Thermorum’s Eco-Friendly Strategy

Thermorum is a signatory of the UN Global Compact, operating in heating, air conditioning and water supply systems. The founder of the company, Giorgi Gogichaishvili, studied management in Sweden, and it was there that he first heard of the importance of corporate responsibility, and made it a major component of the company’s operations.

Could you please tell us about Thermorum’s activity and its goals?

Thermorum operates in the field of heating, air conditioning and water supply systems. It aims to be a connecting link between the industry’s leading manufacturers and consumers. Eco-innovations and eco-friendly products are integral components of the industry and it is important for each company to assume their share of responsibility in saving the ecosystem of the earth, and to ensure a healthy future for generations to come.

The company was founded in 2016 by five friends working in the area of heating and air-conditioning for years. The main fields of Thermorum include: heating-cooling of buildings and structures, imports, sales, designing, installation and servicing ventilation and water supply systems. We have fulfilled several important large-scale projects including equipping 10,000 apartments in Orbi City with the highest-quality air-conditioning. By offering high-quality products , the company quickly gained trust among its customers. Currently, the company has 70 employees.

You studied in Sweden. How did the knowledge you gained there affect the management of Thermorum? How did it change your perceptions and attitudes to sustainability issues?

I applied to study management at the Swedish Institute a day before the deadline and I think it was the best decision I have ever made. I can say with confidence that this decision changed my entire life. It was studying in Sweden that gave me the knowledge and all the necessary tools to make sustainability an important component of my business activity. I gained deeper knowledge about sustainable development and learned how to make sustainability a foundation for Thermorum’s supply network and procurement system. During the studies I found out that Thermorum had a resource to become efficient at maintaining sustainability standards for which we changed a number of aspects of doing business.

The introduction of new energy efficiency regulations in Georgia and the increasing demand for energy-efficient products clearly indicated to me how important Thermorum’s distinct vision is to become even more sustainable.

A part of this vision is the fact that to reduce emissions, Thermorum, in cooperation with several Georgian startups, carries out the digitalization of a number of documents by introducing electronic signatures. The company is also reducing waste with better recycling practices.

Before completing the management program of the Swedish Institute I made decisions about selecting Thermorum’s suppliers easily only based on the costs and quality. Now sustainability has become such an important part of our vision that we added sustainability criteria to the list of components evaluated for selecting providers – this is reflected starting from the selection of raw materials to the entire chain that follows.

Environmental protection is clearly important to Thermorum. Your activity can significantly reduce CO2 emissions and play an important part in achievement of the goals established by the Paris Agreement. Can you tell us more about the activities of your company in this context?

Sustainable development, creating and refining energy-efficient products have been integral components of the business strategy since the establishment of the company. Environmental protection is part of our sense of corporate responsibility. Since it has been realized that this sector (heating, cooling, ventilation and water supply of buildings) can significantly reduce CO2 emissions and play an important part in meeting the Paris Agreement goals, low-efficiency products are less often imported. Considering the accessibility and large market share of the mentioned products this was not an easy decision but the choice was made in favor of quality and ecology.

Thermorum cooperates with manufacturers with a high sense of corporate responsibility such as Danfoss (Denmark), Aermec (Italy), Caleffi (Italy), Fonderie Sime (Italy), Dab pumps (Italy) and so on. These companies offer various eco-innovational products to their customers including those from Georgia. In total, we have up to 50 partners in Italy, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, Poland, the Netherlands and China. The products we import are in full compliance with the regulations adopted recently by the Government of Georgia on Technical Regulations of the equipment using gaseous fuel, strengthening Thermorum’s competitive edge and the trust of customers in its products.

Tell us about your future plans. Are you planning to implement projects aimed at meeting sustainable development goals?

We have installed solar photovoltaic cells in our new head office, which will enable us to save electricity, take care of the environment and take our part in solving environmental problems. By integrating solar panels, we generate 139 kW electricity an hour annually, reducing toxic emissions by several thousand kilograms. This is also the first big step towards operating the head office and the central warehouse with fully modern energy resources. The next step is saving drinking water which involves collection and filtration of rain water for sanitary purposes.

Thermorum carries out designing works of the pumping stations for multi-story buildings. Our engineers design exclusive, energy-efficient pumping stations tailored to each project allowing our clients to purchase energy-efficient products of European quality 25-30% cheaper, significantly saving electricity and water at the same time.

At Thermorum we believe that we can only tackle the main challenge of the 21^st century, saving the earth from the environmental disaster, by eco-innovations. In line with focusing on development and quality; saving natural resources and ensuring the environment remains healthy are also important. This is also our obligation and duty to future generations.