John Ferguson

Winner of the 2025 Environmental Sustainability Award

About John:

Founded in 2018 by John Ferguson, Sisaltech has quickly emerged as a leader in sustainable building materials. The company’s flagship product, Sisalwool, is a low-carbon insulation material that combines sisal, a natural fibre, with wool. Inspired by John’s extensive work in East Africa, where he helped create a co-operative for sisal farmers, Sisalwool was developed to harness local, sustainable resources while providing high-performance insulation.

Sisalwool offers several unique benefits for building projects, especially when retrofitting older stone buildings. The product is highly breathable, allowing moisture to escape and helping to maintain the integrity of historic structures. It’s also easy to work with—non-itchy, can be easily cut with a saw, and provides a secure friction fit during installation.

In a further commitment to sustainability, Sisaltech has refined its sourcing process to embrace the circular economy. Sisal is now sourced from recycled coffee sacks, and waste wool is sourced from the production of Harris Tweed, reducing waste and lowering the environmental impact of production.

Sisalwool’s innovation hasn’t gone unnoticed. In 2024, the product won the Product Scotland Award at the VIBES Scottish Environment Business Awards, recognising its potential to drive both environmental impact and industry change. This prestigious award highlights Sisaltech's contribution to a greener, more sustainable future.

With growing recognition in the building industry and an increasing demand for environmentally friendly products, Sisaltech is poised for further expansion. The company recently secured a substantial amount of funding, led by TRICAPITAL Angels and supported by Scottish Enterprise, to accelerate the production and distribution of Sisalwool and expand its impact on the global insulation market.

What the judges said:

“John’s company is a prime example of environmental sustainability, creating low-carbon insulation from recycled sisal and waste wool, fully embodying the principles of the circular economy.”

What John said:

"I'm delighted to receive the Environmental Sustainability Award. Since I graduated in 2003, not enough has been done to tackle climate change, or the climate emergency as it has now become. I'm proud to be making a positive impact by using natural fibres such as Scottish sheep's wool to make low carbon insulation products for retrofitting Scotland's traditional stone buildings. Thank you to SRUC for the recognition and support.”