Waste Glass and New Homes: The Dumfries Firm Testing Scotland’s Housing Economy
A Dumfries-based construction business has secured more than £5m in funding to scale a building system that turns waste glass into structural panels for homes and other buildings.
VASO Global says the funding will support manufacturing at a new 60,000 sq ft site in Dumfries and create up to 70 jobs over five years. The company’s technology uses recycled glass to make high-performance structural composite panels for modular construction.
The funding package includes £1.4m seed investment from PXN Ventures, £621,000 from Scottish Enterprise, a £2m loan approved by Innovate UK Loans Limited, and £800,000 from Eco Group, which is expected to act as delivery partner for initial VASO Global build projects. VASO by Eco previously secured £330,000 from South of Scotland Enterprise to support commercial rollout of the recycled-glass building technology.
Eddie Black, VASO Global Co-Founder and Managing Director, said: “We want to thank all those who have seen the potential in our technology. The latest investment from PXN Ventures and Scottish Enterprise, along with all our other funders, accelerates our journey to deliver a product which can genuinely reshape how homes are delivered – cleaner, faster and with far less waste.
“We would like to also thank Professor Sean Smith at the University of Edinburgh for his reports and expert support, funded by the UKRI Centre for Net Zero High Density Buildings, which has helped underpin VASO’s plans and products to reach this stage of our development.”
The company says it combines digital design, integrated manufacture and semi-autonomous construction to provide affordable, thermally efficient, low-carbon homes that can be built more quickly than conventional housing.
Scotland needs more homes. It also needs stronger manufacturing outside the Central Belt, better use of waste materials, faster construction methods and business growth that produces skilled local employment. VASO’s model speaks directly to those pressures.
The latest Scottish Government housing figures show why the claim will attract attention. Across all sectors, Scotland completed 17,268 new homes in 2025-26, down 10% on the previous year. Starts fell 4% to 14,955. Private-sector completions were down 8%, while social-sector completions fell 16%. Scotland has declared a housing emergency, but delivery remains below what the country needs.
Dumfries and Galloway also has a direct stake. The Scottish Government’s 2025-26 housing statistics show Dumfries and Galloway among the local authority areas with the lowest private-sector completion rates, at 15 or fewer homes built per 10,000 population. A construction manufacturing site in Dumfries therefore carries local significance as well as national policy interest.
VASO’s backers say the company can help reduce construction time. PXN Ventures said the company expects to cut construction time from 33 weeks to 10 weeks on an upcoming project in Scotland.
Tom Croy, PXN Ventures Investment Director, said: “At PXN we back companies solving real problems, and the UK’s housing shortage is about as real as they get, which is why we’re proud to back Eddie and the team as they scale a genuinely sustainable way to build not just houses but other essential buildings. On top of supporting local jobs and opportunities, VASO Global’s recycled composite panels enable builders to build far faster than traditional methods, with the company expecting to cut construction time from 33 weeks to 10 on an upcoming project in Scotland.”
The potential is clear. A factory-based system could reduce some of the delays, weather exposure and on-site labour pressures that affect conventional construction. Recycled-glass panels may also support lower-waste building methods and give a South of Scotland business a role in a national supply chain.
Public funding also brings a public-interest test. Scottish Enterprise and South of Scotland Enterprise have put money behind the business because it is being presented as an innovative company with growth potential. Innovate UK has approved a loan. The return should be assessed through jobs, private investment, manufacturing capability, export potential and completed projects, rather than the announcement figure alone.
Derek Shaw, Scottish Enterprise Director of Entrepreneurship and Investment, said: “Our investment support is focused on helping Scotland’s most innovative and ambitious companies to grow and scale, creating impactful economic change in regions across Scotland. VASO Global is a fantastic example of this, with its manufacturing approach having the potential to transform how low-carbon homes are delivered at pace and scale, while creating job opportunities and strengthening the South of Scotland’s manufacturing capability.”
Scott O’Brien, Innovate UK Chief Investment Officer, said: “When Innovate UK launched its Prospectus in March 2025, its ambition was to foster future industry giants with the ambition to scale through their cutting-edge technologies.
“VASO delivers advanced materials that support clean energy goals and sustainable housing. Innovate UK’s £2m innovation loan will deliver the technical and commercial maturity that will accelerate their growth.”
Professor Russel Griggs, SOSE Chair, said: “SOSE is committed to supporting innovation and tackling our foundational challenges, including housing. Supporting the early commercialisation and production of VASO’s technology allows us to do both. To unlock the South of Scotland’s full economic potential, we need to address these challenges. The region is innovative and a significant untapped source of future growth.”
Up to 70 jobs over five years would be meaningful in Dumfries, particularly if the roles include skilled manufacturing, technical, design, quality-control and apprenticeship opportunities. The next question is whether those jobs are created, filled locally where possible, and sustained beyond the first phase of funding.
Gary Robertson, Eco Group Opportunity Strategist, said: “Sustainable, affordable housing is not just a social good—it is the foundation of economic resilience. Providing thermally efficient, healthy homes supports a stable workforce, improves productivity, reduces public costs, and unlocks long-term, inclusive growth.
“The South of Scotland isn’t always the first area on people’s minds when it comes to world-first innovation and manufacturing methods. But we have some brilliant organisations and business minds in this region, and this investment will help provide valuable skills, training and job opportunities to help boost the region’s economy.”
If the system proves viable, it may be most useful where Scotland’s housing emergency is hardest to solve: rural areas, brownfield sites, small community-led schemes, affordable housing projects and places where conventional building costs make delivery difficult.
One proposed use has already been identified. VASO by Eco has been proposed for a new affordable housing project at Closeburn, north of Dumfries, involving Nith Valley Leaf Trust, South of Scotland Community Housing and VASO by Eco. The scheme has been described as a potential early use of the recycled-glass system for homes intended for young people from the area and older residents seeking warmer, lower-cost homes at affordable rents.
If the technology can help build affordable homes in a rural community, reduce running costs and support local manufacturing, it would be a genuine contribution.
VASO Global has also made two senior appointments to its board. Graham McDonald has joined the company as chairman. Douglas Morrison, Deputy CEO of Built Environment – Smarter Transformation, has joined VASO Global in a non-remunerated Strategic Advisor role. BE-ST’s stated mission is to accelerate Scotland’s transition to a zero-carbon built environment and construction sector.
Shelter Scotland has warned that Scotland is not building enough affordable homes. Following the latest figures, it said 6,832 affordable homes were built in the last year, 15% below the 8,000-home target, and cautioned that the country remains off track for the 110,000 affordable homes target by 2032. The Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland has also pointed to the need for 15,693 social and affordable homes each year over five years to meet current housing need.
Against that scale, one company cannot solve the housing emergency, but it can make a difference and that makes it worth watching closely.
Sources
Scottish Enterprise, £5m funding boost for innovative construction business tackling UK housing crisis:
https://www.scottish-enterprise-mediacentre.com/news/gbp-5m-funding-boost-for-innovative-construction-business-tackling-uk-housing-crisis
Eco Group, Eco Group invests in innovation which redefines the built environment:
https://www.teameco.co.uk/eco-group-invests-in-innovation-which-redefines-the-built-environment
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https://www.vaso.global/
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https://www.vaso.global/news
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https://www.teameco.co.uk/vaso-by-eco
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https://www.southofscotlandenterprise.com/news/vaso-by-eco
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https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/vaso-global-secures-over-ps5m-in-funding-to-address-housing-emergency
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https://www.industrialisedconstruction.co.uk/2025/11/21/recycled-glass-homes-proposed-for-village-scheme/
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https://www.gov.scot/publications/tackling-scotlands-housing-emergency/
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