Summary

Adaptavate is a Bristol-based materials company tackling one of the construction industry’s most overlooked problems: plasterboard. Construction drives nearly 40% of global CO₂ emissions and around 30% of global waste — and conventional plasterboard is a significant contributor on both counts. Traditional plasterboard is made by sandwiching gypsum plaster between layers of heavy-duty paper, a process that uses significant amounts of natural gas. At the end of its life, it cannot go to regular landfill as decomposing gypsum releases toxic hydrogen sulphide gas. And the raw material itself is running out: synthetic gypsum, a by-product of coal power generation, is decreasing in availability as the world transitions away from fossil fuels. Adaptavate’s answer is Breathaboard — a bio-based, carbon-negative alternative made from agricultural crop waste, installed in exactly the same way as standard plasterboard but lighter, healthier, and fully compostable at the end of its life. Breathaboard stores 2.5kg of biogenic carbon per m², passively regulates moisture to reduce the risk of mould, and has enhanced thermal performance. The company has secured over £3M in funding from climate investors and Innovate UK, opened a dedicated pilot manufacturing facility, and is licensing its patented technology to construction material producers around the world. (Source)

Story

Adaptavate was founded by Tom Robinson, who came to the problem via an unconventional route. After graduating, Robinson travelled widely and embraced a minimal, ecological way of living — during which time he read Yvon Chouinard’s ‘Let My People Go Surfing’, a book he now gifts to every new Adaptavate employee. Back in the UK, he worked as an on-site builder and plasterer before completing a Master’s in Sustainable Architecture at the Centre for Alternative Technology. It was on building sites that the problem first became clear: the sheer volume of plasterboard waste generated daily, all of it destined for specialist landfill. His thesis became the seed of Breathaboard. Alongside Breathaboard, Adaptavate has also developed Breathaplasta — a fast-setting lime-based plaster that prevents mould and improves indoor air quality. Both products are designed as genuine drop-in replacements: they install the same way, meet the same industry standards, and require no change to how builders work. To maximise impact, Adaptavate is not only manufacturing directly but licensing its patented technology platform to construction material producers globally — a model designed to scale carbon removal through one of the world’s largest and most emissions-intensive industries.

Pic credit: Adaptavate