The construction industry accounts for nearly 40% of global carbon emissions, which has builders rethinking the materials they use. One unlikely source keeps coming up in those conversations: rice husks. What used to be burned or buried is now pressed into a wood alternative that looks the part and often outlasts traditional lumber. Husks are milled into composite boards that resist water, release very low VOCs, and can be recycled. The manufacturing is lighter on energy, turns a waste stream into something useful, and gives homeowners a material that behaves like wood without the constant upkeep. …Globally, rice husk composites are gaining ground in regions where rice is grown, and research is exploring structural uses such as engineered members. Certification programs, including LEED, are recognizing the category, and analysts expect it to claim a meaningful share of certain wood product markets over the next decade.