The bio-based building materials market in France

Yes. According to the AICB barometer, installed bio-based insulation volumes in France rose from 14.5 million m² in 2016 to 28.2 million in 2023, an increase of 95%, while the overall insulation market is shrinking. Manufacturers’ turnover grew from €59.1m to €91.6m. Semi-rigid and rigid boards more than tripled, while loose-fill insulation, which accounts for 44% of volumes, gained 20%.

In 2023, two families account for 91% of installed bio-based insulation volumes in France according to the AICB: semi-rigid insulation (47%) and loose-fill insulation (44%), ahead of rigid insulation (6%) and bio-based concretes (2%). The most common raw materials are wood, hemp, cotton, paper and cardboard, and straw, according to Karibati, which counted 343 EPD sheets (FDES) for bio-based materials in the INIES database at the end of 2024.

According to the AICB, the French bio-based insulation sector has a production capacity of 60 million m² a year, spread across 19 production units close to the resource and 4,000 direct and indirect jobs. The 28 million m² produced in 2023 use less than half of it. Manufacturers have invested nearly €150m since 2020 and announce a further €80m of investment over five years.

The bio-based building materials market in France brings together insulation manufacturers federated within the AICB, agricultural cooperatives and timber builders. According to Le Journal des Entreprises (April 2026), KS Groupe, Wall’Up Préfa and La Chanvrière de l’Aube are investing €4m to €5m in a hemp concrete panel plant near Strasbourg, aiming for 50,000 m² a year by 2027. LCA Construction Bois is spending €6m on timber-frame walls incorporating straw and hemp.

The RE2020 environmental regulation favours bio-based materials that store carbon in France; according to Zepros Métiers Bâti (March 2026), it extends to the service sector and industry in 2026 and then to warehouses in 2028, with carbon thresholds tightened every three years. The Climat et résilience law (the French climate law) requires, according to the AICB, bio-based or low-carbon materials in at least 25% of major renovations and public buildings from 2030. Some local authorities add their own labels, such as the Bâtiment frugal bordelais.

A PDF report in French, 2026 edition, organised in six chapters: definition and scope of bio-based materials, market size and dynamics, demand and specification, sectors and production, players and distribution channels, regulation and outlook.

AICB data, Eurostat statistics, the INIES database, the texts of the RE2020 and the Climat et résilience law, and trade press articles from the IndexPresse database. Every figure comes with its source and period.

Yes. The study is updated before it is sent, within 48 hours at most: it includes the latest published data, and every figure comes with its source and period.

Material and insulation manufacturers, agricultural cooperatives, timber builders and construction firms, merchants, public contracting authorities and social landlords, as well as consultants, bankers and investors who need to understand the bio-based building materials market in France.

By email, as a PDF, within 48 hours of payment. Our analysts use that time to add the latest available data before sending. You then find it in your My studies area.

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