Cleantech Niche Development– A Small Business Perspective on Climate Change
Journal article, 2012

The mitigation of climate change enables and requires a number of new companies and businesses to emerge. This paper investigates what it takes for a niche company in these emerging cleantech businesses to be able to act and grow using transition theory. A company that manages to perform successful Cleantech Niche Development (CND) will be able to have an environmentally and fi nancially sustainable business, enabling it to compete against companies from the dominant fossil fuel regime. By combining theory and empirical material gathered through interviews and desk research, CND is found to be distinctive in fi ve respects: marketing, political and government aspects, networking, strategising and social relations. Cleantech leaders should master acting in a world of chaos upon the paradoxical and complex surroundings, while creating meaning for their colleagues and business network.

business development

SME

niche

cleantech leadership

Author

Christian Koch

Chalmers, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Construction Management

Wildner Merete

Andersen A/S

Bettina Foged

Cobham Surveillance

International Journal of Global Warming

1758-2083 (ISSN) 1758-2091 (eISSN)

Vol. 4 3-4 365-382

Driving Forces

Sustainable development

Areas of Advance

Building Futures (2010-2018)

Subject Categories

Social Sciences Interdisciplinary

DOI

10.1504/IJGW.2012.049445

More information

Created

10/6/2017