Doka unveils Xlife top sheet made of recycled plastics at bauma

Doka, a global leader in formwork and scaffolding, unveiled Xlife top at bauma 2025 – its first formwork sheet featuring a core made entirely from recycled plastic. Harnessing advanced plastic composite technology, Xlife top delivers exceptional durability and multiple reuse cycles, offering a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Its introduction marked a key milestone for the industry, showing that climate action and cost-efficiency can go hand in hand.

Doka is working across multiple product segments to expand its portfolio of climate-friendlier solutions, helping customers lower their carbon footprint on construction sites. A crucial enabler of this transformation is product design, with a strong focus on sustainable materials, modularity, and refurbishment. Doka’s existing rental model already reflects these priorities, with formwork systems refurbished on demand in dedicated service centres around the world to maximise service life. The premiere of Xlife top at bauma 2025 took this commitment a step further.

“Until now, sustainable solutions have often been niche or premium products, struggling to reach the wider construction market,” said Robert Hauser, CEO of Doka (pictured). “With Doka Xlife top, we have broken that pattern and proven that sustainability and cost-effectiveness can go hand in hand – making climate-friendly concrete construction both practical and scalable.”

Closing the Loop: Sustainability in Action

With Xlife top, Doka successfully integrates closed-loop recycling into a large-scale, industrial solution. The core of each sheet is made from 100% recycled plastic, and at the end of its lifecycle, every used sheet is taken back by Doka and reprocessed into new sheet cores.

“This represents a full realisation of the circular economy,” said Robert Hauser.

Thanks to its recycled plastic core and long service life, the product carbon footprint (PCF) of the Xlife top sheet is significantly lower than that of conventional wood-composite sheets

uperior performance, better concrete quality

Beyond its environmental benefits, Xlife top offers strong performance and economic value. Its silk-matt surface is highly scratch-resistant, producing consistent concrete finishes over multiple uses. Unlike phenolic resin sheets, Xlife top does not stain concrete and fits flush within panels for a premium finish.

Its durable surface and advanced composite construction make it significantly more damage-resistant than conventional formwork sheets. It is also quick and easy to clean – even with high-pressure washers – reducing on-site labour and time. Lower refurbishment costs are supported by innovations like partial sheet replacement, further enhancing lifecycle value.

All Xlife top sheets are designed to integrate seamlessly with existing Doka framed formwork systems. Fewer replacements, less maintenance, and reduced refurbishment work all translate into significant cost savings for construction companies.

Spotlight at bauma 2025

With the launch of Xlife top, Doka demonstrated how sustainable concrete construction can be achieved without compromising on performance or profitability. This innovation marked a major shift in how formwork materials are designed, used, and reintegrated into the material cycle – and it aligns with Doka’s broader climate goal of reaching net zero by 2040.

The core of the panel is made of 100% recycled plastic. © Doka