Italy, the EU’s smallest member state, was massively hit by the COVID-19, followed by an economic recession. Italy revived after the lockdown relaxed in May 2020, helping the manufacturing and construction regain momentum. “The government’s initial USD 30m (1.6% of GDP) emergency package was largely directed at healthcare, welfare and emergency support for businesses” with only “13% of the assigned budget tagged for green recovery. The recently announced Italian Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) includes investments into measures relevant to the green transition.” Source. Amidst challenging times, it is interesting to see how these 6 Italy-based GreenTech startups elicit global attention to cement hope for a greener and sustainable future.
Is Clean Air
Among the 6 Italy-based GreenTech startups is Rovereto, Trentino-Alto Adige-based Is Clean Air. Founded in 2015, Is Clean Air works to improve air quality in everyone’s living spheres. Is Clean Air is an agile company that has developed a modular solution that effectively reduces a wide range of air pollutants and provides the highest environmental protection in industrial and urban spaces. Is Clean Air plans and distributes APA (Air Pollution Abatement), a unique technology solution for air pollution reduction in industrial, productive, and urban fields. APA is a unique technological solution in its field since it may intervene at the polluting source while producing no special waste. APA is 100% sustainable, recognized, and awarded among the 1000+ SOLAR IMPULSE worldwide as the most efficient and profitable solution to protect the environment. On Nov 1, 2017, the company won a €1.3M grant from EASME – EU Executive Agency for SMEs.
Greenrail
Milano, Lombardia, Italy-based Greenrail is a railroad sleeper made of recycled rubber and recycled plastics that could generate electricity is one of the 6 Italy-based GreenTech startups. It was founded in 2012 due to its founder Giovanni Maria De Lisi’s vast experience in the railway industry and his vision to develop an innovative and sustainable railway sleeper, offering better technical, environmental, and economic features than the present standard sleepers in the sector. Greenrail has designed and patented an innovative, eco-friendly, smart railway sleeper made from reinforced concrete and a mixture of recycled plastic and rubber from End-of-Life Tyres. On Oct 1, 2016, the company won a €2.3M grant from EASME – EU Executive Agency for SMEs.
Alitec
Navacchio, Toscana, Italy-based Alitec is a research and development company in the fields of mechanics, electronics, photonics, optics, and software. Alitec was founded in 2007 to create original and technologically advanced solutions with high value but limited costs. Alitec designs and develops technological innovations mainly in the fields of Renewable energy, in particular for the PV industry, Clean Hydrogen production, utilities & energy efficiency for industrial and consumer purposes, Precision & Smart Agriculture and Water Management to prevent desertification, Air & Water quality monitoring, Smart metering for industrial and consumer applications. On Jan 3, 2017, the company raised an amount of €669.8K in venture funding backed by EASME – EU Executive Agency for SMEs.
Mugo
Milan, Lombardia, Italy-based Mugo is a climate-tech platform that allows everyone to understand and limit their impact on climate change, accelerating the fight against it. MUGO was created in 2020 to create the first generation with no negative impact on the environment. Technology, according to MUGO, is the most accessible tool for measuring our activities and making us aware of how important our daily life choices are for our future. MEGO’s mission is to motivate people and organizations to build new awareness daily, whether in front of supermarket shelves, meeting with their team, before departing on a trip, or at their desk. MUGO’s name is taken from the evergreen shrub Pino Mugo, a small tree typical of the Alps that can absorb carbon dioxide in large quantities.
RECO2
Pontecorvo, Lazio, Italy-based RECO2 is an innovative green startup born in 2017 and operating in the green building sector. RECO2 can recover and transform various types of inorganic and inert secondary raw materials into a wide range of functional new products for sustainable construction with a low carbon footprint. When compared to the average conventional ceramic firing processes, RECO2’s revolutionary production process allows it to use temperatures below 80 ° C for the production of its products, resulting in an 80 percent reduction in production costs (primarily in terms of water and energy consumption) and a 90 percent reduction in CO2 emissions.
Midori
Turin, Piemonte, Italy-based Midori is a cleantech startup offering non-intrusive solutions to give people awareness of how they use energy. Midori’s goal is to leave a mark on the world of technology for the environment by developing solutions that might help people become more mindful of energy use and waste. Midori develops smart metering and energy analysis tools for businesses and individuals. Midori’s products are a mix of technological and social innovation, the outcome of the union between high competencies in the ICT world and signal processing, with a strong inclination to analyze the social needs in the energy world. On Oct 20, 2021, the company raised Series A funding of €1.7M from Club degli Investitori, ranking on our list of 6 Italy-based GreenTech startups.
