Greetings, PosiPeople community! For my first post in this series, I want to answer the first question that most people ask when I tell them my field of interest:

Just what is ‘Cleantech’?

You probably have an intuition about this, but I want to hone it. Fundamentally, Cleantech is more of a business mindset than a specific industry. It describes clean technologies made under sustainable business models.

A clean technology is a product made from material and energy extracted from the Earth only as fast as they can be replenished, or from already available material or stored energy. After use, its composition can be returned to the Earth or cycled back into the industrial ecosystem. I use “technology” broadly here: Recycline (Waltham, MA; www.recycline.com) makes toothbrushes and other products from recycled plastic; definitely clean technologies.

It’s not enough to offer a “clean” product or service; the company’s processes and its very value proposition must be aligned with their technologies’ tenets. This definition is clearly fuzzier; how do we define the business ramifications of the Cleantech values?

The fundamentals of Cleantech are still far from defined. Is a solar panel, capturing renewable energy with plastics and precious metals, a “clean technology”? Is a company that makes products from remediated ore tailings following Cleantech business principles? Take this blog journey with us as we explore these nuances.

More definitions and examples will follow, but here is the emotional connection you can make to our Cleantech concept. Ask yourself: “if this company doubled in size, and their product or service output doubled, would the Earth be worse off, unchanged, or better off?” A Cleantech firm strives for a neutral or positive presence. And that’s a worthy goal to shoot for.

Disclosure: At the time of the writing of this post, I have no financial relationships with any of the organizations mentioned, except as explicitly indicated.

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About the Author

Asheen Phansey has filled both R&D and operations roles in various biotech firms and startups, and currently consults on biomimetic technologies for Aurora Flight Sciences, a maker of autonomous aircraft systems; he is now leveraging his experience in technology entrepreneurship into a career in Cleantech and sustainable business. He is excited to teach (and learn) about sustainable-business practices, such as cradle-to-cradle manufacturing and biomimicry, to the PosiPeople community. Asheen holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University and is currently pursuing his MBA at Babson College; he is a huge New England Patriots fan, gets easily lost in books, and loves talking ideas with everyone he meets.