DesertBoard showcased its Palm Strand Board (PSB®), an engineered building material manufactured from locally sourced date-palm fronds, at KEZAD Connect 2026, held on 12–13 October at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi. Through product demonstrations and two presentations, the company highlighted the role of sustainable construction materials and local manufacturing in advancing the UAE’s industrial ambitions.
Suitable for a wide range of applications across construction, interior fit-out, exhibitions and landscaping, PSB® offers an alternative to conventional building materials. Manufactured using date-palm fronds, the board transforms a locally available resource into a high-performance engineered product, supporting resource efficiency and the development of domestic manufacturing capabilities.
As part of the event’s programme, DesertBoard delivered two presentations addressing key challenges and opportunities within the built environment and the UAE’s industrial sector.
On Day 1, the presentation titled “Rethinking Construction Materials for a Lower-Carbon Built Environment” examined how material selection can help reduce embodied carbon, resource consumption and environmental impact across construction projects. Using PSB® as a case study, the presentation highlighted its industrial-scale production, strength equivalent to (Oriented Strand Board) OSB3, carbon sequestration potential and zero-formaldehyde Super E0 performance. It also explored the material’s potential to contribute up to 20 points under LEED v5 BD+C, alongside considerations around practical application, scalability and performance in the built environment.
On Day 2, the presentation titled “Building Resilient Supply Chains Through Local Manufacturing” focused on the importance of leveraging local resources and strengthening domestic manufacturing to support resilient industrial supply chains. Drawing on DesertBoard’s production of PSB® from pruned date-palm fronds, the presentation explored how converting an abundant local resource into a locally manufactured building material can create value within the UAE, support downstream industries and reduce reliance on imported materials. It also highlighted the benefits of consistent local supply in enabling developers and contractors to plan and execute projects with greater certainty.
DesertBoard’s participation aligned with the objectives of the UAE’s broader industrial development agenda and Abu Dhabi’s Industrial Strategy 2031, particularly its emphasis on sustainable manufacturing, resource efficiency and stronger local supply chains.
DesertBoard is certified under the In-Country Value (ICV) framework, meets the requirements of the Emirates Quality Mark (EQM) and the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (ADQCC), and is a corporate founding member of the Society of Sustainability & Green Materials (SSGM).
Through its participation at KEZAD Connect 2026, DesertBoard reinforced its commitment to advancing material innovation and demonstrating the value of transforming locally available resources into high-performance building materials for the region’s evolving construction and industrial sectors.
