on Friday December 6, 2024
Key Insights from the 20th Cleantech Forum Europe
This year, Cleantech Forum Europe marked its 20th anniversary with a gathering of 300 stakeholders, innovators, and investors all eager to solve the climate crisis with innovative and effective solutions. From bold ideas to breakthrough innovations, the Forum highlighted pivotal trends and strategies to ensure European cleantech companies play an important role in the global cleantech landscape.
As Orange Bird, we were excited to attend this event for the third time and participate in critical discussions about the future of cleantech. Cleantech Group hosts such forums annually, each of them offering unique insights, and we’re happy to share our key takeaways with those who couldn’t be there.
Orange BIrd’s CEO, Alena Kuz, and Research & Value Definition Lead, Veranika Hres, at Cleantech Forum Europe 2024. (Photo: Orange Bird)
Global Engagement and Youthful Energy
The Forum attracted participants from countries as far as New Zealand, Japan, China, the USA, and Canada, and, definitely, all European countries. Many overseas attendees lauded the EU’s favorable regulatory environment, particularly in hard-to-abate industries like steel, manufacturing, and textiles.
Companies from such industries often see Europe as a more lucrative market than their domestic markets. So, hopefully, the European Commission‘s policies, regulations and legislation will continue to support ambitious climate goals and attract solutions-oriented players.
Similarly, we heard about several interesting use cases from the UK where, for example, road construction contracts are awarded to companies that guarantee the project will be carried out within a specific “CO2 budget.“
Another inspiring aspect of the event was the growing presence of younger founders, many of them women, including in the Cleantech 50 To Watch companies. This list is announced every year by Cleantech Group and brings fresh perspectives to the climate tech space.
One of the most delightful and creative elements of the Forum was the real-time illustrations that captured key highlights and discussions as they happened. Later compiled into a stunning flipbook (screenshots below!), these are a fantastic visual summary of the event and really encapsulate the energy of the Forum.
The Growing Economic Case for Climate Solutions
Amidst the urgency of the climate crisis, a hopeful narrative emerged: the economic opportunities tied to clean energy and sustainable innovation.
For instance, Araceli Fernandez of the International Energy Agency noted that the value of clean energy trade is projected to triple by 2035.
Companies like Cyanoskin, with its new carbon capture technology utilizing an algae-based coating, and Mushroom Material, known for its sustainable packaging, shared that their products are so compelling that they practically sell themselves.
This instills the hope that solving the climate crisis is still possible despite all the headwinds and political ambiguity: there are both climate solutions and demand for them!
From Startup to Scale-Up: The Long Road to Commercial Success
Expanding clean technologies to global markets is crucial for driving the next wave of climate solutions and ensuring a sustainable future for our planet. The Forum’s plenary sessions featured real-life stories of perseverance, such as Avantium, a pioneer in renewable and circular polymer materials.Â
Avantium’s 18-year journey culminated in the opening of its flagship plant in Delfzijl, Netherlands in October 2024. It became the world’s first commercial facility producing FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid). This milestone material, the basis for 100% plant-based PEF (polyethylene furanoate), represents a breakthrough for sustainable packaging, bottles, textiles, furniture and industrial applications.
As CEO Tom van Aken reflected, “While things take much longer than expected, it’s important to appreciate the stage you’re at and the progress you’ve made.”
To illustrate this wisdom with a real-life example, Tom shared how he used to become frustrated when investors tried to micromanage the team when Avantium was at the start-up stage but, now, he longs for these struggles as operating as a public company brings a whole different range of challenges.
Avantium’s 2010 Cleantech Forum slide served as the backdrop for this discussion and served as a strong reminder of how vision and persistence pave the way for impact.
Avantium’s Tom van Aken and Cleantech Group’s Richard Youngman at the “Stories of Scaling: From Venturing to New-Look Industries” session (Photo: Orange Bird)
Cross-Cutting Themes: The Blue Economy
One of the Forum’s highlights was the exploration of the Blue Economy—a sector growing even faster than the broader cleantech industry. The ocean was called our best ally in addressing the climate crisis. The participants of the respective panel discussion noted that 80% of the carbon is sequestered at the sea bed that is why deep sea mining is so disruptive and extremely damaging. At the same panel, we were genuinely inspired with the thoughts and ideas of Chris Gorell Barnes.
Image credit: Cleantech Forum Europe 2023 Flipbook by Cleantech Group
The Cleantech Group shared its initial landscaping of innovation opportunities in the Blue Economy, showcasing startups, investors, and nations driving this mission-critical movement. Notably, 2023 saw an uptick in the number of investments that indicated market creation and highlighted the relevance of grant-based growth pathways for blue economy innovators.
If you are reading this article as one of such innovators, at Orange Bird, we are dedicated to supporting climate-focused companies with Go-to-Market, Marketing strategies and their implementation. We help companies effectively communicate their value propositions, reach their target audiences, and establish a strong market presence. If you’re interested in learning more about how we can support your business, feel free to check out our services or case studies.
AI’s Role in Cleantech
In 2024 Cleantech Group produced “Cleaning up with AI”, the first global study to base-line the potential of AI across the whole cleantech landscape – from Ag & Food to Transportation, from Material Discovery to enabling whole new energy and industrial systems.
At the respective panel discussion, the participants shared that we do not have a game-changer yet, but in 10 years every cleantech company will be using AI in their solutions. AI is well equipped to address many of critical challenges. For example, along with soaring energy consumption a lot countries deal with ageing grids. Coupled with modern hardware solutions, AI is an excellent instrument for:
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Forecasting and Monitoring: AI can be effectively used to predict renewable energy outputs and manage the variability of demand.
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Safety Monitoring: In regions like the U.S., AI is already integral to monitoring the reliability of critical infrastructure.
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Material Innovation: AI-driven advances, such as enzyme development to break down plastics, are emerging, with transformative breakthroughs anticipated within a decade.
However, limited historical data for modeling remains a big challenge for AI-solutions.
Image credit: Cleantech Forum Europe 2023 Flipbook by Cleantech Group
Closing Thoughts
A heartfelt thank you to Cleantech Group — not only for hosting events that bring together the most daring cleantech innovators and investors, but also for your unwavering commitment to advancing the cleantech industry. Through your in-depth research, expert consulting, and impactful events across continents, you are playing a foundational role in shaping a cleaner, more sustainable, and modern world for all of us 🌿
Let’s Keep the Conversation Going!
If you’re passionate about the future of climate tech or are a company looking to scale and innovate, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us to explore how we can collaborate and help you make your climate solution (be it a climate technology, nature-based solution or a circular product) known and used far and wide. Let’s work together to create a sustainable future!
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