Supremo (stand 520) launched stylish range of furniture at SOLEX today made from a remarkable new material that looks like top-quality wood but is actually made from…rice husks.

While the material, called Resysta, has the aesthetic appeal of wood, it has none of the drawbacks. It has high mechanical strength, does not crack, fade or decay and is sustainable. The only raw materials used are rice husks (60%), common salt (22%) and mineral oil (18%), combined in a top-secret process to create a genuinely low-maintenance alternative to wood.

While Resysta is used elsewhere for decking and flooring, Supremo is the first company to employ it in garden furniture.

Resysta director Rene de Jong (above, with three flasks containing the only ingredients) was at SOLEX today to tell stand visitors all about it. “It is truly sustainable because rice is used all over the world so there is a steady supply of raw material,” he said. "This is definitely the material of the future."