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Changes in the automotive supply chain over the past several years were brought about by global economic pressures, and forced some materials into tight supply as the industry started its recovery. One such material is polyamide 6,6 fiber (PA 6,6) used for airbags, which was in tight supply in 2008-09. This, with the availability of new low temperature inflators caused some airbag module manufacturers to revisit the use of polyester (PET), which had been used sporadically and in small quantities since the 1970s, although the overwhelming majority of airbags used PA 6,6. Over the last several years PET has been adopted for use in a small number of airbag programs to reduce supply concerns, but this use has come with performance tradeoffs of higher weight, lower tear and seam properties, and other changes. Still, the lower polymer cost of PET has driven a wider evaluation.