Philippine startup Lesstics turns coconut husks into formaldehyde-free building boards

Lesstics, a Philippine green technology startup, is producing Earth Board, a formaldehyde-free construction board made from discarded coconut husks. The company works with farmers in Davao and Lanao del Norte and is exploring partnerships in Europe after exhibiting in Berlin.

LESSTICS, INC. is turning discarded coconut husks into construction boards, seeking to create another source of income for farmers while reducing agricultural waste. The green technology startup has developed Earth Board, a formaldehyde-free material for construction and furniture made largely from coconut husks that otherwise have limited commercial use.

“The raw material is very abundant, and yet it does not have a value at the moment; that’s why we’re creating value out of it,” Lesstics founder and Chief Executive Officer Kenno Michael Uy told BusinessWorld via Zoom. Lesstics works with farmers to produce the boards and develop a market for coconut waste.

The Philippines produced 14.51 million metric tons of coconuts last year, slightly higher than 14.5 million MT in 2024, according to the local statistics agency. The coconut industry accounted for nearly half of the country’s agro-based exports last year and provides livelihoods for about 2.8 million Filipino farmers. Much of the crop is processed into products including copra, crude coconut oil and desiccated coconut, but Mr Uy said only about 5 per cent of discarded husks are used to make geonets.

“What farmers do is create ropes out of the waste husk,” he said. “They make a net. These nets are used in protecting the mountainside from soil erosion. Buyers eventually ran out because everyone was selling their own nets.” Mr Uy developed Earth Board to create another market for the largely unused husks.

The company said the board offers high bonding and structural strength as well as insulation and moisture resistance compared with conventional construction materials. “Cement boards, aside from being very expensive, break easily,” he said. “That’s the added value we have included in our product — we made sure it’s sturdy.”

A 4-by-8-foot board about half an inch thick requires about 164 to 168 coconut husks. The husks are cut into uniform sizes, mixed with a plant-based binder and processed by machine to form the board. Mr Uy said the abundance of coconut waste helps keep production costs down, adding that Earth Board is more affordable than products available in known hardware stores.

Lesstics partners with three coconut farmers’ cooperatives in Davao and Lanao del Norte and plans to expand its network to cooperatives in Bicol, Nueva Vizcaya and Quezon. The startup is also exploring partnerships in Europe after exhibiting in Berlin last month, including a potential deal with a German company seeking alternative raw materials. Philippine coconut production is projected to increase by 5 per cent to 15.24 million MT this year from a year earlier.