Categories of Clean Tech Businesses
There are many different ways of categorizing Clean Tech businesses. A short summary of the primary categories can be accessed by loading the document below.
Clean Tech Clusters: Best Practices
The discussion of best practices that follows focuses on the Clean Tech Cluster, but the same approach can be used for the green businesses in any business cluster, i.e. any industry sector made up of businesses that have or are prepared to “go green” in their operations, though they may not produce a clean tech product or service.
Clean Tech business cluster development typically involves the following steps:
1. Mapping of the firms and related support infrastructure in the Clean Tech cluster and relevant sub-clusters – including the networks of relationships between them.
2. Benchmarking potential Clean Tech clusters/sub-clusters against leading clusters /sub-clusters elsewhere and identifying areas of differentiation.
3. Building networks of Clean Tech cluster/sub-cluster leaders to:
- Encourage knowledge and idea exchange and cross fertilization.
- Support collaborative R&D.
- Build business relationships.
- Understand the need for specialized support and inputs.
4. Investing in specialized R&D assets that support Clean Tech cluster/sub-cluster innovation and connecting clusters to existing R&D assets.
5. Organizing access to specialized capital resources for Clean Tech cluster/sub-cluster investment.
6. Recruiting companies that fill Clean Tech cluster/sub-cluster gaps.
7. Encouraging firm spin-offs and entrepreneurial start-ups.
8. Supporting demand for Clean Tech cluster/sub-cluster products and services through:
- Local and state policies and incentives.
- Local investments, including infrastructure.
- Development of common industry standards (e.g. product certifications).
- Consumer mobilization and behavior change.
9. Organizing Clean Tech Cluster/sub-cluster suppliers.
10. Coordinating Clean Tech Cluster talent providers.
11. Marketing and branding regional Clean Tech Cluster differentiation.