Trends and Trailblazers from Climate Week NYC 2023?

In case you missed it, NuWave attended Climate Week NYC last week and we were absolutely inspired by the depth and breadth of existing climate solutions! From cleaner beauty products to clothing repair programs and from electrified transportation to carbon sequestration, we saw so many signs that a better future is within reach.?

While far from exhaustive, here’s a summary of what we learned about some of the trends and trailblazers in climate-relevant industries like Health and Beauty, Conscious Consumption, Finance, and Climate Tech. This summary includes only the organizations we met or heard from during Climate Week, but there are many more great ventures out there!

Health, Wellness, & Beauty

Representing an expansive $1.5 trillion worldwide market, the Wellness space is still projected to grow 5-10% per year in the coming years. And thanks to its traditional association with abundant packaging, complex supply chains, and ingredients from suppliers all around the world, Wellness is primed for climate-smart practices.?

At Climate Week we had the opportunity to hear from brands who are making waves in the space through a variety of strategies.?Some of their top strategies?

• Swapping out ingredients that are emissions or resources-intensive

• Reducing, recycling, and rethinking packaging to decrease emissions related to packaging production, transportation, and disposal
• Educating and learning from the public to make sustainability approachable and accessible

Three trailblazing brands we encountered are: C16 Biosciences , who has created a palm oil alternative using fermentation; amika and Eva NYC , who have innovated on packaging, supply chains, and certifications; and Govardhan, who is growing public awareness of indigenous medicinal plant knowledge through social media outreach.

Conscious Consumption

Next up, a number of orgs at Climate Week are finding new ways forward for Conscious Consumption, which includes products like clothing and household goods. Fashion alone accounts for 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. And with the ever-accelerating cycle of fashion and home design trends, there's plenty of room to make this vertical a more climate-friendly space.

Two of our favorite developments in the Conscious Consumption space are:

• The rise of circular models that aim to reduce consumption overall while opening up new revenue streams for businesses that previously relied on selling only new products
• Using AI and other data schemes to power decision-making for both businesses and customers

A few trailblazers we heard from in this category include: Klarna , who is using their payments platform to make it easier to afford sustainable purchases; Vaayu and Clarity AI , who are using software for tracking and reporting on climate-related data; an emissions-tracking software company for retailers; and Vestiaire Collective and Suay Sew Shop who are promoting more circular fashion.

Finance

Last week, we also learned that finance is another vertical with a huge potential for change. For years, banking and investment institutions have funded fossil fuels extraction, to our collective peril. What's more, as climate change's impacts become more prevalent, these same financial institutions are now vulnerable to climate change-related destabilization.

The top trends in this category are perhaps a bit unsurprising, but still important:

• Financial institutions and products need to divest from fossil fuels rapidly and thoroughly if we want to stop using fossil fuels
• More funding needs to be dedicated to sustainability-related ventures, from Climate Tech to Education

As a broad, vital industry, there are quite a few trailblazers in the space (though we'll always celebrate more), including: GreenPortfolio , a platform that scores the impact of your investments; Nia Impact Capital , a women-driven investing firm; IndieBio , and G2 Venture Partners , two VC firms that have supported a number of climate-centric technologies; Wallace Global Fund , who is funding environmental solutions; 萬事達卡 who has created an ESG bonus program for all their employees; and Activate , a fellowship program that funds early-stage entrepreneurs.

Climate Tech

Finally, there's Climate Tech. This is a space where things can start to feel truly futuristic. From bio-based plastics to carbon sequestration, these solutions often require a lot of time, research, and funding but their impact can be worth the effort. And while this vertical might be associated with "hard science" and big financial bets, there's also an imaginative element to it. So many of these solutions started with a simple, "what if?"

Our favorite insights from our brushes with Climate Tech are:

• Scaling requires prudent, strategic hires so founders can focus on running their company, not running payroll
• Building a brand and communicating its value beyond technical specs is key for inspiring the imaginations of stakeholders and mainstream customers

A few Climate Tech brands we were inspired by last week include: Artyc , a reusable, cold-shipping solution that cuts down on emissions and waste; Cella, a carbon sequestration program that mineralizes emissions; and Bloom Labs , a venture that transforms waste products into usable textile fibers.

The Talent Factor

Throughout the week and across all these sectors, we met numerous leaders who wanted, understandably, to get the word out about their organization. This is where the talent factor comes in-- a biotech founder or a corporate sustainability manager may benefit from knowing how their brand relates to their organization's strategy, but they don't need to become a Photoshop whiz or SEO expert. That's best left in the hands of a creative professional--someone who knows how to write the raw results of your climate solution into a story people understand and love.

And on that note, we come to arguably our most important trailblazer from Climate Week. You. Whoever you are. It's you. Whether you're a scientist, project manager, or graphic designer, you, like all of us, have a talent and perspective that is uniquely yours and that can be used for the collective good.