Cleantech niche development: A small business perspective on climate change

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 financially 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 five 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.