Cleantech

Cleantech focuses on the development and implementation of innovative products and services that aim to reduce costs, energy consumption, environmental pollution and waste while improving productivity and efficiencies.

Companies in the Cleantech industry are poised to make a significant contribution to the Canadian economy in the years ahead as the impact of climate change and the drive to implement cleaner technologies take centre stage.

An increasingly integral part of our day-to-day life, Cleantech businesses operate in a broad range of sectors, including:

• Biorefinery products
• Power generation
• Energy infrastructure, including energy storage
• Energy-efficient and green buildings
• Manufacturing and industrial products, processes and technologies
• Transportation and logistics, electric vehicles (EV), and EV charging
• Extractive processes and products
• Environmental information technology
• Materials recycling, recovery and remediation
• Water purification and management
• Waste treatment
• Agriculture

The legal needs of Cleantech companies are as diverse as the industries they are disrupting. As a result, Cleantech companies benefit from experienced counsel that can aid in day-to-day operations and guide strategic decisions at all stages of a Cleantech company’s growth curve.

The lawyers in Osler’s Cleantech Practice Group excel at determining each client’s specific needs and building an interdisciplinary team of professionals that will ensure those needs are met. Drawing on our expertise across the firm — including corporate finance, energy, technology, tax, intellectual property, real estate, mergers and acquisitions, environmental and regulatory law — our Cleantech lawyers support clients with any legal issues that arise from developing and commercializing technology, to financing and M&A transactions.

In particular, Cleantech companies turn to Osler for assistance with:

• Venture capital and private equity financings – Many Cleantech companies are startups that raise capital from a variety of sources, including angel investors, venture capital and private equity funds. Our Cleantech lawyers are also active in our Venture Capital practice and have advised a number of Cleantech companies and funds on financing rounds.
• Regulatory issues, including advising on this evolving area and providing representation before regulatory bodies. We also advise on obtaining the necessary permits and approvals for piloting or testing new technologies related to energy storage, generation and infrastructure as well as wastewater, recycling and environmental and air quality solutions.
• M&A transactions — Mergers and acquisitions are common in the Cleantech industry, as startups and technology developed by scientists are frequently acquired by established industry players that incorporate new innovations into their service or product offerings. Osler also regularly advises on the mergers of smaller companies that are consolidating to become more competitive in the global market.
• Intellectual property, including securing and enforcing the company’s rights, both nationally and worldwide. Many Cleantech companies are founded to commercialize proprietary technologies that are the result of research at universities or independent laboratories. Osler’s Cleantech lawyers assist companies with protecting their intellectual property through patents and other means and support them in entering into licensing and other commercial agreements while maintaining the rights to their IP.
• Complex commercial agreements, including bespoke service agreements, construction and equipment supply arrangements and commodity offtake agreements. Our interdisciplinary team has critical project-level expertise in the commercial agreements that are the foundation of the revenue model for many of our Cleantech clients.

Our Cleantech lawyers are active participants in the Cleantech ecosystem and work with Cleantech industry organizations, accelerators and investors, such as the Foresight Cleantech Accelerator Centre and the BC Cleantech CEO Alliance. We have an extensive network of contacts in the industry and frequently facilitate introductions between industry players.

We are proud to support our Cleantech clients in their mission of creating more sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions to global challenges.