Rebuilding hope, eco-brick by eco-brick: How Nepal is rising stronger after disaster

Author: Björn Söderberg, Co-founder, Build up Nepal

The morning after the earthquake, the air was thick with dust and silence — an eerie stillness over the valleys of Gorkha and Sindhupalchok. Where once there were lines of colourful homes, only piles of rubble remained, pocked with fragments of tin roofs and prayer flags fluttering amid the debris. Family members dug with bare hands for what they could salvage — a cooking pot, a photograph, sometimes the body of a loved one. In many villages, nearly every house lay in ruins.

In the weeks that followed the 2015 Nepal earthquake, I walked those same paths and watched communities rebuild whatever they could from the wreckage — bamboo walls, tin roofs, makeshift shelters propped up against the coming monsoon. But without strong materials or resources, we all knew these homes could not stand another disaster. Rebuilding time and again was pushing poor families deeper into poverty and leaving them vulnerable to the next disaster. We had to find a better way.

A group of people sits on woven mats outside a small structure made of earth and stone, with fabric sheets hanging across the exterior wall. Stones form a short boundary wall in front of the group. — A family with young children sits outside their home.

Traditional coal-fired bricks, made in polluting kilns on the outskirts of the capital, Kathmandu, have long been the backbone of construction across the country. But they come at a heavy cost: 37% of Nepal’s CO2 emissions, hazardous air pollution, and exploitative working conditions. Crucially, they don’t offer an affordable, sustainable solution for families in desperate need of safe housing.

Several individuals wearing safety helmets and reflective vests work on a low brick wall at a construction site. One person in the foreground applies mortar to the top row of bricks, with hills and houses behind the site. — Workmen building a new brick home in front of a corrugated iron abode.

We wanted to change that. So, our team developed interlocking Eco-bricks, adapted from Compressed Stabilised Earth Bricks (CSEB) technology — simple blocks made from local sand, soil, industrial waste, and minimal cement. They don’t require coal or a kiln, and so reduce construction emissions by up to 75%. Crucially, the cost of building a small two-room house is cut by 25%, and the interlocking design can withstand earthquakes and floods.

A person in a dark jacket stands outdoors in front of large stacks of rectangular construction blocks, holding one block with circular holes. Forested hills rise in the background. — Build Up Nepal founder Björn Söderberg with one of his eco-bricks.

Since that first prototype village, more than 12,000 homes have risen from the ground. Across Nepal, over 42 million Eco-bricks have been produced by our network of local micro-entrepreneurs — men and women who once relied on seasonal labour, or were forced to migrate in search of work, are now running thriving businesses. The numbers tell one story: 58,000 people sheltered, 1,900 green jobs created, and 122,000 tonnes of CO₂ avoided. But the other story is one of deeper transformation: the return of dignity, safety, and stability to families who lived in fear of the next tremor or flood. Our technology was put to the ultimate test in 2023 during west Nepal’s devastating earthquake that destroyed and damaged 79,000 homes. All our Eco-brick structures stood tall and saved lives. This has built enormous trust and given us the confidence to expand fast.

In Sindhuli, a young mother named Sita proudly showed me the two-room home she built herself using Eco-bricks. “For the first time,” she said, “I don’t worry when the ground shakes.” Her words capture the quiet revolution sweeping rural Nepal, a shift towards sustainable construction that works for people and our planet.

What makes our approach unique is our decentralised micro-enterprise model. We train local entrepreneurs to produce and sell Eco-bricks. It boosts economic opportunity and agency in communities most affected by climate and disaster risk.

A person wearing a long, bright outer garment stands beside racks of freshly made construction blocks under a metal-roofed shelter. A second person is visible farther back near a pile of sand and a wheelbarrow. — A woman points to rows of drying eco-bricks.

This is what climate adaptation looks like on the ground: practical, homegrown solutions that strengthen resilience in the long-term. Being honoured with the Zayed Sustainability Prize for Climate Action earlier this year is also a recognition of the people of Nepal and their courage and ingenuity. The award will help us scale our impact and reimagine construction as a force for climate action, opportunity, and a better future for all.

When I reflect on our journey, I am reminded that solutions are never built alone. We must work together, across disciplines, geographies, and perspectives. Those of us who seek to drive positive change in the world have to listen, learn, and be willing to make mistakes. Don’t let fear of failure stop you; persistence counts when hope falters. Start small, think big, and build trust among those you serve. Celebrate the small wins, adapt when things don’t go as planned, and never give up on what you believe is possible. If you’re working on solutions like these, submissions to the Zayed Sustainability Prize are open — join us in this movement.

Nepal still bears the scars of recent earthquakes. But brick by brick, village by village, we are proving that out of disaster can rise homes and hope for a more sustainable world.