The term cleantech refers to the efficient use of resources and energy, and thus for a sustainable form of economic activity. It is applicable to every sector. Clean processes, services and technologies that save resources and energy are our future. The worldwide cleantech sector is a growing market. For Switzerland, positioning itself as a cleantech centre represents an opportunity to create high and simultaneously sustainable value-added in the innovation-intensive area of efficient use of resources and energy.

The "Cleantech Master Plan" that was published in 2011 formed the framework for the Federal Council's cleantech strategy and its defined measures. The Federal Council had entrusted the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) and the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) with the mandate of implementing the various measures. In 2015, the activities carried out in the period from 2011 to 2014 were analysed and published in a report by the Federal Council (see "Related documents"). Since 2016, the cleantech coordination instrument has been used for securing sound framework conditions in the fields of resource efficiency and renewable energy.