A group of forward-thinking people has taken on the challenge of developing environmentally friendly initiatives in light of Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change and the wake-up call provided by recent floods. Sana Nauman Chaudhry is leading the charge because she has accepted the duty of improving the environment for the benefit of coming generations.
Sana Nauman Chaudhry, who started her profession as an architect, closely observed the over time taking place environmental damage. Her decision to act and solve the worsening environmental crisis was motivated by this realization. She started her first project, Resource Zero Waste, aimed at supporting climatic stability, three years ago. This project served as a stepping stone for Sana, inspiring her to take the risk of developing Breath IO, an original and ground-breaking invention.
“In 2020, I and my fellow architects started the journey to raise awareness about environmental issues faced by our cities with Lahore’s Initiative of Neutralizing Carbon at the annual Architect’s Expo IAPEX2020. I then founded REsource Zero Waste to develop self-sustaining models to tackle excessive waste issues in our cities”, said Sana.
Sana Nauman Chaudhry remained constant in her dedication to finding a workable system for economical air quality monitoring in order to battle air pollution throughout this time. She co-founded Breathe IO because she wanted to create change. This bold initiative sought to address the urgent problem of air pollution and improve the health of the environment.
In 2022, the Standard Chartered Women In Tech (SCWIT) Cohort 4 provided Sana with vital assistance and advice, which helped Breath IO to new levels of popularity and success. Sana received a startup grant of up to PKR 1.5 million after being chosen as one of the seven women-led start-ups.
SCWomenInTech, a global initiative, aims to promote gender equality in technology-based entrepreneurship. The scheme is managed in Pakistan by Standard Chartered Bank (SCBPL) and INNOVentures Global (Private) Limited. Since its launch in 2019, four “Cohorts”—or editions—have been successfully run around the country.
Reflecting on her experience and the outcomes of SCWIT 2022, she expressed, “SCWIT is a purposefully designed program for women founders, offering essential tools and financial support to initiate and expand their businesses. The hands-on and targeted approach empowered me to identify and address areas of improvement through structured activities. The grant played a vital role in developing effective marketing strategies and growth channels to scale our sales. Additionally, the one-to-one mentorship provided invaluable guidance in resolving key challenges.”
Benefiting from the support and direction of SCWomenInTech, Sana and her team were able to develop affordable yet high-quality products. Their flagship creation, the Smart Air Purifier, was not only significantly cost-effective but also equally efficient in addressing air pollution concerns. “Our first product was a Smart Air Purifier that is 5X times less costly and equally efficient. It allows users to monitor, control and forecast Air Pollution. We are now developing low-cost air monitoring sensors across the city to measure air pollution in Lahore and other major cities,” she explained.
Sana was able to use SCWomenInTech’s tools, mentorship, and financial opportunities through her involvement in the initiative, enabling Breath IO to continue growing and having an effect in the effort to create a more sustainable and clean future for Pakistan.
Breath IO developed and improved solutions that are usable by a variety of consumers, helping the company reach notable milestones in just two years. These technological advancements not only increase public awareness of pollutants but also pinpoint their sources using a cutting-edge air quality monitoring metric. The device efficiently measures the levels of temperature, humidity, and six distinct gases. In addition, Breath IO’s air purifiers have a three-layer HEPA 12 filter with an activated carbon layer that gives them the ability to successfully fight off volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are frequently found indoors and can cause respiratory allergies.
Sana Nauman Chaudhry recently took over as president of Women in Architecture Pakistan (WAP), where she plans to support female architects as they develop and become more involved in environmental sustainability initiatives. She stresses that WAP will act as a platform to empower women architects, giving them the ability to create environmentally sustainable solutions. As part of this commitment, the recently established Research & Development division of WAP has already started working to monitor, investigate, and encourage solutions for the critical environmental issues Pakistan is currently facing.
The leadership of Sana and the combined efforts of WAP seek to promote improvement and contribute to a more sustainable future for the nation.