Across the globe, the construction industry is under increasing pressure to reduce its environmental footprint. Traditional building materials—such as concrete, steel, and even timber—carry significant embodied carbon costs, consume large amounts of energy in their production, and often end up as waste at the end of their life cycle. Amid this challenge, a unique and novel innovation has emerged: Bio-SIP™, a sustainable, circular building material designed to make construction cleaner, greener, and more efficient.
Developed and engineered in the UK, Bio-SIP™ represents a tangible step forward in sustainable construction. It is not theoretical, nor confined to laboratory tests or design concepts. Bio-SIP™ is production-ready and has already been used to construct several completed buildings, demonstrating both its technical viability and its aesthetic versatility. Supported by a series of Innovate UK grants, the team behind Bio-SIP™ is now preparing for the next major step— large-scale deployment.
Rethinking Construction for a Circular Future
The global construction sector accounts for around 39% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, making it one of the biggest contributors to climate change. The drive to build greener, more energy-efficient buildings has led to advancements in renewable technologies, energy-efficient systems, and improved design. However, the materials themselves—what the buildings are actually made of—remain a major source of emissions and waste.
This is where Bio-SIP™ stands out. The innovation rethinks building materials from the ground up, embracing circular economy principles by using 100% post-consumer waste plastics combined with natural fibres such as hemp and flax. These materials, typically destined for landfill or incineration, are repurposed into a high-performance construction product that delivers structure, insulation, and environmental responsibility in one integrated panel system.
Instead of relying on finite resources or energy-intensive processes, this novel biocomposite material transforms what society throws away into a product capable of creating durable, high-performing, and beautiful buildings. The result is a system that not only addresses the waste crisis but also redefines what sustainability means in the built environment.
What is Bio-SIP™ Novel Sustainable Innovation
The name Bio-SIP™ comes from “Biocomposite Structural Insulated Panel”, a modern and novel evolution of the conventional SIP concept. Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) have long been recognised for their ability to create strong, thermally efficient, and rapid-build structures. However, traditional SIPs are typically made using petrochemical-based foams and oriented strand board (OSB)—materials that, while effective, have limited recyclability and considerable embodied carbon.
Bio-SIP™ replaces these conventional materials with a biocomposite core made from recycled plastics and natural plant fibres, bound together using proprietary low-energy processes. The result is a material that is lightweight yet strong, highly insulating, and fully circular in its lifecycle.
Unlike many “green” concepts still in experimental stages, Bio-SIP™ has already been tested and proven in real-world applications. Several small-scale buildings—including garden studios, leisure buildings, and prototype pods—have been designed, manufactured, and installed using Bio-SIP™ panels. These projects have served as live demonstrations of the product’s strength, durability, and ability to be adapted for different architectural styles and functions.
Proven in Practice, Ready for Market
While many sustainable innovations remain confined to laboratories or research papers, Bio-SIP™ has progressed well beyond theory. The team behind the material—working under the Qube Buildings brand—has taken Bio-SIP™ from concept to full-scale production, validating every step of the process through manufacturing trials, installations, and industry collaboration.
The product has passed key material tests, including fire performance, a critical milestone that positions it for regulatory approval and certification. Two additional demonstration buildings are currently in production, which will not only showcase the architectural potential of the material but also mark the final stage before commercial launch.
Once these buildings are completed, Bio-SIP™ will be fully market-ready—poised to transform how we think about materials, manufacturing, and construction itself.
Innovation Backed by Research and Recognition
Bio-SIP™ has not gone unnoticed. The project has received multiple Innovate UK grants, recognising its novel and impactful approach to sustainable construction. These grants have supported research into the product’s material science, performance characteristics, and scalability, underlining Innovate UK’s commitment to backing high-value, novel innovations that can deliver real-world change.
Innovate UK support has been instrumental in moving Bio-SIP™ from early-stage development to pre-commercial production. It has enabled the team to carry out detailed engineering studies, refine manufacturing methods, and pursue essential certification processes such as the British Board of Agrément (BBA) approval—an important step toward wider adoption in regulated building sectors.
The recognition from Innovate UK also highlights Bio-SIP™ alignment with national goals around net zero, resource efficiency, and circular economy innovation. It represents the type of forward-thinking, novel project that the UK government sees as essential to achieving carbon neutrality in construction and beyond.
From Garden Studios to Homes of the Future
Currently, Bio-SIP™ has been applied primarily to unregulated structures, such as garden offices, studios, and leisure buildings—sectors that provide the perfect platform for early-stage innovation. These projects allow for real-world testing and refinement of manufacturing processes while generating valuable performance data and user feedback.
However, the long-term vision for Bio-SIP™ extends far beyond garden buildings. The team’s goal is to use Bio-SIP™ as a structural and thermal envelope system for residential and commercial buildings, replacing conventional timber frame or masonry systems with a lighter, faster, and far more sustainable alternative. Once BBA certification is secured, Bio-SIP™ will be ready for full integration into housing, modular construction, and offsite manufacturing—sectors increasingly looking for greener solutions that maintain performance and cost-effectiveness.
As the technology scales up, Bio-SIP™ could help address some of the most pressing challenges in modern construction:
- Reducing embodied carbon in new buildings
- Eliminating construction waste through circular design
- Improving thermal performance and lowering operational energy use
- Speeding up construction through prefabricated systems
- Creating a viable market for recycled materials at scale
A Revolution in Novel Sustainable Innovation Materials and Manufacturing
Bio-SIP™ embodies a shift not just in materials, but in mindset. For decades, the industry has operated on a “take-make-dispose” model—extracting raw materials, manufacturing products, and discarding them after use. Bio-SIP™ challenges that model by showing that waste can become a valuable resource, and that novel innovation can drive sustainability without compromise.
By converting plastic waste, into a robust, structural panel, Bio-SIP™ directly tackles one of the world’s most persistent environmental problems. Each panel locks away the equivalent of thousands of waste plastic bottles, preventing them from polluting the environment while giving them a new, 60 year long purpose in the built world.
The inclusion of natural fibres like hemp and flax adds further benefits. These rapidly renewable crops absorb carbon dioxide during growth and require minimal chemical input, enhancing the overall sustainability profile of the material. Together, the recycled plastic and plant fibre composite provides excellent insulation, high mechanical strength, and superior moisture resistance—all essential qualities for durable, energy-efficient buildings.
The Next Step: Commercialisation and Scale-Up
With proof of concept established and initial projects completed, the next phase for Bio-SIP™ is commercialisation. This involves scaling up manufacturing capacity, securing certifications, and forming partnerships with builders, developers, and local authorities who share a commitment to sustainable innovation.
The upcoming phase will also focus on structural performance testing, including axial and racking strength assessments, to validate Bio-SIP™ for use in two-storey residential construction and beyond. These studies will form part of the technical dossier required for certification and insurance approval, ensuring the material is fully ready for mainstream adoption.
The long-term ambition is to establish Bio-SIP™ as a core building system—not a niche alternative, but a practical and superior replacement for outdated methods. As the technology scales, costs will reduce, making sustainable construction accessible to more builders, homeowners, and communities.
Why Bio-SIP™ Matters: Novel Sustainable Innovation
The story of Bio-SIP™ is more than just a materials innovation—it’s a statement about what’s possible when sustainability, engineering, and creativity come together. It demonstrates that environmental responsibility does not have to mean performance sacrifice or added cost. Instead, it can mean innovation, efficiency, and a better way to build.
Every Bio-SIP™ panel installed represents a tangible reduction in waste, carbon, and resource depletion. Each building constructed with it becomes a symbol of circular thinking in action—a demonstration that the future of construction lies not in extracting more from the earth, but in reimagining what we already have.
As society continues its transition to net zero, novel innovations like Bio-SIP™ will play a vital role. They offer not just incremental improvement but a step change in how we build, enabling new forms of architecture that are lighter on the planet and stronger for future generations.
A Future Built from Waste: Novel Sustainable Innovation
The construction industry of tomorrow will look very different from that of today. It will be driven by digital design, offsite manufacturing, and a new generation of bio-based and recycled materials that replace carbon-heavy products with regenerative alternatives.
Bio-SIP™ is at the forefront of that transformation. It’s more than an idea—it’s a proven, practical, and novel innovation with real buildings, real data, and real potential to reshape the industry. By turning waste into structure, Bio-SIP™ exemplifies the power of innovation to make the world not only more sustainable but more resilient, efficient, and inspiring.
The future of construction is here—and it’s built with Bio-SIP™.