The producer of an innovation in internal wall insulation has launched a new Aberdeen factory to create jobs and continue its fight against fuel poverty.

The Matilda’s Planet facility was officially opened last week by minister for local government and housing Kevin Stewart MSP.

The factory will produce internal wall insulation innovation Matilda’s Blanket for Aberdeenshire Council’s Housing Improvement Programme, which will help meet Environmental Efficiency Standards for Social Housing 2020 targets.

Kevin Stewart MSP said: “I am delighted to be here today to open this new facility. Earlier this week the Scottish Government announced our new Energy Efficient Scotland programme, setting out our vision for all buildings in Scotland to be warmer, greener and more energy efficient. Innovative solutions offered by Matilda’s Planet Scotland will help us achieve that goal and we are thrilled to welcome them to Aberdeen. I applaud the work being done here, and the investment in local people.”

Energy Action Scotland, a charity whose sole remit is to end fuel poverty, states 649,000 households in Scotland are living in fuel poverty. Cold, damp homes are an issue that cost the lives of thousands of people in Scotland every year. The human cost of fuel poverty is a national priority, which requires a range of solutions, especially when set against the relentless rise in fuel costs.

To meet this need, Matilda’s Planet has created Matilda’s Blanket, a practical and tailored insulation product for homeowners and landlords, which can be retrofit and reduces energy bills overnight by 40 to 50%.

Founded by philanthropist and social entrepreneur David Evans MBE, Matilda’s Planet is a social enterprise committed to its values: social responsibility, sustainability and providing practical solutions to make homes warmer and healthier.

Evans, who was first person to be awarded an MBE for the single citation of Services to Corporate Social Responsibility, said: “When my daughter Matilda was five, she told me to save the planet. A small request, but a noble goal to which I have devoted my time and resources. People need warm, dry, healthy homes. The planet needs us to be energy efficient and eco-friendly. Matilda’s Planet provides both. Working with government and social landlords, I will open fabrication facilities wherever they can benefit the local community.”

Evans believes the policy, ‘build local, by locals, for locals.’ Matilda’s Planet has worked with various organisations to find employees who have faced challenges but deserve an opportunity. The opening of this factory has created 7 new jobs directly and 50-60 new jobs indirectly. The expectation is these numbers will grow as Matilda’s Planet Scotland proves its ability to help councils, housing associations and energy companies achieve EESSH 2020 and 2032 requirements.

Matilda’s Planet intends to open several more fabrication facilities in Scotland over the next eighteen months with projections for fifty throughout the U.K. over the next five years.