Powering Innovation Through Clean Technology

Cox Enterprises has a rich, 120-year history of building industry-leading businesses that are leaving the world a better place for the next generation. To further this legacy, Cox Cleantech will invest in and acquire clean resource efficient businesses that provide sustainable energy, food and water for the rapidly growing global population.

We are partnering with like-minded businesses pioneering new technology and innovative solutions to build a sustainable world.

"Cleantech is about taking the problems facing the world and transforming them into opportunity. You can run a business that gives employees a better life, makes a return on investment and has a positive impact on the environment and on society. That's the vision we have for Cleantech."  

- Cox Enterprises Chairman and CEO Alex Taylor.

An Enduring Commitment to Cleantech

We have a long-standing commitment to building businesses that support local communities and the environment. Since 2007, Cox Enterprises has invested more than $1 billion in sustainable businesses and technologies. Through our company’s sustainability program, Cox Conserves, we are working to become waste neutral by 2024, and water and carbon neutral by 2034. 

To help solve climate change and resource scarcity, we must invest in even bigger and bolder ways. Cox Cleantech, set to become a multi-billion-dollar business by 2030, accelerates Cox Enterprises toward our goals and allows us to create bigger, bolder innovation in the world.

An Enduring Commitment to Cleantech

Leadership Spotlight

Steve Bradley

Steve Bradley

Vice President
Cleantech Strategy and Investments
Will Thorburn

Will Thorburn

Assistant Vice President
Cleantech Strategy and Investments
Josh McClung

Josh McClung

Assistant Vice President
Cleantech Strategy and Investments

Steve Bradley

Vice President
Cleantech Strategy and Investments

As vice president of cleantech, Steve Bradley is responsible for building a new business vertical at Cox Enterprises that tackles sustainability challenges and drives profitability, topline growth and diversification. Under his leadership, the Cox Cleantech team is acquiring solutions that transform key segments of agriculture, energy and waste to sustainably meet the needs of a rapidly growing global population.

Will Thorburn

Assistant Vice President
Cleantech Strategy and Investments

Will identifies and executes investments, strategic partnerships and new business opportunities for Cox in the cleantech industry with a strong focus on the energy sector. Recently, Will led a $20 million investment in Carbon Lighthouse, a digital energy services company.

Josh McClung

Assistant Vice President
Cleantech Strategy and Investments

Josh is responsible for leading the exploration and development of a fourth vertical in cleantech where he is focused on clean water and sustainable food and agriculture sectors. The platform and ecosystem will be built through minority investments and acquisitions that solve the key challenges facing the world's critical infrastructure. Recently, Josh led a multi-million dollar investment in agtech startup Anuvia Plant Nutrients, a high-efficiency, sustainable bio-based fertilizer manufacturer.

Clean Energy

The production and use of energy accounts for over 80% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants. The energy system requires a new future – one that is clean and efficient. We are investing in new solutions including: 

  • Carbon Lighthouse, which helps non-residential building owners significantly reduce their energy costs and environmental footprint with minimal capital investment.
  • New River Clean Energy Facility, which captures landfill gas to generate renewable energy and reduce methane emissions
Clean Energy
Controlled Environment Agriculture

Controlled Environment Agriculture

World food production must double by 2050 to support increases in population growth, yet current methods aren’t able to meet that demand. Challenges like water shortages in the western U.S., changing diets, demand for locally-grown food and alternative protein sources are forcing producers to find new ways to grow and deliver food. Finding ways to address these challenges, while reducing land and water usage and greenhouse gas emissions, could lead to a significant net positive environmental impact. 

We are investing in new methods for growing and producing food including:

  • Mucci Farms, a second-generation fruit and vegetable grower headquartered in Kingsville, Ontario, Canada, with over 60 years of growing experience. The company owns and operates greenhouse and warehouse facilities spanning the continent with a mission to deliver the highest quality of fresh produce in the market through innovation at all levels.
  • BrightFarms, a sustainable agriculture startup that uses a scalable, sustainable model to grow food in the same communities where it’s consumed – resulting in food that’s fresher, tastier and better for the environment.
Circular Economy

Circular Economy

Experts estimate that more than 80% of plastics are landfill-bound, which means only a small amount of the world’s plastic is recycled. Cox Enterprises is committed to building a circular economy around how we use and reuse plastic, to avoid drilling to source the fossil fuels needed to manufacture it or having it pile up in landfills. Building a circular economy means finding a way to use and reuse resources by creating a sustainable loop to help solve a massive global issue: used plastics in the environment. 

We are investing in businesses building a circular economy, including:

  • Nexus Circular, an advanced recycling company at the center of the plastics circular economy that accelerates plastic recycling so that people, economies, and the environment can thrive.

Partner Spotlight

BrightFarms

BrightFarms

Steve Platt, CEO
Carbon Lighthouse

Carbon Lighthouse

Brenden Millstein, CEO & co-founder
Mucci Farms

Mucci Farms

Bert Mucci, CEO
Nexus Circular

Nexus Circular

Jodie Morgan, CEO
Nexus Circular

Nexus Circular

Jeff Gold, Founder, CTO and COO

BrightFarms

Steve Platt, CEO

"BrightFarms is giving Americans access to fresh, local and pesticide free produce. With each farm we build we make people and the planet healthier. We are proud to be partnered with Cox, a company aligned with our vision for a healthier and more sustainable food system."

Carbon Lighthouse

Brenden Millstein, CEO & co-founder

"We need to do work that is highly profitable for clients and ourselves, otherwise there is no way to scale large enough and quickly enough to stop climate change. As we continue to double year-over-year for the next many decades, we are grateful for existing investors and new partners like Cox Enterprises who are committed to growing companies for long-term impact." 

Mucci Farms

Bert Mucci, CEO

“It’s humbling to see how far we have come as an organization that was once a small family business. We are excited to continue this journey with Cox Enterprises, who share those values and that vision and will support our efforts to provide more communities with fresh produce from coast to coast."

Nexus Circular

Jodie Morgan, CEO

Jodie brings over 30 years of manufacturing leadership experience, having built and led 5 companies as CEO/President and 3 of those companies with an ESG focus.

Most recently, Jodie served as the CEO of GreenMantra Technologies, a privately-held early- stage advanced recycler of waste plastics to specialty waxes. 

Nexus Circular

Jeff Gold, Founder, CTO and COO

"We appreciate Cox's dedication to improving the environment and their support of Nexus to convert waste plastics into new, environmentally-friendly products. More importantly, Cox understands that recycling solutions like Nexus must be economically viable to be sustainable over the long term."

In the News

 

Contact

For general inquiries please contact: Cox.Cleantech@coxinc.com