INTRODUCTION

Plants yielding fibers have been second only to food plants in their usefulness to humans and
their influence on the furthering of civilization. Primitive humans in their attempts to obtain the three
most important necessities for life: food, shelter & clothing, focused on plants. Even though animal
products were available, some form of clothing was needed that was lighter and cooler than skins and
hides. It was easier to obtain from plants such items as bowstrings, nets, snares, etc. Also plant products
were available from the leaves, stems and roots of many plants to construct shelter.
Jamaican Cherry Tree (Muntingia calabura), is well-known multipurpose tree that grows rapidly
reaching a height of approximately 8 to 13 meters. The tree belongs to the family of Elacocarpcaccae and
has attained a variety of vernacular names in the countries of Mexico, Central and tropical South America,
some islands of the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia. As a pioneer plant, it has the quality of thriving into
poor soils and can also do well in acidic and alkaline locations. The tree grows at ease with a little or no
care, and is widely distributed; making it adapted to different soil types. It can resist harsh conditions such
as drought and degraded soil, but cannot tolerate high salinity. This medium-sized evergreen is known for
its small, red, edible fruits which are cultivated in many countries, yet another significance is that is largely
valued for its wood. Used as fuel, its timer, when dry, ignites quickly, generating intense hear and high
flames with little smoke. Muntingia bark is usually stripped off and is recognized in yielding a very strong,
soft and silky fibre used for cordage, textiles and other handicrafts (Pendergrass, 2003).
Natural fiber composites are known as environmentally friendly materials that have low impact
to the environment due to the process of raw materials extraction that produces low environment
negative effect (such as low CO2 release, low energy usage and no soil contamination). Moreover, in
automotive industry, components that are made from natural fiber composites are generally lower in
weight. Consequently, the vehicle that is equipped with natural fiber composite components has less
weight and therefore less fuel consumption. In this case, less carbon dioxide will be emitted and this
vehicle will have less negative impact on the environment. Hence, the application of natural fiber
composite would be more favorable in terms of environmental concerns.
Concerning the environmental impact of natural fiber composites, selection of disposal phase
should be performed. Consequently, life cycle analysis should be performed in order to measure the
“green” level of natural fiber composites in application of product development.

McLean, D. (2015). Natural fiber and hybrid fiber thermoplastic composites. Retrieved from Science
Direct: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/natural-fiber-composite