Athyron is a Texas-based manufacturer that is one-of-a-kind.
Athyron CEO Alfredo Faubel recently reached out to me because like Humanscale, the company making office chairs out of old fishing nets, and Purdue University, which is using recycled plastic to build a better battery, Athyron wants to be a part of the solution.
Anywhere from 3.5 to 7 billion trees are cut down each per year, and 8 million metric tons of plastic wind up in the ocean every year.
Using patented, proprietary technology, the company created the Miura Board, a product the company says is the most durable, 100%-recycled alternative to wood.
Athyron sources its raw materials from recycling companies and not from post-consumer municipal recycling facilities. The company can use any polyolefins (HDPE, LDPE, PP, etc.) alone or in combination (commingled). The company combines the material in a reactor with natural or synthetic fibers, such as rice and peanut hulls or nylon. The material is then extruded, cooled and cut into planks. The rice and peanut hulls are abundant agricultural byproducts and the nylon is sourced from recycled carpet.
The product’s name, Miura, is taken from Spain’s fiercest fighting bulls, but according to Faubel, the technology was developed in Brazil by a German inventor. The boards have been in use in Brazil and Argentina for more than a decade.
The boards don’t absorb water, they are a natural insulator and sound barrier, and they are immune to termites. They don’t rot, and the material is reusable. So, if you have a couple of pallets made with Miura that you’re not using anymore, the company will recycle them into new planks to be used in other applications, like boardwalks, lawn furniture, doors, or anything that might stand to benefit from a bit more water resistance.
When I asked Faubel why he makes Miura Board, he said, "While most people see plastic waste we see wasted plastic. The difference lies in the approach. We see the use of recycled materials as the ideal means to conserve natural resources while extending the useful life of man-made materials.”
And just look at the guy, have you ever seen a man so excited to be surrounded by garbage? Part of the solution.