Green firms must follow the money

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Engineering and finance must work together for the UK to clean up from the boom in environmental technology, writes Stephen Mahon.

The global market for environmental technology and industries will be worth more than £360bn by 2010.

It is a sector based on real drivers, rather than dotcom hype, and should offer opportunities across all industrial sectors.

How can we make sure that

companies capitalise on the growth in environmental markets? The most obvious answer lies in marrying our engineering heritage with our current strength in financial services.

While there has been a relative decline in our engineering skills base in the past 20 years or so, there has been a concurrent rise in the financial services sector. Engineers need to be alert to and aware of the opportunities available from the financial world, and vice versa.

However, before approaching any potential investors, companies need to decide what sort of financing is best for them, depending on the stage and trajectory of their growth, and their own sense of ambition. Smaller, start-up firms could well benefit from the support provided by angel investors, or even simply from gaining customers that place large, regular orders for their products.

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