For Immediate Release
May 31, 2017

ST. JOHN’S, NL – The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) is marking its 25th Anniversary Celebrations with a new mandate to support entrepreneurs and start-ups within the sector.

“The recent focus on clean technology from governments and their agencies has created a new public awareness about the importance of achieving better environmental outcomes in business,” says Kieran Hanley, NEIA’s Executive Director.

‘Clean technology’ refers to products, processes, and services that improve on environmental performance in support of sustainable development and clean growth. “We believe that the challenges faced in reconciling economic and environmental interests is capturing the imagination of entrepreneurs across the province,” says Hanley, adding that he expects this to result in new businesses offering new clean technology products and services.

“It is important for NEIA to engage these entrepreneurs at the earliest stages,” says Hanley, “because as an association we are able to offer important supports specific to clean technologies throughout the life of their businesses to help them grow and succeed.”

Hanley says that the development of clean technologies will be an important component in Canada’s efforts to meet its climate change and environmental objectives. “This creates an enormous opportunity for new businesses in Newfoundland and Labrador to contribute by providing new and innovative solutions.” Hanley says clean technologies can also be seen as an agent of economic diversification within industries. “Each of Newfoundland and Labrador’s key industries can benefit from improved environmental performances and efficiencies – and those solutions can be exported worldwide.”

NEIA was incorporated on September 2nd, 1992 and has had a strong history of supporting the growth of the province’s environmental industry and its green economy. In recent years, NEIA has strengthened the supports it has been able to offer its members in terms of their productivity and competitiveness, innovative capacity, international business and exporting, and training and professional development.

“An area where we identified gaps in our support system was for start-up businesses,” says Hanley, though he indicated NEIA does not intend to re-invent the wheel. “There are a variety of organizations throughout the province who are providing excellent supports for entrepreneurs and start-ups. Over the course of the next year we are looking forward to establishing formal partnerships with these organizations to strengthen the clean technology start-up ecosystem in Newfoundland and Labrador.”

Follow NEIA’s progress on its 25th Anniversary activities at www.neia.org/25th.

NEIA is a not-for-profit association of businesses that promotes the development of clean technology and the growth of the green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador. NEIA has over 200 members. More information can be found at https://neia.org.

Media Contact:
Kieran Hanley
kieran@neia.org

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