PIONEERING GROUNDBREAKING NEW SUSTAINABLE COMPOSITE - DANU

Glasgow-based boat builder, The Ultimate Boat Company (UBC), with their parent company Exo Technologies, have developed a new fully recyclable and sustainable composite material for its high-performance boat hulls.

The material, named DANU, has been created as an alternative to glass reinforced plastic (GRP), to combat the growing problem of landfill. This year’s huge rise in the number of abandoned boats around the UK is expected to further increase over the coming years and 250 million kilos of GRP is dumped in Europe each year.

This natural core material comprises a combination of styrene-free resin and sustainable fibres, is stronger and lighter than fibreglass and less brittle than carbon fibre. Crucially, its cost is comparable with traditional materials, and no additional manufacturing or labour costs are required.

In addition to the pioneering use of DANU in UBC’s own boats, this innovative material is drawing interest from the rest of the marine sector, along with other industries such as wind turbine and automotive component manufacturers.