Sustainable technology is an umbrella term that describes innovation that considers natural resources and fosters economic and social development. The goal of these technologies is to drastically reduce environmental and ecological risks and to create a sustainable product.
Sustainability in technology can be defined in a few ways:
Substitution. The technology fosters a shift from non-biodegradable to biodegradable materials in its production. It also replaces non-renewable with renewable resources.
Prevention. The sustainable technology prevents deterioration, contamination, and other negative environmental impacts through its use or production.
Efficiency. The technology is efficient in terms of its use of energy and resources.
Clean technology, in short clean tech, is any process, product, or service that reduces negative environmental impacts through significant energy efficiency improvements, the sustainable use of resources, or environmental protection activities. Clean technology includes a broad range of technology related to recycling, renewable energy, information technology, green transportation, electric motors, green chemistry, lighting, grey water, and more. Environmental finance is a method by which new clean technology projects that have proven that they are "additional" or "beyond business as usual" can obtain financing through the generation of carbon credits. A project that is developed with concern for climate change mitigation is also known as a carbon project.
