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Composite materials have been used by humans for some millennia. Presently, the most common polymer matrix composites, able to carry significant loads, use carbon, aramid (aromatic polyamides), or glass fibres as reinforcements. Significant contributions can be found in the literature regarding their mechanical behavior in static and dynamic conditions, their ageing behavior and, more recently, their environmental impact. Industry in general is looking for ‘‘greener’’materials (from renewable sources) to use in its products, both as a way of reducing the environmental burden and as a way of appealing to a growing environmentally conscious market. The automobile industry in particular is constantly looking for products that are lighter, more eco-friendly, and are still adequate for mass production at low cost. A tentative shift from steel to light alloys and composite materials in the later part of the last century was …