​IndiNature – UK Hemp Insulation Innovation

Introducing  IndiNature. Hemp Insulation specialists based in Scotland manufacturing natural insulation from UK grown hemp. They are on a mission to improve the carbon footprint of the construction industry. 

According to the Green Building Council (2017), the construction industry is responsible for nearly 50% of carbon emissions – when you include the amount of carbon needed to make products, construction plus heating and cooling.

“We set the company up to make some of the biggest possible impacts on the climate and the built environment. The positive thing that our insulation can do, it can knock 4.4 tonnes of carbon off an average UK home build.”

Scott Simpson Co-Founder IndiNature

They are starting from the ground up. IndiNature’s insulation products are made from hemp, a very fast-growing industrial crop which pulls CO₂ from the air as it grows. The carbon then gets locked up in the insulation. That, combined with IndiNature’s manufacturing processes (which use as little as 10% of the energy of conventional insulations) means, in total, IndiNature products are carbon negative. They can help reverse climate change.

It's not just carbon dioxide that hemp has a positive impact upon. Read about the  many other benefits of growing hemp as a crop.

Hemp is also just as awesome when used appropriately in buildings. IndiNature have combined Hemp and Flax (both UK grown) into insulation products that:

• Create excellent air quality
• Create a steady indoor temperature (warm in winter, cool in summer)
• Create steady humidity (helping to prevent condensation and mould)
• Have no toxic Volatile Organic Compounds to off-gas into buildings
• Reduce pulmonary risks indoors (e.g. black mould, dust, asthma)
• Are healthier for builders and electricians to handle, cut and install. There are no carcinogenic dust, no lung or skin irritations.
• Are entirely circular. Unlike other insulations which end up in landfill, IndiNature products can easily be reused at end-of-life or reprocessed into the same products.

Whilst also being easy to use and complying with building regulations for fire safety when installed correctly.

The beginning of the natural industrial revolution?

IndiNature has just built the first dedicated natural insulation factory in the UK (in Jedburgh on the Scottish Borders) with a £3 million investment from the Scottish National Investment Bank along with an unlocking grant funding provided by Zero Waste Scotland (£803k) and South of Scotland Enterprise (£250k).

First off the production line is  IndiTherm^® a natural insulation semi-rigid slab (or batt) made from Yorkshire grown hemp. We were so excited to see the first samples arrive in our warehouse last month. We are really impressed with the quality and feel.

IndiTherm^® can be friction fitted between structural framing or against masonry. It has excellent rigidity to resist slumping. It has a thermal conductivity (λ) of 0.040-0.038W/m.K and net carbon storage of 0.70 kgCO₂eq/kg. Each batt is 1200mm long and available in three different widths (575, 440 and 375mm to go between your joists, rafters or stud work) and five different thicknesses (50, 80, 90, 100 and 140mm). Read more about IndiTherm. 

We expect their second product, IndiBoard (a multi-purpose thermal and acoustic insulation board) to be available in early 2023. Until then, please  contact us for details.