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A curated selection featuring products made from Re-cycled or Up-cycled materials, including concrete, lighting, insulation, and more.
When hops are harvested for beer production, only 20% of the plant is used in brewing. The rest, traditionally considered waste, offers untapped potential. HopfON, a team of students and professionals from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), is transforming this by-product into innovative, recyclable building materials.
Leveraging the inherent properties of hop vines—relatives of hemp—the team identified their tensile strength, compressive resilience, and thermal insulation capabilities as ideal for applications in construction.
The AEC industry faces the dual challenge of reducing construction waste while adapting to increasingly stringent regulations and client demands for circularity. Traditional materials often lack transparent environmental data, leaving professionals struggling to balance functionality, performance, and environmental responsibility. HopfON’s work offers a glimpse into how bio-based alternatives can fill this gap.
Inspired by the use of banana fibres in Colombia, HopfON developed a process to repurpose local hop vines into fibre-based materials. Their acoustic insulation panels were rigorously tested, including for flammability and durability.
What also sets these panels apart is their recyclability. By avoiding non-soluble additives, the materials can be disassembled and reused at the end of their life cycle—aligning perfectly with circular design principles.
For AEC professionals, accessing materials that balance technical performance with environmental accountability remains a critical pain point. HopfON’s hop-based solutions highlight the importance of local, adaptable resources in addressing these challenges. Beyond the panels’ performance, their transparent development process—rooted in data and rigorous testing—adds an extra layer of credibility, making them a compelling option for future-forward projects.
As more innovators like HopfON emerge, the industry edges closer to a building culture where material transparency and circularity are not optional but foundational. It’s an exciting time to explore how waste, once overlooked, can be transformed into valuable resources, pushing boundaries in architectural and construction practices.
You can find similar, bio-based products in our Bio-based collection on revalu.
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