Viewed from a historical perspective, plant fibers are ancient raw materials for the widest variety of man made products. There are a number of good reasons for the production and industrial processing of plant fibers today as well. After a long pause in cultivation and production, plant fibers were "rediscovered" as raw materials in the early 1990´s. This included the well-known crops such as flax and hemp, while newly introduced plants such as miscanthus and kenaf are also becoming increasingly well-known in Switzerland.

The fibers from these plants show specific, yet varying technical characteristics. Accordingly, they are excellently suited for some applications, while being less suited for others. The differences lie primarily in characteristics that are vital for the industry, such as chemical composition, length, diameter, thickness, tensile strength and elasticity.

In 1997, within the framework of the cross-border co-operation (Cross-border Institute for Profitable and Environmentally Responsible Land Management, ITADA, within the framework of the Community Initiative for the Development of Border Regions and Cross-border Co-operation Interreg II) in the Upper Rhine area a three-year project began with two initial goals: Optimizing of the cultivation of the fiber plants miscanthus, hemp and kenaf, as well as investigating the possibilities of market introduction for products made from these plants, as well as those made from flax. The market analysis provided here was carried out within the framework of this project.

At the beginning of the 1990's, various branches of industry and commerce began to grow interested in fiber products made from the above-mentioned plants. In this pioneer situation numerous questions arose, and continue to arise, for the agricultural producers who seek purchasers for the fibers, as well as those who industrially process the fibers: Which plant fibers can successfully compete against conventional fibers in particular applications? Which criteria are decisive for competitiveness and which markets are accessible? In which branches exist the largest market potential, and in which product lines is the substitution of conventional fibers by agricultural fibers meaningful, from an industrial perspective?

In the market analysis at hand, it was attempted to provide answers to these and other questions. Within it, the Swiss market is described for selected product lines in which fibers from miscanthus, flax, hemp and kenaf could be used. The description concentrates on quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the markets. The quantitative market description is primarily based upon existing statistical material. The qualitative market parameters were set by means of approximately 150 interviews with experts. From this collection of data and statements, the market potential for product lines in the areas of cellulose and paper, textile, construction, horticulture and garden articles including geo-textiles and synthetic materials was estimated and discussed.

Chart 3 represents a summary of these estimations. Currently, and in the near future, the construction branch, the horticulture branch, as well as the area of the fiber strengthened synthetic materials are and will be, of primary importance in regard to the quantity of (in these cases primarily natively cultivated) utilized fibers.

Presently in Switzerland, and also foreseeable for the next 3 years, primarily products of low value-added and simple technical feasibility show larger market potentials. This is due, among other things, to the fact that for the production of a series of product lines, fibers with a high degree of fiber extraction are required. However, Switzerland lacks the necessary infrastructure for fiber extraction and processing thereof. This particularly applies to the following product lines: cellulose and papers, yarn, fabrics and most finished textiles, insulation matting, fibrous concrete, geotextiles and fiber strengthened synthetic materials with high portions of matrix. This situation has lead to the fact that companies interested in native fibers have to export the raw fibers for digesting and thereafter again import the fibers with a higher net product. The construction of a fiber extraction and processing facility is therefore necessary. In order to estimate its size, the minimum production amounts and the economic feasibility (the fibers produced must be as inexpensive as the imported fibers), the implementation of a scenario analysis, which could use the market potentials determined here as basis information is proposed.

An additional need for action exists in determining the technical characteristics of the fiber products. Until the products can be described with similar precision as the conventional products, and without quality tests and quality assurances, many producers are not prepared to take the risk for their own production. In this way, the public research facilities and institutions in the technical and material checking areas are of great importance for the successful establishment of native fiber plants in industry.

At the same time, the market analysis demonstrates the importance of public relation activities, the management of information and unified marketing of products made of renewable raw materials. This task and the co-ordination of cultivation, processing and commerce with agricultural fibers could, for example, be assumed by a co-ordination center for renewable raw materials.