How is Composite Decking Made?
What is Wood Plastic Composite decking made of?
To make Hyperion wood plastic composite decking, ground wood powder and thermoplastics are mixed together. The wood powder consists of recycled sawdust and fibre fillers such as pulps and hulls. All wood materials used in all our products, not just our Hyperion decking, are FSC certified. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification is a voluntary process which shows that the timber used comes from a forest that complies with all applicable laws and international treaties, respects indigenous people, reduces the environmental impact of logging activities and is overall responsibly managed.
The thermoplastics sourced for Hyperion composites are also 100% recycled. Through purchasing our industry-leading recycled products, our customers have already diverted the equivalent of over 190,000,000 plastic bottles from landfill. That’s equivalent to the yearly plastic waste of 290,983 individuals.
Lastly, a few additives are added to the mixture which adds up to 10% of the final product. Colourants, coupling agents, UV stabilizers, blowing agents, foaming agents and lubricants are all added to ensure Hyperion decking will look great for years to come.
How is WPC decking made?
Once the recycled wood powder, reused thermoplastics and additives are mixed together, it is pushed through a mould – or “extruded” – in its desired shape.
Different techniques are used to create the intricate wood grain patterns on our Pioneer and Frontier decking boards.
Hyperion Pioneer boards first get moulded into shape using an extrusion technique, the pattern is then added using a process called injection moulding. While the boards are still hot, they are injected into a mould that has the wood grain pattern on them. As we only do this on one side of our Pioneer boards and have a grooved pattern on the other side, you have the option to use either side of the decking.
The wood grain patterns on Hyperion Frontier boards are added in the initial extrusion process and do not need to go through an injection moulding machine. The mixture is extruded through a pre-patterned mould. This gives our Frontier boards a more authentic wood grain pattern which will enhance any garden or outdoor space.
How is Hyperion WPC decking sustainable?
Hyperion boards are mostly made of recycled materials (60% recycled FSC certified wood and 30% recycled PVC), every 30m2 of Hyperion decking saves 160kg of wood from landfill and 407,301 plastic bottles from our oceans. On top of this, WPC boards are 100% recyclable as well.
As composite boards are extremely durable, your decking will also bring you joy for many years to come, unlike many other decking options. Traditional wooden decking may already need to be replaced in as little as five or ten years if strict maintenance routines aren’t kept up, whereas our Hyperion decking is fully-backed up by 25 year residential warranty for our Frontier collection and 15 years for our Pioneer range.
At EnviroBuild, we also pledge to donate 10% of all profits to sustainable causes. Currently, we work with Rainforest Trust UK to support the fantastic work they are doing all around the world. One of their projects takes place in the Golfo Dulce in Costa Rica and saved 4,087 acres of marine habitat, another in Peru’s Amazon rainforest protects 41,024 acres of wildlife. We’ve also supported many other projects which can be found here.
The process used to make our decking allows the use of recycled products, yet doesn’t compromise on the quality of the boards. This makes it an appealing choice as we can continue to work on becoming a carbon negative business and provide products that are engineered to the highest standard to our customers.
If you have any more questions about our Hyperion decking or any other of our products or services, do not hesitate to get in touch on +353 1 447 0406 or email ie-info@envirobuild.com.