Earthenterprise Tool Kit - International Institute for Sustainable ...

EarthEnterprise Tool Kit
Better information, financial incentives, and infrastructure are pulling energy
saving technologies onto the market at an accelerated rate.
Higher disposal costs for municipal and hazardous waste, and the use of landfill
bans, have also pulled new technologies and products onto the market.
Reducing the volume and toxicity of waste, and developing products made from
secondary materials, have become big business opportunities. The recycling of
industrial solvents, construction and demolition debris, tires, and plastics are all
growing markets.
TOOL
The Supply Side: Finding and Assessing New
Technologies
The pace of technical change in environmental sectors is accelerating. Even
recently developed abatement technologies can be rendered quickly obsolete by
new pollution prevention and, increasingly, sustainable technologies.The ecoentrepreneur
should be aware of the opportunities resulting from these
changes.
Technology Trees: Cherry Picking for Success
In this section, we present a method for identifying the many technological
possibilities, based on a sound understanding of key influences and drivers.
Opportunities are placed into a framework that clarifies the possibilities, and
the competition, and provides a longer-term outlook for investors.
The following "trees" categorize technologies based on their ability to satisfy a
particular market demand. An international agreement, such as the Climate
Convention, is taken as the driver. A resulting demand is increased energy and
eco-efficiency. Within the energy sector, various activities are affected. These
include energy supply, conversion, transmission, and end-use.
End-use functions include lighting, h e a t i n g , c o o l i n g , and tra n s p o r t a t i o n .
Looking at just one category — lighting — there are many options ranging from
fluorescent to incandescent to induction. Within the fluorescent family, there
are tubes, compact lamps, and circlines. A specific compact fluorescent is the
Philips SL model.
Although the following "technology trees" are far from comprehensive, the
assessment technique is the same. By evaluating what is or will soon be in
demand, the products or technologies currently on the market, and the options
being pursued, e n t re p reneurs can assess which technology they should
develop, commercialize, sell, or use.
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY
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