SisalwoolTM is an innovative insulation developed in Scotland. The batts (slabs) have excellent rigidity and can be friction-fitted vertically without slumping making them perfect for installing in wall systems, pitched roofs and under suspended timber floors. They can also be used between rafters, joists, in partitions, and for loft insulation.
SisalwoolTM is vapour permeable (breathable) and has great acoustic performance. It can be handled safely with no risk of harmful chemicals (VOCs) off-gassing.
SisalwoolTM is a blend of recycled and new sisal fibre, recycled and new wool, and a recycled polyester binder. During the processing the materials are "washed" with Ecolan a non-insecticide treatment, making them resistant to moths.
It comes in one batt size 1200mm x 570mm and two thicknesses 100mm and 50mm. The slabs are perfect for joists/studs at 600 centres and they are easily cut with a waveform-bladed insulation hand saw.
Closing the loop - Circular economy
Sisaltech's aim is for all the materials that go into their insulations to be from "waste" streams". They work alongside Zero Waste Scotland to identify perfect “waste” streams to mix with the sisal to create high-performing insulation. Until they reach scale though their products are a blend of recycled and new.
The sisal within SisalwoolTM is a mix of recycled sisal coffee sacks from coffee roasters in Scotland and new Sisal fairly traded and imported by ship from Tanzania. Sisal is a great "backup" crop for farmers in Africa as it grows with relatively small amounts of water and succeeds when other crops fail in a drought. You can read all about SisalTech's founder John Ferguson's journey from studying Tropical Agricultural Development for his MSc (where he discovered just how awesome sisal is) to setting up an insulation company in Scotland in our blog post.
The wool part of the blend is a mix of "waste" sheep’s wool from the Harris Tweed and British wool carpet industry and new wool sourced from Scotland. Wool, as we know from our other insulation products and from wearing woolly jumpers, has great thermal properties.
This means that the colour of the SisalwoolTM insulation changes from batch to batch. This is purely aesthetic and does not affect the performance of the product.
Carbon Neutral footprint
Even though some of the sisal comes from Tanzania east Africa, the carbon footprint of that sisal is low as it is transported by ship. The carbon footprint of the product is further lowered by using recycled materials in the blend.
The carbon footprint of the final product has been independently assessed as carbon neutral at the factory gate.
Technical Information
- Density: 40kg/m3
- Thickness: 50mm, 100mm
- Length: 1200mm
- Width: 570mm
- Thermal Conductivity: 0.039W/mK
- MU value: 2.4
- Acoustic performance: 12dB reduction at 500-2000Hz
- Reaction to fire: Euro class E
- Moth proofing: Ecolan
- Carbon footprint: Carbon neutral
- End of life: Return for recycling
Documentation
- SisalwoolTM Datasheet (pdf)
Further Information
Read more about SisalTech and Sisal as a crop in our SisalwoolTM Natural Fibre Insulation blog post.
