REIMAGINING CONSTRUCTION WITH UPCYCLED PALM FRONDS

DesertBoard uses upcycled palm fronds to transform a tradition into low-carbon building material

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At DesertBoard, sustainability is not simply a corporate objective. It is part of our identity. Our inspiration comes from the palm tree, which has been central to life, culture, and survival in the region for generations. Historically, nearly every part of the palm was used for food, shelter, tools, and rituals, yet one element was consistently overlooked: the fronds.

For decades, discarded palm fronds were either burned or sent to landfills, releasing methane and CO₂ into the atmosphere and creating an environmental problem hidden in plain sight. This practice continues today. Palm raw material in the UAE is still largely buried or burned, both of which are environmentally damaging and unsustainable.

What makes our PSB wooden boards particularly meaningful is their deep cultural connection to the UAE. Date palms are woven into the country's identity, providing shade, food, building materials, and social value. This connection was strongly championed by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE, who encouraged palm cultivation through incentives in the 1970s and led conservation and cloning programmes in Al Ain.