POLIFLOR

SHORT DESCRIPTION: Poliflor is a commercial company located in Faenza, well-known in Italy and in Europe for green projects in urban areas that always use innovative and technological solutions, in order to produce functional, aesthetic and high performing living walls. It works on the development, production, installation and distribution of high performing green surface systems. In the last years the company has mainly worked in improving the ability of plants to withstand stressing environmental conditions such as sunburn, wind and rainstorms. The company is mainly oriented towards outdoor solutions and aims to: increase the functional values of urban areas; improve the thermal isolation of buildings; increase the aesthetic properties; contribute to capturing pollutants and organic compounds from the environment in highly dense urban areas. Currently Poliflor is mainly focused on the growth of ornamental plants and shrubs that produce small fruits such as raspberries and hazelnuts, although experiments on their adaptability to host vegetable crops are ongoing.

KEY ACTIVITIES: Poliflor offers various solutions of living-walls and green-roofs. Plants used are selected according to customer preference, amount of available light, exposure to wind and other atmospheric agents. The vertical green solutions produced by Poliflor are divided in two principal categories. A first typology uses the climbing capacity of plants to create what can be called a green curtain. The second type allows creating a vertical garden with plants that are deeply rooted in a substrate placed on the living-wall. The company is currently studying innovative solution for the utilisation of substrates that can ensure an fast and performing growth of the plants, a thermal and sound insulation as well as better rooting and propagation of roots.

RELEVANT DIMENSION: Building bound (rooftop), multiple products and services

BUSINESS MODELS: Enterprise diversification (multifunctional agriculture); Cost efficiency (bulk production); Experimental (new production methods, innovation)