Wull Technologies secures £300,000 to advance sustainable insulation technology
05 Jun 2025
Wull Technologies, a joint venture between Manchester-based Vector Labs and Wool Insulation Wales and new university spinout, has secured £300,000 in funding to support the commercialisation of its innovative rigid insulation panels made from sheep wool.
The investment comes from the University of Manchester Innovation Factory and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s GM Advance fund, with each contributing £150,000.
The funding will enable Wull Technologies to scale up production of its LAMDA rigid wool fibre panels, manufactured in Manchester using Welsh mountain sheep wool and a patent-pending sustainable chemistry process developed by Vector Labs’ material scientists. This investment builds on previous support, including a £214,000 grant from Innovate UK’s Resource Efficiency for Materials and Manufacturing (REforMM) programme in 2023, bringing the company’s total funding to over £500,000.
How the collaboration came about
Vector Labs, based at Manchester’s Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre, is the technology division of Vector Group, which includes Vector Homes, a company focused on sustainable, low-carbon, energy-efficient building systems. Wool Insulation Wales, established in 2022 by Ruth-Marie Mackrodt and Mair Jones in Neath Port Talbot, produces loft insulation rolls under the Truewool brand using Welsh sheep wool. Ruth-Marie serves as Managing Director of Wull Technologies, with Liam Britnell as Technical Director.
The collaboration began after Vector Homes developed a low-carbon show home at the University of Salford’s Energy House 2.0, prompting exploration into new applications for sheep wool.
Liam said: “Wool Insulation Wales brought sheep wool to our attention. Welsh mountain wool is naturally insulative, breathable and fire-retardant. However, farmers lose money on every sheep sheared. Together, we set out to use materials science to open up new markets for this abundant and underutilised material."
"Rigid panel insulation is widely used and preferred across the construction sector because it is easy to handle, install and cut to shape. To our knowledge, there is no rigid wool panel product on the market in the UK, and many natural fibre alternatives use a plastic binder. Our scientists have developed a patent-pending process to create rigid sheep wool panels without adding any plastics. This ensures that LAMDA panels are recyclable, biodegradable and provide a sustainable alternative to mineral wool insulation, which is derived from high-energy mining processes."
“LAMDA competes with mineral wool in thermal and acoustic performance while offering superior moisture management, making it ideal for retrofitting heritage buildings where breathability is essential, and for preventing damp in homes, an issue which the UK Health Security Agency has said affects over two million people in England alone.”
Liam added: “What is additionally exciting is how this material could be applied across sectors beyond construction. We’ve been overwhelmed with interest and positive feedback from sectors including packaging, horticulture and interior design.”
Roles in parternship
Vector Labs leads research, development and manufacturing, while Wool Insulation Wales provides extensive sector expertise.
Ruth-Marie said: “The retrofit challenge presents a huge opportunity to invest in circular economies built around local supply chains and natural materials. With many millions of kilograms of wool produced annually in the UK as a byproduct of sheep farming, Wull Technologies provides an innovative and new market for it. The biophilic look and feel of LAMDA also makes for a refreshing change from the plastics that dominate our built environment."
“We’re incredibly grateful to both the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the University of Manchester Innovation Factory for their support. Their investment means we can now move forward to the next stage of development and begin scaling up for full commercialisation.”
Future outlook
Nic Gowland, Senior Investment and Licensing Manager at the University of Manchester Innovation Factory, said: “We're delighted to formalise our partnership with Wull Technologies as a spinout of The University of Manchester, and to be part of the company journey as it grows and continues to innovate in future.
“Through this partnership and continued engagement with the university and Innovation Factory, we're confident the company can become a major player in the application of sustainable materials across multiple industries.”
The GM Advance fund, part of Greater Manchester’s Investment Zone, supports growth in the advanced materials and manufacturing sector.