Green building certification depends on the decisions made throughout a project, including the materials specified, their environmental impacts and the evidence available to assess them. For developers, contractors, architects and designers, selecting a sustainable material also means understanding how its documented characteristics can support wider building performance objectives.
DesertBoard’s Palm Strand Board (PSB®) brings these considerations together. Manufactured in KEZAD, Abu Dhabi, using pruned date palm fronds, PSB® transforms agricultural byproduct into a construction material with documented environmental credentials and applications across the built environment.
Independent LEED v5 compliance mapping by KEO International Consultants identifies PSB® as contributing to six applicable LEED v5 BD+C credits and prerequisites, with the potential to support requirements associated with up to 20 points. These span embodied carbon, low-emitting materials, climate health, circular economy and indoor air quality.
This contribution must be understood at the project level. PSB® does not independently secure certification or automatically award points; its properties and supporting documentation help project teams address relevant requirements within an overall certification strategy.
Making embodied carbon measurable
Understanding a material’s environmental impact is an essential step towards reducing a building’s embodied carbon. Project teams need reliable data to assess material choices and evaluate how those choices affect the building across its life cycle.
PSB® holds a verified Type III Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), prepared in accordance with ISO 14025 and EN 15804+A2. Its environmental impact dataset is also available in One Click LCA, covering modules A1–A3, C1–C4 and D per cubic metre of material.
This gives sustainability consultants and design teams a documented basis for incorporating PSB® into whole-building Life Cycle Assessments. It supports both the assessment of embodied carbon and the evaluation of potential reductions against a project-specific baseline.
The distinction matters: an EPD provides transparency, while a reduction claim depends on the results of the building-level assessment. PSB® supplies the product data needed to inform that process.
Bringing circularity into material selection
PSB® demonstrates how an agricultural resource can become an input for construction. By using pruned date palm fronds, DesertBoard creates a productive application for biomass generated through routine palm maintenance.
An ASTM D6866 test report confirms PSB®’s 91% bio-based content, supporting its contribution under the applicable LEED v5 Product Selection: Circular Economy requirements.
For project teams, this connects a material’s feedstock with a documented certification pathway. Developers can incorporate bio-based material selection into their sustainability strategy, while architects and designers can reference verified characteristics in their specifications. Contractors also gain access to a locally manufactured alternative to conventional wood-based boards.
Supporting healthier indoor environments
Material selection also influences the quality of indoor spaces. Products used within a building can contribute to its emissions profile, making emissions testing an important consideration during specification and procurement.
According to the compliance documentation, EN 717-1 testing confirms E0 formaldehyde emissions, with no formaldehyde detected in the tested PSB® Prime Plus, Ultra and FR Ultra products. PSB® is manufactured using a resin with no added formaldehyde.
These documented characteristics support the applicable Low-Emitting Materials requirements. Its low-emission properties can also support a project’s indoor air quality strategy, although compliance with Air Quality Testing and Monitoring requirements depends on building-level testing and the combined influence of materials and other project conditions.
Turning environmental credentials into practical evidence
PSB®’s Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) also supports Product Selection: Climate Health by disclosing product-specific carbon footprint and wider life-cycle environmental impacts. This transparency helps project teams make informed choices and assemble evidence for environmental assessments.
Together, the EPD, LCA dataset, bio-based content verification and emissions test reports give stakeholders a practical documentation framework. Their value is greatest when reviewed early enough to influence design, specifications, procurement and certification planning.
DesertBoard’s contribution therefore extends beyond supplying a board. Through PSB®, it connects locally sourced pruned palm fronds with the environmental data and verified product characteristics needed for more informed building decisions.
As project teams work towards green building certification, that combination of material innovation and accessible evidence can help translate sustainability objectives into measurable, documented action.
