Start-up check! This is how Mygreentop is revolutionizing pitched roof greening
In the “Start-up-Check!” series, we regularly examine the business models of start-ups. Who is behind the company? What makes the start-up so special and what is there to criticize? Today: Mygreentop.
Start-ups: That sounds like ingenuity, future technologies, new markets. In reality, however, many of the start-ups unfortunately often turn out to be a mixture of an e-commerce idea, haphazard founders and shaky future prospects.
But they do exist: the pioneers who work on the big problems and revolutionize business models. Finding and presenting these is the task of the Start-up-Check format. Today: Mygreentop from Plettenberg.
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Mygreentop: Sustainability, climate and environmental protection for the house roof
Good at that brand names Mygreentop you could now come up with the idea that it is an ecological label for sleeveless, summery outerwear. Great as well. But, as we shall see in a moment, the founders of Mygreentop certainly did not think of textiles in the “gym shirt” style.
Although they have a very similar goal. Because their product, as the attribute “green” in the name suggests, is primarily about sustainability, environmental and climate protection – the top issues of our time. But not in the form of sustainably manufactured textile tops for women and men, but rather in the form of green house roofs.
Who is behind Mygreentop?
To break out of the association loop: plastics technology. What does that have to do with sustainable roof greening? In order to find an answer to this question, it doesn’t hurt if you are, for example… an expert in plastics technology. Just like Dirk Kieslich, one of the three co-founders of Mygreentop alongside Steffen Reeder and Oliver Stolzenberg.
Kieslich has more than 35 years of experience in plastics technology in the automotive industry. So he knows what he’s talking about and is undoubtedly the mastermind behind the Complete roof tile replacement system.
Plastic is not just plastic
Plastic is not just plastic, as we learn from Kieslich’s Mygreentop-Bog. Because there are countless types of plastic, all of which are characterized by very different physical properties.
These can be precisely tailored to their respective application, so that in the end a tailor-made material mix is created that combines mechanical strength, toughness, temperature resistance or chemical resistance. Decisive properties also for decades of use on the roof. And Kieslich, a plastics engineer, also knew how to use this material know-how for the Complete rooftop planting system.
Unique selling point: Greening even on extreme roof pitches
The trick: The profile of the system resembles the so-called Frankfurt roof tile, which is probably the most commonly used roof tile in Germany. This means that the system, which is made of plastic, is also compatible with it.
Part of the rooftop planting is also an additional container module, in which the green finds its place. With this system, pitched roofs with an inclination of 20 to a maximum of 60 degrees can also be greened – an absolutely unique selling point.
Not a micron of microplastics and after three years CO2 neutral
Another plus point: the plastic components are made from 100 percent recyclate. They do not even release one µ of microplastics, are physiologically absolutely harmless and are therefore much more environmentally friendly and sustainable than classic materials, which, such as clay, are fossil-degraded, i.e. do not grow back.
And: The CO2 footprint created by material, production and distribution, as we will see in a moment, is far smaller than that of conventional roof tiles, so that it is completely offset after just over three years. From this point on, the plastic pan is de facto CO2-neutral.
Studies that draw on validated data from renowned environmental organizations and material research institutes confirm: The production of a roof tile (weight approx. four kilograms) requires a much higher energy input than the production of a Mygreentop plant pan (weight approx. 1.5 kg).
The bottom line is that the Mygreentop system saves two thirds of CO2 compared to a conventional tiled roof tile. And this is particularly noticeable in the production process. There, the Mygreentop product, with 50 kg per 1,000 kg of material, causes almost 60 times less CO2 than conventional roof tiles with just under 2,900 kg per 1,000 kg.
Mygreentop: Green roofs as a CO2 killer
But only the green roof provides the full sustainability power. Here Mygreentop offers three models with the standard greening, the mix special and the gardener quality, which are characterized by different biodiversity. The standard model contains four different types of plants, mix-special eight, while the gardener quality has 18. Prices for greening start at 79 euros per square metre.
The greening is attached to the complete container module, which sits firmly on the pan. The system is almost completely green and almost completely keeps out damaging UV light. And on pitched roofs, it offers protection against rain, storms and hail, just like a conventional roof tile.
The system is delivered fully planted. The roofer can start laying immediately. The green cover consists of a wide variety of Sedum species. These so-called thick-leaf plants are characterized by extreme resilience, are absolutely frost-resistant and green all year round.
But the decisive factor is that if the Sedum transplanted in the Complete system is laid over the entire roof structure, Mygreentop green roofs – similar to a green meadow – offer an additional habitat for various plant, insect and livestock species.
These include bees and bumblebees, which are now of existential importance in the life cycle of nature in view of increasing land density and climate change. In this way, green roofs make a key contribution in many ways to restoring the ecological balance that has been disturbed, especially in urban areas.
The four most important arguments for a green roof
- Green plants carry out photosynthesis. They are therefore able to convert the CO2 present in the air into oxygen, among other things. If you were to green all suitable roof areas in Germany with Mygreentop, you could transform 8.5 million tons of CO2 into oxygen, among other things, and thereby reduce the CO2 content in the air we breathe by 9.775 million tons. Strong numbers that underline the importance of these “green lungs”.
- A green roof also fulfills a vacuum cleaner function. Plants bind fine dust, smog or heavy metals from the atmosphere and thus achieve a cleansing effect that has a direct impact on the quality of the air we breathe and on people’s health.
- Green roofs offer increased noise protection. The plants themselves ensure good sound absorption, which can be enhanced by appropriate vegetation mass and structure.
- A green roof fulfills a natural air conditioning function. On the one hand, it serves as thermal insulation, but also acts as heat protection in summer and in this way offers significant savings potential. Especially in cities, the temperature during the summer is a good five to seven degrees higher than in the country. However, instead of cities continuing to densify and heat up without a strategy, more green spaces – for example on house roofs – allow the temperature to drop again. Because the evaporation of the stored rainwater also contributes to cooling and air humidification.
Conclusion: Mygreentop
Dirk Kieslich’s idea of revolutionizing roof greening with a robust and durable plastic tile for pitched roofs with an angle of inclination of up to 60 degrees is far more than just clever. Especially in cities, but also in view of climate change, green roofs should actually become an obligation.
This applies in particular to state or municipal housing construction. Because it is precisely there that they can make an extremely valuable contribution to the preservation of our habitat, because they increase biodiversity, produce evaporation cooling in the hot season, which lowers the temperature in the area, clean the air we breathe through photosynthesis and also insulate in winter.
On the other hand, this idea is currently encountering a recessionary market. Building has become expensive, not only thanks to high interest rates. Added to this are rising costs and price-sensitive consumers. This also reduces the willingness of private builders to make decisions. In short: Consumers are very careful about what they spend their money on.
You have to be able to afford to protect the environment
Because you have to be able to afford to protect the environment. House owners, in particular, see themselves confronted with substantial challenges with the “Heating Act”, which, with strained private budgets, are in direct competition with the Mygreentop product.
The fact that Mygreentop charges three times the price per square meter for a green roof under these conditions than a conventionally covered roof does not ease the burden on the wallet.
However, the additional costs can be reduced by various funding options (e.g. KfW). Added to this is about a halving of the rainwater discharge fees, significant heating cost savings through improved insulation or the advantages of energy-free cooling in summer.
This is exactly what needs to be communicated to the undoubtedly large group of interested parties. After all, a roof these days can easily cost several tens of thousands of euros. As well as a new legally compliant heating system. With this in mind, what are homeowners choosing to do? Mygreentop has to muster all its marketing power here in order to successfully market its consistently convincing product and to further increase the roof area of a good 1,000 square meters that has been equipped with Complete to date. I see the chances of that as quite good.
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The article start-up check! How Mygreentop is revolutionizing pitched roof greening by Christoph Hausel first appeared on BASIC thinking. Follow us too Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
