GreenWise

What GreenWise does

GreenWise is a Johannesburg-based sustainable building products distributor and systems integrator operating across Southern Africa. Originally founded in 2008 under the name QPC with an initial focus on eco-friendly modular data centres, the company rebranded to GreenWise and shifted its focus to integrated sustainable systems for the broader South African market covering water, building, energy, recycling, living, and heating categories. Its portfolio is anchored by exclusive Southern African distribution rights for Singapore-based ELMICH PTE LTD (VersiCell modular drainage cells, VersiDrain green roof trays, VersiTank stormwater modules, and VersiWall vertical greening systems) and for Italian ceramics manufacturer KEOPE (K2 Green Certified outdoor porcelain paving). GreenWise also resells INTEWA rain and grey water management products and in 2018 launched its first internally developed products, VersiDeck and VersiFloor, both of which integrate rainwater harvesting tanks into decking and permeable flooring.

The underlying technology centres on modular, recycled-polypropylene building components — honeycomb drainage cells, interlocking green roof trays with built-in water reservoirs, load-bearing stormwater infiltration modules, and UV-stabilised vertical greening trays — supplemented by 2cm rectified porcelain outdoor paving. Multiple product lines carry US LEED, EU Ecolabel, UNI ISO 14064, Singapore Green Label, and SGBC 4 Ticks certifications, allowing the company to position its offering for green-certified construction projects. The business model is hardware distribution combined with quote-based custom solutions: customers transact either through a 13-SKU e-commerce storefront or via a Request-a-Quote workflow for integrated project sales targeting architects, developers, contractors, commercial/industrial developments, and residential property owners pursuing Net Zero status. Go-to-market is sales-led, supplemented by channel partnerships, downloadable technical brochures, and participation in industry events such as the Africa Construction Expo.

Name

GreenWise

Legal name

GreenWise

Website

https://greenwise.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Short description

GreenWise is a Johannesburg-based distributor and integrator of sustainable building products, serving as the exclusive Southern African distributor for ELMICH and KEOPE, and selling modular green infrastructure solutions to architects, developers, contractors, and property owners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Building Products

NAICS

Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers (444)

SIC

Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200), Wholesale-Lumber & Other Construction Materials (5030)

akta.pro primary industry

Stormwater Drainage & Culvert Systems (IMANADAH)

Keywords

• Sustainable building products
• Stormwater management systems
• Green roof solutions
• Vertical greening systems
• Rainwater harvesting systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Product Distribution: Revenue generated through distribution of ELMICH and KEOPE products as exclusive Southern African distributor. Products sold include VersiCell, VersiDrain, VersiTank, VersiWall, and KEOPE K2 product lines.
2. Direct Product Sales: Online e-commerce storefront for purchasing sustainable building and water management products. Individual product sales across multiple categories.
3. Custom Solutions: Integrated sustainable system solutions provided through quote requests for residential and commercial projects, including off-grid energy and water heating systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

GreenWise distributes and sells modular sustainable building systems — including drainage cells, green roof trays, stormwater tanks, vertical greening systems, and outdoor porcelain paving — primarily as the exclusive Southern African distributor for ELMICH PTE LTD and KEOPE. The company supplies architects, developers, contractors, and property owners across Southern Africa via a quote-based enterprise sales motion and a small direct e-commerce storefront, with internally developed decking and flooring solutions extending the line into rainwater harvesting.

Product overview

GreenWise is a distributor and integrator of sustainable building and landscaping solutions, offering a portfolio of products primarily sourced from ELMICH PTE LTD (exclusive Southern African distributor) and KEOPE (Ceramiche KEOPE). The product portfolio centers on five core product lines: VersiCell® (modular drainage cells for sub-surface drainage), VersiDrain® (interlocking trays for green roof systems), VersiTank® (modular stormwater infiltration/storage tanks), VersiWall® (vertical greening/living wall systems), and KEOPE K2® (outdoor porcelain stoneware paving). VersiDeck and VersiFloor, launched in 2018, extend the offering into decking and permeable flooring with integrated rainwater harvesting. These products work together to enable sustainable water management, green building, and living systems for residential and commercial applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VersiCell: Lightweight, high strength modular drainage cell designed primarily for sub-surface drainage, also providing waterproofing membrane protection and heat and sound insulation. Manufactured from recycled plastics.
• VersiDrain
• VersiTank
• VersiWall
• KEOPE K2
• VersiDeck
• VersiFloor

Products and services

• VersiCell® Modular Drainage Cells Lightweight, high-strength modular drainage cells manufactured from recycled polypropylene for sub-surface drainage, waterproofing membrane protection, and heat/sound insulation in planter boxes, roof gardens, and retaining walls. The honeycomb design delivers high compressive strength while remaining lightweight (approximately 2% the weight of equivalent gravel aggregate). Offered in sizes including VC2050 (20mm), VC3050 (30mm), and VC3150 (flex/conforming variant).
• VersiDrain® Green Roof Trays Lightweight, interlocking modular trays manufactured from recycled polypropylene for extensive green roof systems on new or existing flat and low-sloped roofs, with built-in water retention reservoirs of up to 32 L/m². The trays protect waterproofing membranes and reduce stormwater runoff. Offered in VD30 (30mm flexible), VD60 (60mm rigid with 150 kg/m² design load), and VD150 (150mm with integrated wall extenders) variants.
• VersiTank® Stormwater Modules Heavy-duty, load-bearing plastic modules from recycled polypropylene for on-site sub-surface infiltration, detention, or retention rainwater tanks. Interlocking modules (VT553, VT555, VT844) provide maximum stability with up to 94% internal void ratio and load ratings up to 27 t/m² (VT844 unconfined). Used by IKEA for rainwater harvesting at retail locations.
• VersiWall® Vertical Greening Systems Easy-to-install, low-maintenance vertical greening systems made from UV-stabilized recycled polypropylene, offering multiple mounting, planting density, and growth media options for creating living walls. Reduces typical wall design load to 68–100 kg/m². Offered in VGP2060, VGP250, and VGP500 tray variants. SGBC 4 Ticks and Green Label certified.
• KEOPE K2® Porcelain Paving System Intelligent paving system of rectified, 2cm-thick porcelain stoneware tiles for outdoor applications, featuring 16 tile collections, 44 colors, and 12 rectified sizes with the K2 GRID raised platform system for elevated flooring support. US LEED compliant and certified to UNI ISO 14064 and EU Ecolabel.
• VersiDeck Integrated Decking System Decking solution built on a rainwater harvesting tank substructure, integrating outdoor decking with stormwater capture for sustainable outdoor living applications. Launched in May 2018 at the Africa Construction Expo in Midrand.
• VersiFloor Permeable Flooring System Permeable outdoor flooring solution with an integrated rainwater harvesting tank, combining water-permeable surface finish with sub-surface stormwater capture. Launched in May 2018 at the Africa Construction Expo in Midrand.

Quantifiable outcome

• Water retention up to 32L/m² for VersiDrain green roofs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ELMICH PTE LTDcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSingapore-based company and leading provider of urban landscaping, waterproofing, drainage, and stormwater management solutions. GreenWise is the exclusive Southern African distributor for ELMICH products including VersiCell, VersiDrain, VersiTank, and VersiWall product lines. GreenWise shares ELMICH's vision to provide affordable sustainable building solutions to create liveable cities.
• Ceramiche KEOPEcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of the most renowned manufacturers of green certified porcelain stoneware floor and wall tiles globally. GreenWise is the exclusive distributor for KEOPE K2 Green Certified outdoor range while supplying normal indoor tiles on a project basis. KEOPE products hold UNI ISO 14064, EU Ecolabel, and US LEED certifications.
• INTEWAminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInnovative technology provider for saving and re-use of rain and grey water. GreenWise acts as reseller to integrate INTEWA products into customer solutions along with whole house water and space heating solutions.
• World Green Building CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreenWise fully supports the World Green Building Council's view on how sustainable buildings can support UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. Company endorses GBCSA commitment at COP21 to introduce Net Zero building certification scheme.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ceramiche KEOPE: Italian manufacturer of green-certified porcelain stoneware tiles, of which GreenWise distributes the K2 outdoor range exclusively in Southern Africa. Comparable as the upstream brand for the KEOPE K2 product line and as a global sustainability-certified tile producer.
• ELMICH PTE LTD: ELMICH is the Singapore-based manufacturer of the VersiCell, VersiDrain, VersiTank, and VersiWall product lines that GreenWise distributes exclusively in Southern Africa. It is comparable as the upstream product innovator and global brand behind most of GreenWise's portfolio, with overlapping product lines and a much broader geographic footprint.
• Wavin South Africa: Wavin is a global manufacturer and supplier of plastic pipe and stormwater management systems with operations in South Africa. Comparable as a broader incumbent offering overlapping stormwater and drainage product categories and serving similar B2B construction customers.

Emerging players

• Eco Outdoor: Supplier of sustainable outdoor building products including porcelain paving, stone, and landscape materials, primarily in Australia. Comparable in product category overlap (outdoor porcelain tiles, landscape products) and sustainability positioning, though operating in a different geography.
• OptiGreen (ABG Geosynthetics): Supplier of green roof and stormwater management systems using modular drainage and growing media products, distributed in multiple international markets. Comparable as a competing product brand in the modular green roof and stormwater management category.

Regional players

• Stocks Greenhouses & Greenwall Solutions: South African provider of greenhouse and greenwall systems for residential and commercial use. Comparable in the vertical greening / living wall product category, with overlap in customers such as architects and property developers, though Stocks is more focused on greenhouse structures.
• Hydroponics Africa: South African distributor of hydroponic and urban greening systems. Comparable in adjacent green living / hydroponics categories that GreenWise lists within its sustainable living systems, though the focus is more on food production than building-integrated greening.

Direct peers

• Sustainable.co.za: South African online retailer of sustainable building, water, and energy products targeting residential and small commercial buyers. Comparable as a Southern African distributor of green building and water-saving products with overlapping e-commerce and quote-based channels.
• Rain Harvesting Supplies: South African specialist in rainwater harvesting and stormwater management products, selling tanks, gutters, and filtration systems. Comparable as a Southern African distributor focused on rainwater and stormwater management products with overlapping customer segments (developers, architects, contractors).
• ACO Systems (South Africa): ACO provides commercial and residential stormwater drainage, channel, and water management systems in South Africa. Comparable as a competing supplier of drainage and stormwater management infrastructure to the same developer and contractor segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance14 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GreenWise