Renewable, durable, carbon-negative building materials.
As a continuation of our 2023 Greenbuild Conference and Expo Insights video series where we chat with Greenbuild attendees about their green building materials, Sandeep Ahuja, cove.tool’s Founder and CEO, caught up with Dan Webb, Marketing Manager for renewable building materials manufacturer Plantd, to discuss the future of green building, rapidly renewable resources, and sustainable building trends.
Based in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina, Plantd is turning heads in the building materials sector with its cutting-edge, sustainable solutions.
The Sustainable Alternative: Rapidly Renewable Grass
Behind Plantd's groundbreaking work is a fast-growing perennial grass. This grass, unique in its ability to grow up to 20 feet within a single growing season, is the secret behind their rapidly renewable building materials.
“It's rapidly renewable versus waiting, you know, 25-30 years for a tree to grow,” explains Webb. “We're rapidly integrating building materials out of the fast-growing plant.”
Plantd's story is as intriguing as its products. The company has its roots in the old tobacco country of Oxford, North Carolina. They took over an old RJ Reynolds tobacco factory, previously used to produce American Spirit cigarettes. Now, this facility is a hub for creating carbon-negative building materials.
“All of our materials are processed in a fully electric facility,” says Webb. “All the plants are grown on old, old tobacco farms. So, we're using the capacities and infrastructure of tobacco country to create a carbon-negative product using a fully electric manufacturing technology.”
This combination of repurposing and renewable energy brings Plantd's vision to life, creating truly carbon-negative products.
A New Era of Construction with Plantd
Plantd was implemented into its first home, built in partnership with D.R. Horton, a Fortune 500 homebuilder based out of Dallas, Texas, in 2023.
“Seeing these panels at home was beautiful.”
When asked about what excited him the most in the next 12 months, Webb's eyes lit up as he spoke about the homes built using Plantd's materials.
“I just cannot wait for these to hit more homes and other builders’ homes and throughout the next twelve months.”
Plantd’s innovative approach to repurposing infrastructure and creating carbon-negative materials is an inspiring and hopeful step in the right direction for the AEC industry.