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Scotland's IndiNature has achieved the first full BBA Agrément Certificate for UK grown and made industrial hemp insulation.
Following the accreditation, the companies IndiTherm industrial hemp thermal and acoustic insulation can be specified for retrofit or new build construction projects at scale.
After its first year of manufacturing at the IndiNature Mill in the Scottish Borders, IndiNature has built the capacity to supply insulation at scale. Now after the rigorous quality assessment of manufacturing process and products with British Board of Agrément (BBA) & UKAS testing, IndiTherm is currently the only UK grown and made natural fibre insulation to hold a BBA Agrément certificate.
This is a huge step in decarbonising the construction supply chain. BBA Agrément Certification means IndiTherm has been assessed for its suitability to meet UK building regulations, and this accreditation unlocks the abilty of larger housebuilders, installers, warranty providers and government funded insulation programmes to use IndiTherm.
Hemp insulation has a net carbon capture (cradle-to-gate LCA), locking carbon into buildings for the life of the building, providing an important carbon buffer to help mitigate climate change. IndiTherm is manufactured using UK's finest industrial hemp from East Yorkshire Hemp and others who are working to help rebuild the hemp supply chain in the UK.
IndiNature's Co-founder & CTO, Scott Simpson, who led the certification process and said: "Our whole team feels proud to have worked with the BBA to achieve the first agrément certificate in the UK for industrial hemp insulation – and even more proud of the fact the products are made by local workers in our mill and the fibres are supplied by local farmers. This means carbon captured by British farms can be stored in British buildings.
"We founded the business because we care about quality buildings, people's health and the planet – a full BBA agrément certificate will help us grow those positive impacts on scale. Securing an agrément is a highly demanding and rigorous process for any company – as a start-up this has been even more of a challenge but has meant we have optimised our in-house controls and are continuously improving product performance. It's been tough for the team to get to this stage but we feel great about achieving our first certificate. The trend for natural low carbon construction materials continues to grow – this is an exciting time for IndiNature as we help accelerate that supply."
Alex McLeod, IndiNature's new CEO added: "To have BBA certification demonstrates that our products have been tested to the highest standards expected here in the UK, and will undoubtedly assure architects, builders and contractors that our products are not only sustainable but achieve required performance levels.
"We are currently the only UK manufacturer of natural fibre insulation products to be accredited with a full BBA agrément certificate and this is already proving to be very positively received by our current and potential clients. We are now well placed to offer a range of unique carbon-negative insulation materials with the peace of mind that our products have been tested to the highest standard.
"I'd like to thank the team at BBA for their diligence and rigour through the process and we look forward to working with them again as we expand and develop our product range."
Suitable for retrofit and new build projects, with BBA certification in place (search certificate number: 23/7060, or hemp, or natural fibre insulation) along with a guarantee from the Installation Assurance Authority, first generation IndiTherm now meets all criteria for PAS:2035 retrofit, can contribute to projects requiring Trustmark and for warranty providers for new build construction.
