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New Biobased Panel from C-biotech Targets Offsite Construction and Carbon Reduction.
Belgium-based C-biotech has developed a biobased sandwich panel that combines hemp-fibre skins with a mycelium core, targeting modular and offsite construction applications where sustainability, performance, and circularity intersect. (main image: Biobased sandwich panel. Credit: C-biotech.)
Supported by a VLAIO (Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship) R&D grant, the one-year development project brings together research partners including KU Leuven, Studio Cartier, and Bruijn Consulting. The panel is the result of a three-part program: optimising the formulation and performance of the hemp-fibre outer skins; refining the thermal, acoustic, and structural characteristics of the mycelium core; and developing the bond between skin and core at prototype scale.
The C-hemp skins are made from industrial hemp fibres and plant-based binders, producing a rigid, satin-finished surface that resists UV, moisture, fire, and abrasion. These skins serve as an alternative to conventional timber-based boards and are manufactured from crop residues that would otherwise be discarded. The mycelium core is grown on straw or wood chips and stabilised through a low-energy baking process, producing a lightweight but rigid core with insulation performance and load capacity suitable for non-load-bearing walls, cladding, and partition systems.
C-biotech reports the panel is carbon-negative, removing around 7.6 kilograms of CO₂ per square metre over its life cycle. By comparison, standard sandwich panels typically emit between 10 and 60 kilograms of CO₂ per square metre. The system is designed for compatibility with modular construction and circular design principles—panels can be reused or regenerated biologically at end-of-life.
The company also grows hemp on contaminated land to absorb pollutants like PFAS and heavy metals, turning the harvested crop into useful construction materials. This approach not only cleans the soil but also creates a closed-loop supply of biomass feedstock for manufacturing.
C-biotech’s hemp and mycelium sandwich panel offers an example of how construction materials can be reimagined through systems thinking—merging environmental performance, material innovation, and industrial scalability.
See: C-biotech
