Ooh baby give me your dirty…tech.

“Dirty Tech” is the topic of an article that appeared in September’s Ode magazine. Ode is a Dutch publication that is dedicated to “the people and ideas that are changing our world for the better.” The article features comments from Anup Jacob, Partner at Virgin Green Fund. Jacob says that “’Dirty Tech’ is our term for thinking about traditional businesses greening themselves.”

Author Mark Van Baal points out that with all the investing frenzy over so-called clean technology, which presents inherent risk because it is new and unknown, opportunities to invest in the clean-up of existing technology are overshadowed. Perhaps not for long though.

Van Baal gives the example of a Dutch paper factory that has invested in expensive water purification machines that quickly pay for themselves, translating into less “virgin” water being used and less contaminated water being produced. While the paper industry itself is not inherently environmentally sensible – even when materials are recycled there is the matter of massive water consumption in the industry’s operations – the reality is that we are far from weaning ourselves off paper. The more that can be done to mitigate the waste, the better.

And again, the investment risk may also be mitigated. Van Baal writes, “The fact that dirty tech deals with existing technology is a great advantage for investors, according to Jacob. It’s less of a gamble than clean tech, considering no one knows which technologies will triumph and which will never make it to market.”

Lower Risk and increased Responsibility = the best investment mantra for our times.