Sprouting Biobased Materials: Ceresana Presents Market Study on Renewable Insulation

KONSTANZ, Germany - May 15, 2025 - PRLog -- Green competition for plastic foam and mineral wool is growing: Wood fiber insulation, insulation made from sheep's wool, and other insulation materials made from renewable raw materials currently account for a total market share of 6.5% in Europe. In some countries, this figure even exceeds 12%. The new, second edition of the market study on biobased insulation materials predicts that sales of these renewable building materials in Europe will rise to more than EUR 2.33 billion by 2034.

Traditional Materials, Innovative Insulation Products

Whether as blow-in flakes, panels, mats, or pellets: Today, cellulose is by far the most widely used biobased insulation material and has a market share of almost 46% in this segment. Cellulose usually comes from the recycling of paper, but cellulose fibers can also be obtained from meadow grass, for example. The trend towards energy saving, environmentally friendly buildings and homes with a healthy indoor climate means that traditional insulation materials such as straw bales, reed, cork, flax, hemp, and other natural fibers are being given a new lease on life. The vision of a circular economy is spurring the search for biobased innovations. How about denim wool made from old jeans? Researchers are also working on aerogel made from lignin, a by-product of paper production, which is bonded with biodegradable plastics such as polylactic acid (PLA). Space-saving, wafer-thin panels or insulating plaster made of aerogel could prevent thermal insulation from turning the windows and doors of a house into a kind of embrasure in meter-thick castle walls.

Exciting Times for the Construction Industry

The construction industry is currently experiencing a challenging phase in many countries. In Italy and France, major subsidy programs for the energy-efficient refurbishment of buildings are coming to an end. On the other hand, billions in public spending on infrastructure and climate protection promise new contracts in Germany. In the European Union, better thermal insulation is one of the priorities of the recovery and resilience plans for the "green transition" by 2026. Ceresana forecasts rising demand for biobased insulation materials marketed with eco-labels such as the German "Blue Angel" or the "Austrian Ecolabel". Natural materials are often even more expensive and lesser-known than mineral or synthetic products. Ideally, however, biobased insulation materials are superior in terms of building physics, non-toxic, easy to combine with biobased paints, biobased wallpapers, biobased adhesives and other sustainable building materials – and last but not least, they are also biodegradable.

Further information on the current market report "Biobased Insulation Materials": https://ceresana.com/en/produkt/biobased-insulation-mater...