Basna offers a proven and environmentally sustainable solution in the fight against climate change: the production of biochar by pyrolysis technology and finished products that capture CO2 from the atmosphere. Biochar has wide applications. Farmers use biochar as a supplement to soil and benefit from higher yields, lower acidity, better moisture retention, stronger plants, less contamination, etc. They use biochar as a natural dietary supplement and then improve the health and performance of animals and thus your profit. With over 90% carbon, biochar plays a big role in improving food conversion. Its primary role is the absorption of toxins, pesticides and glyphosate from food. Livestock and agriculture are just some of the different sectors in which biochar is applicable. Introduced standards, certificates, and awards confirm that Basna is an example of good practice in innovation and socially responsible business. The users of Basna products have an even greater impact through direct contribution to building a healthier planet.
Year of establishment:
2010
Location:
Cacak, Lucani
Founder and owner:
Vesna & Balz Baur
Business information
| 2021 | 2015 | 2010 | 2005 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time employees | 15 | / | / | / |
| Turnover (EUR) | 290,000 | / | / | / |
| Export (EUR) | 200,000 | / | / | / |
PRODUCTS/SERVICES
COMPANY DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURIAL STORY
Some 40 percent of the world’s population is at high risk due to climate change. Threats are reflected in the instability of the global food system, water scarcity, floods, infectious diseases, extreme heat and fires, economic losses, and displacement. These impacts led the WHO to call climate change “the greatest global health threat” in the 21st century. Considering the situation, the priority of the founders Vesna and Balza Baur was to find new strategies which have a positive global impact on the environment and which can start a rural industry growth and cover groups that are hard to employ. For this reason, in the first few years of its existence, the company invested in research, experiments, and the development of project ideas without major market entries. They chose the hard path, investing their resources, but today Basna is recognized as a company of trust in the foreign markets and is listed on the PURO EARTH stock exchange as one of the verified suppliers of certificates for the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere. Near plans of the company are the expansion of capacity, the increase in the number of employees, entering the domestic market, and the transfer of knowledge when establishing similar productions in other regions of Serbia.
CONTRIBUTION TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
For a fairer and non-discriminatory society, Basna team welcomes young people without experience, persons who have not worked in the profession, those who are willing to change qualifications, future mothers, or women over 45. And here they will get the opportunity to progress, with a feeling of affiliation and equality. The director and one of the founders is a woman who is constantly working on promoting and affirming female entrepreneurship with the empowerment of their associates. This is done through flexible working hours, working from home as needed, and obtaining licenses after professional training in order to create conditions for their professional as well as personal development and advancement. In 2018 UNDP awarded Basna, within the Challenge for Innovative Solutions Project “Local development resilient to climate change”. In 2020 at the XIV competition “Cvet uspeha za ženu zmaja”, Vesna Baur, was chosen as the winner of the SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS FOR ECO INNOVATION, and thus it is once again confirmed the contribution of Basna in the fight against climate change. In 2021, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce awarded Basna with The National Award for Corporate Social Responsibility “George Weifert 2020” for the project “the mission of preserving the old autochthonous varieties with the application of new technologies,” and in 2022 the International committee awarded Basna with recognition and “Creators of the Century” award for contributing to the development of entrepreneurship in Central and South-Eastern Europe. In addition, humanitarian work is one important element not only of the founders but of all employees in Basna.
