foam core, polypropylene components, nylon straps, etc. In addition to having a high carbon footprint, the diversity of the materials makes helmets impossible to recycle.
Fraunhofer ICT, along with companies Comfil ApS, Elas A/S, WSVK, and Polyola SAS, spent 18 months creating PLA-based foams, fibers and composites to use in every helmet component, making the end product recyclable.
According to All About Industries, Fraunhofer ICT will now undertake standard testing for helmet efficacy and perform a lifecycle analysis.