Providing air quality data for building management

A Dutch startup is helping to improve indoor air quality with smart air filtration and monitoring systems

Spotted: Even without the pandemic, most people spend the majority of their time indoors. This means that indoor air quality has an outsized effect on our health. As a result, many new builds are incorporating smart air filtration and monitoring systems. In Europe, upcoming standards such as the European Commission’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) will bake this in to building design by including a requirement to report on the use of air quality control for creating a healthy, data-driven and adaptive workplace environment.

Now, Dutch startup Clairify has created a platform which pairs smart software with indoor air quality sensors to help organisations analyse their air quality, and to meet reporting requirements. The company’s software tools make it easier to manage indoor air quality and temperature, helping to create a healthier and more productive environment. The company’s data analysis tools are already being used by large commercial real estate firms, in iconic buildings, and at the University of Amsterdam.

Improving air quality is not just about keeping people healthy and comfortable, it is also about saving on energy usage and reducing waste. This is why the interest in indoor air quality is only likely to grow, especially as it relates directly to energy management and sustainability. This fact has not escaped investors such as Rockstart and Oost NL, who have recently given Clairify €565,000 in new funding.

Max ter Horst, Managing Partner Energy at Rockstart explained the firm’s interest in Clairify, saying, “Better air quality management in office buildings results in lower energy consumption, but also improves employee productivity and reduces Covid-19 infection risks. [Clairify’s] market traction is impressive, with international real estate companies and large corporations lining up to become their customers.”

Thanks to Covid and new regulations, developers are needing to pay a lot more attention to environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in their designs. As a consequence, we are seeing a lot more platforms designed to analyse ESG data. While Clairify focuses on the ‘E – environment, other platforms we have recently covered are designed to help businesses better visualise ESG data or track ESG updates related to public companies in real time.