These green start-ups are pushing ahead even as the government crushes climate projects – NBC New York

Report on Climate-Focused Entrepreneurship and its Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction

• Entrepreneurs are developing innovative solutions to address the climate crisis, focusing on mitigating global warming, reducing pollution, and minimizing waste.
• These initiatives directly support the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by creating scalable solutions for environmental and societal challenges.
• This report analyzes several climate-tech startups, their contributions to specific SDGs, and the broader economic and political challenges impacting their mission.

The Operating Environment for Sustainable Innovation

• A tightening of federal funding for climate projects has compelled startups to seek alternative financial backing from investors, private lenders, university incubators, and state grants.
• Support from incubators and innovation-focused organizations is increasingly vital for scaling climate-tech solutions.
• Entrepreneurs in this sector are often mission-driven, prioritizing the societal value of their solutions, a motivation that persists despite financial hurdles.
• Despite broad public support for clean energy policies, a challenging political climate has led to the cancellation of billions of dollars in green energy projects, hindering progress toward SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

Case Studies: Aligning Innovation with the SDGs

Voltpost: Advancing Sustainable Urban Infrastructure

• Innovation: Retrofitting lampposts into electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to expand charging access in dense urban environments.
• SDG Alignment:
  1. SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy): Promotes clean energy for transportation.
  2. SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure): Develops sustainable and resilient urban infrastructure.
  3. SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): Enhances access to sustainable transport systems for all.
  4. SDG 13 (Climate Action): Facilitates the adoption of EVs to reduce transport-related greenhouse gas emissions.

The Hurd Co.: Promoting Circular Economies in Manufacturing

• Innovation: Transforming agricultural waste, specifically the inner core of the hemp plant (hurd), into a sustainable pulp for fabric production.
• SDG Alignment:
  1. SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure): Fosters sustainable industrialization through innovative processes.
  2. SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production): Embodies circular economy principles by converting waste into valuable resources, reducing the environmental footprint of the fashion industry.
  3. SDG 15 (Life on Land): Reduces pressure on forests and other ecosystems by providing an alternative to traditional pulp sources.

RainStick Shower: Enhancing Water and Energy Efficiency

• Innovation: A shower system that saves up to 80% of water and energy by capturing, sanitizing, and recirculating water.
• SDG Alignment:
  1. SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation): Substantially increases water-use efficiency and addresses water scarcity.
  2. SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy): Reduces the energy consumption associated with heating water.
  3. SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production): Encourages more sustainable patterns of water consumption at the household level.

Dispatch Goods: Tackling Single-Use Plastic Waste

• Innovation: A service providing reusable food containers to corporate clients to eliminate waste from food delivery and consumption.
• SDG Alignment:
  1. SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): Contributes to sustainable waste management in urban areas.
  2. SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production): Directly reduces waste generation through a prevention and reuse model.
  3. SDG 14 (Life Below Water): Helps prevent plastic pollution from entering and damaging marine ecosystems.

FutureBio: Developing Sustainable Material Alternatives

• Innovation: Creating a new type of plastic that is bio-renewable, durable, and more easily recyclable than existing petroleum-based or biodegradable alternatives.
• SDG Alignment:
  1. SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure): Represents a key innovation in materials science for sustainable industrial applications.
  2. SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production): Aims for the environmentally sound management of plastics throughout their life cycle.
  3. SDG 14 (Life Below Water): Mitigates the long-term threat of plastic pollution to aquatic life.

Switched Source: Modernizing the Energy Grid for Renewables

• Innovation: Technology that automates power distribution grids, increasing their capacity to integrate renewable energy sources without requiring expensive infrastructure overhauls.
• SDG Alignment:
  1. SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy): Increases the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by improving grid efficiency and capacity.
  2. SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure): Upgrades existing infrastructure to support clean and environmentally sound technologies.
  3. SDG 13 (Climate Action): Strengthens the resilience of energy systems to facilitate a transition away from fossil fuels.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article discusses various entrepreneurial ventures aimed at mitigating climate change, reducing waste, and promoting clean energy. These initiatives directly connect to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that focus on environmental sustainability, innovation, and responsible economic activity.

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation: Addressed through the innovation of a water-recirculating shower designed to drastically reduce water consumption.
• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy: Highlighted by companies improving the energy grid for renewables and expanding the infrastructure for electric vehicles. The article also discusses the impact of government policies on clean energy projects.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: The article touches upon the creation of new jobs through clean energy projects and the economic impact of policy changes, noting that “48%, believe policies that promote clean energy will improve economic growth and provide new jobs,” and that project cancellations led to the loss of “11,700 jobs.”
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: This is a central theme, as the article profiles several startups creating innovative technologies and retrofitting existing infrastructure (like lampposts and energy grids) to be more sustainable and efficient.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The focus on urban solutions, such as making EV charging accessible in “densely populated cities” and reducing office waste, directly relates to making cities more sustainable.
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production: Several companies featured are tackling waste and unsustainable materials head-on by turning “agricultural waste into clothes,” providing “reusable food containers,” and creating “fully biodegradable” and recyclable plastics.
• SDG 13: Climate Action: The overarching theme of the article is the response to the “climate crisis.” All the companies mentioned are creating products and business plans to “contain global warming and cut pervasive pollution and waste.” The article also discusses the political and financial challenges to climate action.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the solutions and problems described, several specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 6.4: By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors. The RainStick Shower, which aims to “save 80% of the water and energy,” is a direct effort to improve water-use efficiency at the consumer level.
2. Target 7.2: By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. Switched Source’s technology helps automate power grids and “increases the capacity for renewable energy,” which is essential for integrating more green energy.
3. Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure… to support economic development and human well-being. Voltpost’s work to retrofit “lampposts into electric vehicle charging stations” is a clear example of developing sustainable infrastructure to support the transition to electric transport.
4. Target 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies. Switched Source’s technology allows cities to make the most of “the existing infrastructure” instead of undertaking expensive overhauls, representing an efficient upgrade.
5. Target 11.2: By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all. Voltpost’s mission to make charging stations “more available to people who live in cities” directly contributes to building a sustainable urban transport system.
6. Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management. Dispatch Goods, which provides reusable containers to corporate offices, is an initiative aimed at reducing municipal waste generated by city businesses.
7. Target 12.5: By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse. This target is central to several companies:
   • The Hurd Co. reduces waste by making clothes from “agricultural waste.”
   • Dispatch Goods promotes reuse by providing “reusable food containers.”
   • FutureBio contributes to better recycling and waste reduction by creating a “new kind of plastic” that is “bio-renewable and easier to recycle.”
8. Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning. The article extensively discusses the impact of national policies, such as a “tax and spending package” that “eliminates tax breaks for electric vehicles, solar and wind power,” showing how government action can either support or undermine climate goals.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions several quantitative and qualitative indicators that can be used to measure progress:

• Indicator for Target 6.4: The percentage of water and energy saved by the RainStick Shower (“80%”) and the target daily water consumption per person (“13 gallons of water per person per day”) are direct measures of water-use efficiency.
• Indicator for Target 7.2 & 9.4: The percentage increase in load-serving capacity provided by Switched Source’s technology (“an extra 20%”) is a metric for improved grid efficiency and capacity for renewables.
• Indicator for Target 8 & 13: The amount of investment in clean energy projects (“$22 billion in clean energy projects was cancelled”) and the number of jobs affected (“11,700 jobs”) are indicators of economic trends in the green sector.
• Indicator for Target 11.2: The number of lampposts converted into EV charging stations by Voltpost would be a direct indicator of the expansion of sustainable urban transport infrastructure.
• Indicator for Target 12.5: The production capacity of The Hurd Co.’s pilot facility (“10 kilograms of pulp each day”) is an indicator of its potential to divert agricultural waste. For Dispatch Goods, an indicator would be the number of single-use containers replaced by their reusable service.
• Indicator for Target 13.2: Public opinion polls, such as the one finding that “64%, think developing sources of clean energy should be a high or very high priority,” can serve as an indicator of public support for integrating climate action into national policy.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: nbcnewyork.com