Fabets
The Basel-based association fabets.builders is developing a modular building system designed to last 100 years, which facilitates the use of sustainable materials.
Our fabets are pressed from 0.3 mm sheet steel. The fabets wall elements, which can be stacked closely together, can be snapped together and taken apart by hand or using a zip-like assembler to form pre-stressed beams.
The system currently consists of a single 75 x 75 mm module, which is intended to be established as a long-term standard. fabets can be developed in a tree-like, load-bearing configuration along all spatial axes and, thanks to its continuous hollow interior, allows for the integration of energy, data and mechanical systems. We use Dyneema ropes as tensioning elements – though fabets can also be tensioned using packaging straps, lorry transport straps, hemp ropes, etc. Flexibility and durability form the best foundation for circularity – fabets are designed to remain useful no matter what the future may hold for us.
The fabets frame structure has two states: flexible in construction and stable in use. This opens up the potential for mosaic-like panels made from recycled materials that defy industrial purity standards.
fabets combines its industrial foundation with collective creativity. To empower consumers, we are developing a powerful and enjoyable planning tool. Private use is to be free of charge, and so we are embracing a contemporary form of solidarity-based knowledge transfer, which we call ‘The Contributory’. We are very much looking forward to this.
Ginto
People with disabilities need information on the accessibility of venues in order to plan a trip, a visit to a healthcare facility or an evening meal at a restaurant independently.
Ginto therefore finds, records and shares objective, structured information on the accessibility of venues, leisure activities and transport services. ‘Ginto’ is an abbreviation of the English terms ‘get into’ and means ‘to enter’.
The app can be downloaded free of charge and personalised to suit your own needs. All the venues in the database are shown on a map and can be filtered, ranging from hairdressing salons and physiotherapy practices to restaurants. Ginto also pools the financial and human resources of various initiatives to expand the range of accessibility information quickly and sustainably.
In doing so, Ginto makes it easier for people with disabilities to take part in leisure and everyday activities and makes a practical contribution to the implementation of the Disability Equality Act and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Incidentally, accessibility information is not only useful for wheelchair users, but also for older people and those using walking aids, carrying heavy luggage or pushing prams.
In future, Ginto aims to generate even more information on accessibility whilst making it even more directly and widely accessible. The overarching goal is to create a sustainable, collectively supported digital infrastructure for accessibility information in Switzerland. Ginto is set to be established as a benchmark system for inclusion in practice.
Greenlyze
Greenlyze makes life cycle assessment as simple as a search query.
The idea arose from an everyday problem: anyone wishing to understand a product’s environmental impact often finds only general statements, contradictory information or no answers at all. At the same time, producing a professional life cycle assessment today is time-consuming and requires specialist knowledge.
Greenlyze bridges this gap. By simply entering product details, the platform automatically generates a life cycle inventory and uses this to calculate the environmental impacts. This makes well-founded sustainability analyses accessible to everyone.
As well as private individuals, Greenlyze is also aimed at sustainability experts. The platform automates time-consuming steps such as research, data collection and structuring, and can export the results as openLCA files ready for further processing. This means that analyses which previously took hours can now be prepared in a matter of seconds.
Greenlyze’s aim is to create transparency regarding the environmental impacts of products and to make sustainable decisions easier – for consumers, businesses and sustainability experts alike.
Kelva Systems
Kelva Systems is a Swiss climate technology company developing thermal energy storage solutions for industrial heat below 600°C. Its technology is designed to store (renewable) electricity as heat and deliver it back to factories in the form of reliable, process heat or steam. This positions Kelva in one of the most difficult areas of decarbonisation: replacing fossil fuels in industrial operations.
Industrial heat is a major source of global emissions. Many companies still depend on fossil fuels, because they require stable and cost-effective heat around the clock. By converting renewable power into industrial heat when it is available and delivering it when factories need it, Kelva does more than displace fossil fuels. It also supports the build-out of renewable energy by creating dependable industrial demand for clean electricity. Thereby, Kelva bridges the gap between intermittent renewables and continuous industrial operations.
With Kelva, factories reduce their exposure to volatile fossil fuel prices and lower the cost of energy inputs. This matters for industrial competitiveness. More affordable and secure clean heat can help keep manufacturing in Europe, protect skilled factory jobs, and reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels. In this sense, Kelva contributes to a transition that is not only cleaner, but also more resilient and economically viable for European industry.
Laine&Sens
Laine&Sens is a systemic circular, social and solidarity economy project,fully aligned with sustainability. Winner of the 2026 Cantonal Sustainable Development Grant fromthe State of Geneva, it applies PRINCE2 for rigorous, professional execution.
Led by co-founders Jean-Christophe Minni (PhD, Head of R&D and Industrialisation) and Séverine (operating theatre nurse, Head of Partnerships in the SSE), the initiative tacklesSwitzerland’s wool paradox: 700 tonnes of sheep wool are wasted or burned yearly (over CHF 2 million loss), with no national washing facility. Traditional processes consume 20 litres of water per kg and pollute, while buildings cause 25-47% of GHG emissions.
Through its innovative 100% dry cleaning process without water or chemicals,Laine&Sens transforms wool into high-performance biosourced insulators storing up to 60 kg CO₂/m³, with superior thermal, acoustic and air-purifying qualities. Co-products including lanolin,fertilising pellets and biocomposites are fully valorised.
Aiming to become the national wool transformation centre, the project projects to create inclusive jobs, to revive local chains and to cover 9 SDGs, offering an open, replicable model with strong environmental, social and economic impact.
Rematter
The construction industry is responsible for around 50% of global resource consumption and 37% of CO₂ emissions. At the same time, a shortage of skilled workers and inefficient construction processes are exacerbating the housing shortage.
Rematter’s wood-clay ceilings offer high performance in terms of sound insulation and fire protection at attractive prices. They thus address key challenges in sustainable building construction and enable a reduction in a building’s construction emissions of up to 45 per cent. Furthermore, they store CO₂ and are fully recyclable.
Rematter ceilings are digitally designed and robotically prefabricated, enabling scalable, rapid production in large volumes whilst maintaining consistently high quality and attractive prices. The clay used is processed from excavated material, requires no additives and, thanks to its moisture-regulating properties and thermal mass, creates a healthy indoor climate.
Rematter thus makes a substantial contribution to climate- and resource-positive construction.
Let’s Rematter together!
ReUseSolar
The project is developing a ReUse infrastructure for the reuse of second-hand photovoltaic modules in Switzerland. Every year, thousands of solar modules that are still in working order are removed and recycled as a result of repowering or refurbishment, even though they could continue to generate electricity. This results in the loss of valuable resources, grey energy and economic potential.
Our approach involves the collection, technical inspection and reuse of these modules. Through a PV contracting model, the second-life modules are put back into operation as a cost-effective source of solar energy. A digital product passport ensures full traceability of origin, materials used, test results and performance data.
Cities, local authorities, local energy communities and energy suppliers benefit from lower investment costs, faster access to renewable energy and an improved sustainability record. At the same time, a circular ecosystem is created which, for the first time, systematically integrates used solar modules into the market as a resource and a digitally documented energy source.
During the pilot phase, a digital platform, a regional hub, a mobile testing unit and the first demonstration projects will be set up. In the long term, the model is to be scaled up across Switzerland and established as the standard for second-life PV, with the aim of sustainably strengthening the circular economy in the solar sector and accelerating the expansion of renewable energy.
Salvage Studio
Thousands of tonnes of purpose-built exhibition material are discarded annually with no reuse pathway. These materials are not waste by nature, they are waste by neglect. No design studio works exclusively here. We do.
We at Salvage Studio collect post-exhibition material at low or no cost, build relationships with institutions and create a commissioned network of designers and craftspeople across Switzerland. Design follows material. Every object ships with a Digital Product Passport. Dismantling becomes the beginning, not the end.
Waynerr
Waynerr has developed and patented proprietary technology on how to use collagen as matrix and binding material to create porous, light structures, which would be able also to carry mineral materials.
By combining collagen and mineral materials we create long lasting, CO2 neutral and circular material which possesses good thermal insulation, soundproofing properties, and also delivers two health related functions indoors which were tested and proven by the laboratories: purification of the air against virus, bacteria and toxic gases, as well as ensure stable mircoclimatic functions. Panels can be used under the floor, in the walls (with regular painting), on the walls (with elements of decoration), on the ceiling. Our panels are used also by acoustic door producers which deliver extremely strong acoustic performance compared to regular materials.
Winduction
Winduction is an ETH Zurich spin-off developing a wireless charging system for electric buses in public transport. The charging stations are integrated into bus stops along the route, enabling the charging process to be incorporated into day-to-day operations. This means buses charge automatically even during short stops – without cables, visible charging infrastructure or any disruption to service. This approach solves a structural problem associated with the electrification of bus transport: as vehicles recharge continuously, they require significantly smaller batteries. This reduces vehicle weight, energy consumption, grid connection capacity and infrastructure costs. There is no longer any need to change vehicles due to limited range, and peak loads on the electricity grid are smoothed out.