The concept of “clean tech” is a response to the projected population growth on the planet, which is estimated to be 2.3 billion people by the 2050. The theory is that clean tech companies, which address environmental sustainability as part of their overall business strategy for profitability, will be the model that successful companies will have to use in order address the increasing demand for food, clothing, shelter and other scarce resources that will only increase as incomes rise across the globe.

Where “green tech” evolved in the 1970s from government controls intended to mitigate the effects of manufacturing and agricultural pollutants on the environment, “clean tech” is built into the business model from the very beginning. Green tech has traditionally always seen as an expensive, but required, drain on a company’s profits. Clean tech is built into the business strategy as an acknowledgement that resource scarcity and pollution exist and must be addressed when planning profitable strategies. It is a long the same lines as when a business incorporates the cost of paying office rent or the cost of purchasing manufacturing materials into its overall budget.

Also, there are some products which are included in green funds which would never be included in a clean fund, such as ethanol. Where an alternative energy fund would include a company which produces ethanol in its fund because ethanol is considered to be an alternative to petroleum based fuels, a clean tech fund would not include an ethanol-producing company in its portfolio because of it’s net carbon effect. Ethanol production requires so much petroleum based fuel in order to grow the corn and process it, that there is negligible positive effect on the environment for using it.

Green tech Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) tend to focus narrowly on a single business sector, like energy, manufacturing or recycling. As a result, green energy Exchange Traded Funds can be extremely volatile and sensitive to fluctuations in the price of oil. Clean tech ETFs have not been so volatile (although, in fairness, they have only been around since the Clean Tech Index was created in 2006, so there is not a long history to track). Clean tech companies exist across a broader range of business sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, transportation and new materials. As a result, clean tech Exchange Traded Funds have seen a more stable performance, comparable to the returns from the S&P 500 Index.

Green ecological products are becoming more popular, we now recognize those companies that realize the importance of green ecological products. Our efforts to preserve earth to have clean water, clear skies and contaminate free soil, trying to reverse our current path of filling the air and water and soil with toxins and contaminants, perhaps we can return to a pristine earth by choosing green ecological products, we will be taking steps in the right direction. If you have noticed the various forms of pollution and the damage they cause to the world around us harming the ecosystems, animals and humans, it’s plain to see the importance of choosing green ecological products.

There are various different categories for Green ecological products to go under.

organic certified, in general it means produced without pesticides or harmful fertilizes, a good choice for a green ecological product. Britannica defines it as the following “there’s some variation: the National Organic Standards Board considers organic agriculture to be “an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony.”

Green A green product, is environmentally and socially responsible, respectful of the world and the natural environment, it is a term used more so in the electronic industry, but also applies to many other industries as they aim to use less harmful components, bio-plastics less packaging, trying to eliminate harmful chemicals like fire retardants, all things green ecological.

Environmentally friendly has two dictionary definition they are #1 ‘Not damaging to the environment, or directed at preventing environmental damage.’ #2 ‘Minimizing harm to natural world: designed to minimize harm to the natural world, e.g. by using biodegradable ingredients. So being friendly to the environment is definitely doable, and these green ecological products can become more commonplace’

Fair trade, It is a socially conscious program that prevents the workers from being exploited, and ensuring they get a fair wage, a popular fair trade program has been associated with coffee such as kicking horse and Jane Goodall’s brand.

Recycled, things are new products made from old, be it of plastic cardboard metal paper or glass, these materials are given a new lease of life, or by simply donating used items to thrift stores.

Sustainable Forestry, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) put their mark on products that respect the forest ecosystems, wildlife habitats, local communities and water quality, to meet their standards, the wood and resulting products are tracked from beginning to end for complying to the correct standards.

Green ecological products come in all forms, but invariably are of some benefit to our world, it is also possible to choose products that can be recycled like paper, or provide recycling such as composters, an invaluable service highly recommend, worms or standard composters and the composting toilet, helping to keep sewage out of the ocean. Reducing waste input to landfills and methane gas production is an important consideration for individuals and industries although some resourceful companies have been able to harness the methane output and to use it for manufacturing thus producing green ecological products.