INSIGHTS / News

SETsquared Scale-Up member Plastecowood has secured a £100k grant to lead an Innovate UK project into resource efficiency for materials and manufacturing with its carbon-negative material, Smartawood.

With construction one of the largest industrial consumers of natural resources, its environmental impacts have been clear to see in recent years. This growing concern has called for industry-wide innovation – new methods and materials that aid in mitigating the industry’s environmental footprint. Plastecowood’s carbon-negative plastic lumber is set to do just that.

Smartawood is water, rot, and fungi resistant, and requires little to no maintenance, delivering a cost-effective alternative for construction companies that are good for both the planet and the bottom line. This timely solution is already used in several products, including outdoor furniture, decking, planters, and storage boxes, but this new project is set to explore the application of Smartawood in the heart of the construction industry.

Through Innovate UK’s Resource Efficiency for Materials and Manufacturing (REforMM) competition, Plastecowood will join 19 other ambitious businesses in leading the industry into a more resource-efficient future.

The funding win will enable the company to develop a new concept which focuses on developing a construction site hoarding product. Through extensive desktop research, Plastecowood has identified several feasible sources of construction plastic waste that could be recycled to create the world’s first carbon-negative hoarding product. Over its anticipated 30-year lifespan, the new Smartawood Hoarding is designed to repeatedly deliver value to its projects, with enhanced durability on traditional timber alternatives. At the end of its lifespan, the hoarding can then be recycled to create new products, contributing to the promotion of a circular economy within the construction industry.

SETsquared’s Scale-Up Programme supported Plastecowood’s successful first bid by making introductions to academics at the University of Surrey and guided the innovators through the proposal write-up process.

As the project progresses, the Plastecowood team will work closely with the University of Surrey’s Department of Engineering to perform technical studies on the Smartawood product. The partnership will develop a successful prototype of the innovative hoarding product, with an aim to reach the market by late 2024.

Henning von Spreckelsen, Director, Plastecowood said, “We’re incredibly pleased to have won this funding bid and the opportunity to explore further applications of Smartawood. Our next step is to continue researching mechanical and acoustic properties before final design concepts are shared with the construction industry.”

Karen Brooks, Head of Scale-Up, SETsquared added, “It’s fantastic to see the value of the programme shine through in this success story and we’re delighted that we were able to support Plastecowood in securing their first R&D grant. We are incredibly excited to watch this project pave the way for a greener and more sustainable future for the construction industry.”