In the past decades, Greenpeace groups and NGOs in various countries have increasingly addressed the environmental impact of the chemical substances, fully recognized as a global issue. As a consequence, this awareness is pushing governments toward more stringent legislation, which promotes the preservation and protection of the quality of the environment for future generations. To overcome the problem at the source, the chemical industry must develop cleaner chemical processes or materials by the design of innovative and environmentally benign chemical reactions. Green chemistry offers the tools for this approach. In the other words, green chemistry is the chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances ( Anastas and Kirchhoff, 2002). A significant goal of green chemistry must be to maximize the efficiency of use of raw materials and to minimize the creation of waste ( Trost, 2002).
As a result of this, composite industries are seeking more environmental friendly materials for their products. There is an increasing interest in biodegradable renewable composites reinforced with plant fiber. The combination of interesting mechanical and physical properties together with their sustainable character has triggered various activities in the area of ‘green-composites’.
The present work aims to provide a short review on developments in the area of wood–plastic composites (WPCs) and their applications in automotives industries using plant-based fibers.