Cleantech refers to the combination of technologies, industry and services that preserve and maintain natural resources and systems. Cleantech is a new technology which aims to reduce and eliminate negative ecological impact and improve the productive and responsible use of natural resources.

Cleantech encompasses technologies, processes, goods and services designed to reduce human’s impact on the environment and to enable the sustainable use of natural resources and systems. Cleantech can be applied to all industrial and commercial sectors through the entire value chain.

  Cleantech subsectors

  Cleantech Industry – Future Driver of the Economy

In order to deal with the global challenge of increasing consumption of fossil fuels, water, air, land and rare raw materials, new approaches are needed to be implemented. Cleantech is at the heart of this process of change that is why it is perceived as a Future Driver of the Global Economy.

Cleantech specifically includes new resource – efficient attitudes in all economic branches. Economic processes are expected to be changed to ensure that raw materials and energy are used in an efficient manner.

  Switzerland is a cleantech leader

Nowadays Switzerland ranks as one of the world’s most energy-efficiency economies, thanks to advances and innovations in renewable energy, green buildings, waste management and sustainable transportation. Few other countries have as much credibility as Switzerland when it comes to being a Cleantech country.

At the end of 2009 Switzerland’s cleantech investment market was approximately $30 billion. Today the cleantech sector employs estimated 160’000 people or around 4.5% of all jobs. With an annual gross added value of about CHF 18-20 billion, the cleantech sector accounts for roughly 3% to 3.5 % of Switzerland’s gross domestic product. These important facts says directly that Switzerland is a world leader in terms of its innovation potential and research landscape and has set itself apart as the financial global hub of cleantech investing.

Swiss government regulation has been used to constant development of industrial solutions and knowledge base resulting from years of valuable experience. As a result, this provides an ideal platform for new and innovative solutions.

  Huge Global Potential for the Cleantech Investment Industry

The Swiss government made cleantech one of the top priorities of the country’s economic development. Almost one billion Swiss Francs of the Swiss government stimulus package are targeted towards energy efficiency, renewable energy and environment. As a result of such heavy investment, the global market for Cleantech applications in 2020 is predicted to total CHF 3,352 billion. That equates to between 5.5 % and 6% of all global output. Renewable energy and materials efficiency are the segments with the greatest market dynamics at present, whilst the largest market is energy efficiency, with total sales of EUR 950 billion.