Supersede secures $10m to produce recyclable alternative to plywood
Supersede, a US materials company focused on alternatives to conventional construction inputs, has secured a $10m seed round to increase production of its Supersede Marine Board. The Supersede Marine Board is made from recycled plastic, is itself recyclable, and is said to be the first true 1:1 replacement to marine-grade plywood.
Supersede Marine Board is designed to replace marine plywood in boatbuilding and other applications.
Supersede Marine Board won in the boatbuilding methods and materials category at the IBEX 2024 Innovation Awards, with judges hailing the product as “inventive and recyclable”, noting it is “rot-proof, price-competitive, weighs the same [as plywood], and is more versatile.”
The financing consists of $5m in convertible debt and $5m in senior secured equipment funding.
Participants in the round include a major US building products distributor, circular economy investor Closed Loop Partners and a number of angel groups and individual strategic investors.
Phoenix, Arizona-based Supersede is targeting the US structural wood panel market, valued at over $30bn, at a time of rising material costs, trade barriers and supply chain volatility. Marine-grade plywood, which has traditionally served sectors such as modular homes, boats and RVs, presents challenges including formaldehyde-based binders, landfill disposal, and vulnerability to water damage.
The Supersede Marine Board is designed to serve as a recyclable and waterproof replacement. Manufactured via a patented extrusion process using recycled polypropylene (rPP), the panels are intended as a direct substitute in existing workflows. According to the company, the material outperforms plywood in compressive strength, durability, water resistance and fastener retention.
Sean Petterson, CEO and co-founder of Supersede, says: “The Supersede Marine Board is the first real replacement to marine-grade plywood that meets the demands of marine and outdoor construction, and solves the core challenges faced by manufacturers today, from rot, warping, and inconsistent supply to toxic exposure risks for workers. This funding is a validation of the product-market fit and growing customer demand, and it’s enabling us to scale faster than we imagined — including building a second manufacturing facility that will triple our production capacity and add over 50 new jobs.”
The location of the second site has yet to be announced, but is expected later in the year. In the meantime, the firm says existing production is already reducing labour requirements by eliminating sanding, sealing and drying. Supersede’s panels also avoid the use of chemicals such as formaldehyde and chromated copper arsenate. The firm aims to source materials locally to reduce transport emissions.
Supersede also offers a closed-loop recycling programme. Offcuts and end-of-life boards are collected for reprocessing.
Kristin Taylor, venture partner at Closed Loop Partners, says: “We see opportunity for more efficient materials management in the built environment, a sector that often sees high rates of material loss to landfills, and now faces material shortages and delays. Supersede is using post-industrial feedstock that is otherwise unrecoverable in traditional recycling markets today. By turning this material into durable building products, Supersede is accelerating a more domestic, value-added, resilient circular economy.”
