By 2020, the building sector was responsible for 38% of the energy-related carbon emissions in the world. However, a transformation of the sector’s emission is possible if all governments start prioritizing low-carbon buildings. There is an urgent need for the adoption at scale of green building solutions that reduce energy consumption and promote the use of natural resources.
As sustainability and energy efficiency initiatives seize the world, more and more businesses find opportunities in sustainable cities and communities, green buildings and environmentally responsible products.
Southeast European companies and products can offer many solutions in the battle against carbon emissions, climate change, non-affordable and non-renewable energy. Here, The Recursive has selected a few examples of innovative green building solutions from the SEE region.
Caminota, based in Romania
Founders: Andrei Basaraba, Vlad Stanciu
Solution: Caminota offers an ecological, clay-made product for the plastering and finishing of the walls, for both traditional and modern homes. The company offers a responsible use of natural resources without depletion of the product, or any negative consequences on the environment. Producing it consumes ten times less energy compared to any other cement-based materials.
Launch date: 2021
MClimate, based in Bulgaria
Founders: Blagovest Dimitrov, Lyubomir Yanchev
Solution: MClimatte offers an IoT platform for smart home and building management, which includes heating monitoring, analysis and control; indoor air quality and carbon emissions monitoring, and water control and damage prevention. Their innovative solution is supporting sustainability goals by helping save resources and prevent harmful emissions..
Launch date: 2015
Vega Solar, based in Albania
Founder: Philipp Koronowski
Solution: Vega Solar offers a complete package for photovoltaic panels installation and maintenance on residential homes. Their mission is to increase the share of electricity produced by photovoltaic panels in Albania.
Launch date: 2019
Dtwise, based in Greece
Founders: Athanassios Panagoulas, Spyros Tzovairis
Solution: A big data analytics company, Dtwise offers commercial and industrial businesses data management solutions for customized energy efficiency, smartification, and AI solutions. Their Legacy Equipment Smartification solution, for instance, can make refrigerators, lifts, or escalators, more reliable and predictable with automated tracking of electrical measurement patterns that signal required attention.
Launch date: 2015
Fuergy, based in Slovakia
Founders: Branislav Safarik, Radoslav Stompf, Rastislav Kuba, Vladimir Miskovsky, Branislav Kopun, Tomas Demcak
Solution: Through their solutions, Fuergy aims to enable energy optimization, lower utility bills, and improve green energy production. One of their products, brAIn is a smart battery solution that uses AI to learn about your energy consumption, as well as forecast weather conditions. The IoT functionality also helps you manage the consumption of energy-intensive technologies such as air conditioning.
Launch date: 2018
Ecocapsule, based in Slovakia
Founders: Sona Pohlova, Tomas Zacek
Solution: Ecocapsule offers self-sustainable micro-units, which use solar and wind energy. The product is self-sufficient, functional, and practical. It can be designed according to the customer’s preferences, and can be stationed in remote places, far from the infrastructure.
Launch date: 2014
SEVAREX, based in Bulgaria
Founders: Dobromir Mashev, Alexander Sabev
Solution: SEVAREX is an online store that offers environmentally friendly materials for construction and renovation such as clay plasters, coatings for wood, and interior paint oil, imported from abroad. Recently, the company won a grant from ClimAccelerator Black Sea and the team made a local production – natural insulation made of straws.
Launch date: 2021
