Exemplar Sustainable Building Awards: Product finalist: EcoCocon Straw Panel

Product finalist in the 2025 Exemplar Sustainable Building Awards. EcoCocon’s innovative straw wall system stores more carbon than it emits per square metre. Prefabricated from renewable timber and straw, the panels offer outstanding thermal performance, vapour permeability, and carbon sequestration, all wrapped in a system that’s fast to build, circular by design, and backed by Cradle to Cradle and Passivhaus component certifications.

EcoCocon

What makes EcoCocon stand out is its rare fusion of natural materials and industrial precision. It’s one of the very few structural wall systems on the market that is 98% bio-based and still capable of achieving high performance Passivhaus standards with ease. The prefabricated panels allow for walls to be erected in days, dramatically reducing site time and labour. At the award-winning Old Holloway Passivhaus, EcoCocon panels helped achieve a build that was airtight, all-electric, and energy-positive—producing 120% of its energy needs via solar power.

Used in over 25 countries and growing fast in the UK, EcoCocon is helping shift construction from “less bad” to “climate beneficial.” Its use of agricultural byproducts like straw helps regenerate rural economies, while its airtight, vapour permeable system delivers exceptional indoor air quality. A building product for healthy, zero-carbon living.