The climate has long been a hot button topic for politicians and activists, and it is becoming one for investors too. Millennials, now the largest demographic in the United States, are far more likely to choose products, services, companies, and candidates that reduce damage to the environment – or better yet, improve it. In 2018, sustainability-related products grew faster than their conventional counterparts in more than 90 percent of Consumer Packaged Goods product categories.
Environmental advocates are growing more and more concerned, calling attention to the ways the changing climate is damaging wildlife, the world’s most pristine spaces, and the future we are creating for the next generation. The public is starting to listen. Positive climate impact is moving from a “nice to have” to a “must have” characteristic of businesses.
“Cleantech lagged because consumers and enterprises didn’t take climate change seriously enough for it to impact their spending,” Chung said. “Now that it is seen as an existential threat to the planet, there is more urgency about solving it by consumers, corporations, governments, and investors. It’s a perfect storm.”