10169187Keep Shropshire Warm with Carbon Cell: low-carbon, locally sourced insulation materials.ActiveProcurementInnovate UKThis collaborative project aims to revolutionise the thermal insulation industry by developing a carbon-negative, biochar-based foam material as a replacement for traditional polymer-based insulation. The initiative brings together Carbon Cell, Local Authorities in Shropshire, and BioDynamic Carbon---a biochar supplier created from a joint venture between Shropshire Council and Woodtek. At the heart of this project is Carbon Cell's patent-pending foam material, engineered from biochar and natural polymer binders. This first-to-market innovation achieves a remarkable carbon-negative footprint of -0.939 kgCO2e/kg while exhibiting high-strength, moisture-buffering, and low thermal conductivity, making it well-suited for the built environment. The material represents a direct replacement for conventional plastic foams, able to compete on performance, cost, and scalability. This project will validate the technical and commercial feasibility of Carbon Cell foam for use in the thermal insulation market. Collaborating with Local Authorities, we will ensure development is aligned with their needs, and explore deployment opportunities within their decarbonisation strategies. The biochar feedstock will be sourced from BioDynamic Carbon, which was created to take advantage of biochar's sustainability metrics as part of Shropshire Council's carbon capture and sequestration effort. Consequently, this project has dual alignment with local net-zero objectives: carbon capture, and deployment of carbon-containing products. Feedstock will undergo characterisation tests, informing subsequent steps, where we will prototype and test our foam against key performance metrics---benchmarking results against incumbent insulation products and Local Authority requirements. The result will be a novel, sustainable foam established as a viable insulation product, with an evidenced path to market adoption. Importantly, the project offers two major benefits for Local Authorities. Firstly, it improves the viability of green home delivery schemes by providing cost-effective, high-performance, carbon-negative insulation material. Secondly, it supports the growth of local carbon-capture infrastructure by creating stable demand for regionally produced biochar, ensuring ventures like BioDynamic Carbon are economically sustainable. Carbon Cell's offer as a foam that can compete with traditional insulation, while outperforming even existing solutions in carbon-negativity, represents a major innovation in sustainable materials, positioning it to compete with traditional foams in a manner unlike any other sustainable alternative.