Vizag firm’s carbon-negative building material wins Swachhata Start-up Challenge

VISAKHAPATNAM: Vizag-based clean construction technology startup, GreenJams, was declared a winner in the Swachhata Startup Challenge 2022 organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in collaboration with Agence Française de Développement (AFD). Founded by Tarun Jami and Varun Jami, GreenJams aims at making carbon-negative and thermally insulating building materials.

The company’s flagship product, Agrocrete, is a carbon-negative building material made using crop residues such as paddy straw, cotton stalks, bagasse, etc., and non-toxic by-products of steel and power plants. Agrocrete is currently available in the form of hollow blocks, which replace conventional bricks and blocks for up to 50 percent lower costs and 3.5 times higher thermal insulation.

“We have a vision — remove 10 percent of global carbon emissions. Emerging as the top 10 winners of the Swachhata Startup Challenge is a significant achievement in our journey. We will be launching an Agrocrete blocks manufacturing unit at Visakhapatnam in the first week of October,” said Tarun Jami, founder and CEO of GreenJams.

Varun Jami, Co-Founder, GreenJams, said The Swachata Startup Challenge received an overwhelming response with 244 applications from 23 States and Union Territories, including 100 women-led startups. GreenJams has brought laurels to the City of Destiny, he said.

GeenJams will be launching thermally insulating and carbon-negative building materials to the market, helping the construction industry reduce its carbon footprint, save cost, and benefit socio-economically marginalised communities. Backed by almost half-a-decade of research and technological innovation, GreenJams is changing how building materials are manufactured and doing a bit in reversing climate change.

GreenJams is supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. As winners, GreenJams will receive `25 lakh from MoHUA-AFD, follow-on funding support from Villgro, AWS promotional credits up to $100,000 and one-year-long personalised business support.

AGROCRETE REDUCES COST, PROVIDES 3 TIMES THERMAL INSULATION
The company’s flagship product, Agrocrete, is a carbon-negative building material made using crop residues such as paddy straw, cotton stalks, bagasse, etc., and non-toxic by-products of steel and power plants. Agrocrete is currently available in the form of hollow blocks, which replace conventional bricks and blocks for up to 50 percent lower costs and 3.5 times higher thermal insulation.