India’s buildings are energy guzzlers, accounting for a whopping 30% of the nation’s total energy consumption. That’s like powering an entire metropolis just to keep our homes and offices comfortable. With climate change intensifying the heat, the situation is only worsening, especially in densely populated urban areas where the urban heat island (UHI) effect drives up the temperature by another 2 degrees compared to surrounding rural areas. Driven by factors such as increased impervious surfaces, reduced vegetation, and anthropogenic heat, the UHI phenomenon is keeping the demand for cooling solutions high, further straining energy resources.
HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air conditioning) systems alone account for a hefty 40%of building energy consumption and one way to move towards a more sustainable urban lifestyle is to enhance thermal insulation in buildings and reduce the load on HVAC systems.
Traditional insulation materials like rockwool and polyurethane foams are already part of the construction ecosystem, and while they might decrease energy consumption, they have significant environmental drawbacks due to their energy-intensive production process and low recyclability.
In contrast, sustainable alternatives such as natural fibres (e.g., wool and wood) offer comparable insulation performance with lower embodied carbon and better end-of-life disposaloptions. However, the adoption of these materials in India remains limited, primarily due to a lack of awareness among architects and builders and insufficient research and development.
Empowering Pastoralists, Insulating Buildings: Samakhya’s Sustainable Insulation Innovation
Samakhya Sustainable Alternatives, a Bikaner-based company, has devised building insulation materials, including felting sheets, batts, and rolls made from MAGRA sheep wool, an indigenous natural fibre.
Through innovative material development, Samakhya’s panels provide superior thermal and acoustic insulation, representing a significant advancement in the quest for energy-efficient buildings. The unique value proposition of MAGRA lies in its impressive carbon savings, achieving a 90% reduction in embodied carbon compared to conventional insulation options available in the market.
In terms of performance, MAGRA surpasses traditional materials, offering 15% better thermal insulation and 25% enhanced acoustic insulation. This breakthrough is particularly noteworthy in India, where Samakhya stands out as the only start-up offering wool-based insulation matching the performance of existing alternatives.
The Team behind Samakhya
Co-founded by prerna agarwalin September 2022, Samakhya emerged from extensive research and development that highlighted the exceptional thermal insulation properties of coarse wool fibres, leading to the creation of MAGRA. With fifteen years of experience, Prerna has played a pivotal role in supporting pastoral communities, previously serving as CEO of Livelihoods at Urmul Seemant Samiti and Director, Programs at Urmul Rural Health Research & Development Trust. As CEO of Samakhya, she leads business development and oversees partnerships for MAGRA.
Mohd Danish Choudhary, with over six years of expertise in rural livelihood projects across Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, is instrumental in establishing the MAGRA value chain, ensuring benefits for both sheepherders and pastoralists. He oversees operations and supply chain management, furthering Samakhya’s mission to promote sustainability in building insulation.
Shwetambara Ujjain, the other co-founder, is a seasoned expert in textile development and contributes to the product design and development stages of MAGRA.
Together, Prerna, Danish and Shwetambara form a dynamic team committed to revolutionising sustainability practices in building insulation through innovative applications of wool fibres.
Samakhya’s Edge – Building a Decentralised, Traceable, and Inclusive Supply Chain
Samakhya’s work is particularly compelling due to its integration of local community livelihood challenges with innovative solutions. The company was launched by a core member of Urmul Seemant Samiti(USS), a not-for-profit organisation that has worked to uplift nomadic pastoral communities in the Great Indian Thar desert region since 1994. Through two decades of work in more than 300 villages in the remote districts of Bikaner and Jodhpur, USS has directly witnessed the challenges faced by pastoral communities.
Currently, around 13 million people are engaged in pastoral activities across India, and despite being home to the world’s second-largest sheep population, India paradoxically meets a significant portion of its wool demand through imports. This stark reality is compounded by the staggering statistic that out of the 40 millionkgs of wool and other pastoral fibres generated by Indian pastoral communities, 32 million kgs go to waste due to a lack of viable markets. The consequence is a devastating blow to the livelihoods of sheep herders nationwide, leading to a troubling decline in the practice of pastoralism.
In order to improve livelihood outcomes for pastoral communities, Samakhya emerged as a for-profit social enterprise, establishing a backward linkage with USS to develop an authentic, decentralised, inclusive, and traceable value chain for wool fibres. This strategic collaboration streamlines backend operations and translates economic value back to the communities.
Central to their approach is the MAGRA value chain, which utilises decentralised Common Facility Centres (CFCs) to facilitate wool collection and processing while empowering micro-entrepreneurs, particularly women, in remote villages. This initiative has benefited pastoralists by improving livelihoods, expanding flocks, and addressing livestock health issues, effectively reviving pastoralism in the Thar Desert.
By leveraging local resources and traditional knowledge, Samakhya is paving the way for increased sustainability in the construction industry while supporting rural pastoral communities and promoting environmental stewardship.
Market Potential & Business Viability
India’s total building floor area is projected to grow significantly, reaching approximately 57,600 million sqm by 2050, up from 15,800 million sqm in 2015. However, only about 5% of these buildings are currently classified as green. As homeowners and corporations become more aware of their carbon footprint and seek sustainable solutions for construction and renovation, the real estate sector is under increasing pressure to adopt eco-friendly materials and establish ‘sustainable brand’ identities.
In this evolving landscape, green building certifications such as IGBC and GRIHA will play a crucial role in promoting energy-efficient practices. These certifications emphasise the use of both active and passive technologies alongside sustainable materials during construction. As MAGRA emerges as a viable and sustainable solution, it aligns seamlessly with the industry’s shift toward sustainability, positioning itself to meet the growing demand for eco-friendly building materials.
The Way Forward
As the focus on energy efficiency in buildings intensifies, using sustainable insulation materials becomes crucial. This approach reduces carbon emissions and addresses end-of-life concerns of insulation materials.
However, the current landscape reveals a deficiency in sustainable innovations in this domain. To foster the adoption of such materials and significantly impact the sector’s future, we need a synergistic approach that combines technological advancement, ample financing with extended gestation periods, and supportive regulatory policies.
Social Alpha’s thesis emphasises the vital role of sustainable insulation materials in optimising energy efficiency in buildings, focusing on innovations that reduce heating and cooling loads to create comfortable living spaces while overcoming the limitations of current energy practices. As demand for sustainable solutions increases, these innovations have the potential to transform the construction space by aligning comfort with environmental responsibility.
In line with this commitment to sustainability, Social Alpha is dedicated to supporting early-stage start-ups in the realm of energy efficiency in buildings, providing a platform for innovators with deep-tech solutions aimed at decarbonising the sector. By backing companies like Samakhya Sustainable Alternatives, Social Alpha aims to promote the adoption of sustainable insulation materials and help India achieve its energy efficiency and climate goals.
If you are an early-stage entrepreneur with a groundbreaking solution for sustainable insulation and other energy efficiency technologies, we invite you to reach out for a collaborative discussion. Together, we can drive the transformation towards a more sustainable built environment in India.
–Written by Shruti Parija and Poorna R, Social Alpha