Green is the new black. There are no doubts about it. We’ve all heard the slogans and buzzwords, but we might still be wondering, what does this really mean? How can companies get on board and go green, especially those working in specific sectors, like the building one, with their own distinct challenges? How do the latest sustainable solutions help deliver economic growth? What kind of help does the Enterprise Europe Network offer?

New sustainable solutions unveiled

As leaders of the Enterprise Europe Network groups of experts working on Intelligent Energy and Sustainable Construction, Sonja and Katerina give support to their clients on sustainability topics. They do so through the "Virtual International Partnering Platform on Innovation in Environment, Energy and Circular Economy". The platform offers flexible, digital partnering opportunities for SMEs, start-ups and research organisations in Europe and beyond. It enables the sharing of European expertise in specific thematic areas and it aims to inform and connect clients for joint business, even in the current pandemic.

Most notably, the platform’s goal is to support companies working in the construction sector. A group of 10 European Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) were selected to take part in a webinar focused on new green technologies for sustainable construction. The online event took place on 9 December 2020 in the form of a pitching session. Participants from Italy, Austria, Ireland, Greece and the Czech Republic presented their new and innovative products or services in an effort to boost the use of sustainable and environmentally friendly devices, materials or techniques in the construction sector.

What is ‘going green’ all about?

During the pitching session on sustainable construction, several participants showcased their disruptive innovations. The Greek SME Landco Group presented engineering and technical solutions for green roof systems, vertical gardens, smart irrigation and water saving systems.

Similarly, the Greek company Metis Seagrass presented applications for seagrass waste as a new and ecological material for packaging and wall coverings. Furthermore, the Czech Brno University of Technology, Research Centre in Civil Engineering, presented their research activities in the field of advanced building materials, building/transport structures and on economics and environment. Finally, the Styrian Wood Cluster in Austria and the Venetian Green Building Cluster in Italy offer dedicated regional support to international cooperation partners.

A cross-border platform on environment, energy and circular economy

The webinar was part of a collective initiative “Spotlights on European Green Tech”, hosted on the virtual platform.

The partnering platform invites SMEs and research institutions, from Europe and beyond, to join and share their expertise and cooperation wishes. This free permanent partnering opportunity allows interested companies to connect with more than 1200 international participants, join thematic webinars and to learn about up-to-date initiatives, documents and events.

Find more information about all speakers and presentations under "Pitching Session1".

Further readings you may like

Discover what the European Commission is doing, in the context of the EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change, to prepare Europe’s building stock to withstand the impacts of climate change.

Read about the work of the European Construction Sector Observatory (ECSO) and the five priorities of Construction 2020, one of them being resource efficiency: focusing on low emission construction, recycling and valorisation of construction, and demolition waste.