Lixil introduces material made from plastic and wood scrap

Water and housing product maker Lixil Corp., Tokyo, will introduce a new line of material made from a combination of plastic and wood scrap in early 2023 that the company says will be suitable for a wide range of uses.

Lixil says its new Revia material combines its expertise in pulverizing and molding plastics along with the addition of wood scrap typically generated from the demolition of buildings. Revia can be made from most household and commercial plastic material, including composite types and marine plastics.

The company says that utilizing plastic and wood scrap to create one ton of Revia that would have otherwise been incinerated could result in an 82 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, and Revia material itself can also be recycled and collected to become a new Revia product.

“Low recycling rates and pollution caused from plastic consumption is an environmental issue across the world,” Lixil President and CEO Kinya Seto says. “As a maker of pioneering water and housing products, we are committed to the responsible use of resources, and driving innovation to solve real-life challenges. With Revia, we aim to create an ecosystem that spans procurement to production, sales, installation and collection, establishing a sustainable business model that can be scaled. By doing so, we want to maximize our positive impact for the environment.

“Starting in Japan, and with the cooperation of partners and stakeholders including local and national governments, Lixil believes that Revia can accelerate the shift to a circular economy and make better homes a reality for everyone, everywhere,” Seto says.

The first Revia product, called Revia Pave, will be available for sale in Japan starting Jan. 10, 2023. Lixil says that Revia Pave is a paving material suitable for sidewalks, nature trails in national parks, plazas between office buildings and commercial facilities and smart cities.

Lixil says that Revia Pave has a textured surface that resembles the appearance of wood, is comfortable to walk on, highly durable, weather resistant, strong and weighs half as much as concrete paving material.