The biosourced materials sector is ready for the decarbonization of buildings

Biosourced materials: a fast-growing industry

Encouraged by the decarbonization of buildings, the use of biosourced materials, particularly insulation and concrete, is becoming less and less rare on construction sites. While it represented barely 6% market share in 2016, biosourced insulation now represents 11% market share in 2021. In lost attics, they reach 20% market share, in particular thanks to cellulose wadding . Exponential growth of +138% in volume and +105% in turnover between 2016 and 2021.

The biosourced sector, united within the Association of Biosourced Construction Industrialists (AICB), represents more than 120 million euros in turnover in 2021. Between 2015 and 2021, 163 million m² of biosourced insulation have been implemented in France, the equivalent of more than 120.000 isolated individual houses. Today, 1 in 5 lost attics are insulated with biosourced insulation.

The advantage of biosourced resources: varied, available and renewable resources

Biosourced materials are made from renewable and local resources from plant (wood, hemp, linen, straw, grass, etc.), animal (sheep's wool) or recycling (paper, textile) biomass.

For Olivier Joreau, President of the AICB: “This variety of resources, with different constraints from one material to another, presents a double advantage: first, it allows the sector to perfectly respond to demand, even growing demand. Then, it avoids the depletion of resources by promoting the rotation of materials. »

Renewable materials and true natural carbon sinks, biosourced materials actively contribute to the carbon neutrality objective set by the European Union by 2050. While the UN environment agency called in mid-September 2023 sees a revolution to decarbonize buildings, responsible for 37% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the biosourced sector is ready to face the environmental challenges of the future.

“In a context where the pressure on fossil resources is at its peak, the massive use of biosources is a solution as ancestral as it is long-lasting to avoid the exhaustion of non-renewable resources,” argues the President of the AICB.

An industrialized sector and production capacity doubled by 2025

With 12 production units for the French market (France, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain) and 4.000 direct and indirect jobs, the biosourced sector has become significantly industrialized over the last ten years.

For Olivier Joreau: “The stage of artisanal production is ancient history! Today, most biosourced materials are under technical approval, meet the DTU or professional rules and the requirements of the ten-year guarantee, and benefit from voluntary Acermi certification, in the same way as traditional materials. »

Furthermore, the raw materials used for the manufacture of biosourced materials from plants store CO2 (photosynthesis) by nature.

To meet the challenges of renovation and new construction, manufacturers in the sector have committed 60 million euros in investments to double their production capacity by 2025. The objective: to achieve a production capacity of 60 million m² of biosourced materials per year.

The example of Cavac Biomaterials

A pioneer in hemp-based insulation, Cavac Biomatériaux has been manufacturing Biofib insulation panels in hemp or a mixture of hemp, linen and cotton since 2009, in its factory in Sainte-Gemme-la-Plaine in Vendée (85).

From 2.000 hectares of hemp grown in Vendée and Deux-Sèvres (79) by 250 partner producers, Cavac Biomaterials produces 150.000 m3 of biosourced insulation each year. A short circuit where all the components of the plant are used, leaving no waste: the hemp straw is first defibrated. The fiber thus obtained is then coated to produce insulating panels. Chènevotte, the other component from the defibration process, is then resold for the manufacture of plant-based concrete or mulch.

To accelerate its development, Cavac Biomaterials is investing 27 million euros in a new factory under construction in Sainte-Hermine (85), delivery of which is scheduled for the second quarter of 2024. The objective for the company: triple its capacity of production. This new factory will increase the production of biosourced insulation from 150.000 m3 to 450.000 m3 per year, with around thirty new hires.

For Olivier Joreau, President of Cavac Biomaterials and President of the AICB: “We have 200.000 hectares of potential cultivation and will increase our hemp plots to 6.000 hectares within 12 months. We therefore have all the necessary resources to meet growing market demand, with good growth prospects. »