White Paper &#8211; Communications Strategy for Green Investment

A 2013 white paper released by the publisher of the Global Green Economy Index™ addresses communications as a strategy for advancing green investment and growth. Research and data associated with the Global Green Economy Index™ (GGEI) suggest that strategic communications and better information exchange between consumers, businesses and policymakers is often an overlooked strategy for advancing green growth and cleantech investment.

The white paper from Dual Citizen LLC supports this finding through six cases where strategic communications and better information campaigns have a role to play in supporting investment, cleantech entrepreneurship and policy development that advances green economic growth.

“This white paper synthesizes research related to the GGEI into six focus areas requiring better strategic communications in the green economy. Catalyzing and coordinating action by government, the private sector, international organizations, civil society and industry associations to address these areas should be prioritized in the coming months and years,” said Jeremy Tamanini, the founder of Dual Citizen LCC and lead author of the study.

Specific findings from the white paper include:

Obstacles to green business growth – including identifying talent in foreign markets, commercialization challenges and the “Valley of Death” – could be lessened by better leveraging of communications technologies and new opportunities provided by crowdsourcing and crowdfunding.
Shortcomings in national policy communications restrict green investment flows, contributing to investor uncertainty and adding to the costs of due diligence for green businesses.
Renewable energy advocates must reframe the debate on government subsidies, finding creative ways to educate policy makers and the general public about the negative impacts of existing fossil fuel subsidies.
Consumers are generally attracted to the environmental benefits of green products and services but often lack clear pathways to access them, partly because information campaigns have not successfully communicated their economic rationale
Green businesses must better “brand” their products and services, forging a more emotional connection between consumers and nascent cleantech commercial brands.