To coincide with the 2025 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting taking place January 20-24 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) unveiled ‘Michigan’s Roadmap to a Sustainable World,’ a short film on the state’s initiatives in clean energy and sustainability. The WEC Annual Meeting gathers global leaders to address key regional and global challenges. ‘Safeguarding the Planet’ is one of the key themes at this year’s annual meeting.
In order to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change, Michigan has taken bold, proactive steps to encourage sustainability throughout the state, spurring economic opportunities, creating jobs, and improving public health The MI Healthy Climate Plan, which lays out a pathway for the state to reach 100% carbon neutrality by 2050, with an intermediate target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 52% (from 2005 levels) by 2030.
The short film, which aired on CBSNews.com, details how Michigan is making moves toward clean energy job growth, as well as federally funded clean energy projects. Hydrogen, battery development, and semiconductors are industries that have seen significant growth in Michigan since the MI Healthy Climate Plan was introduced in 2022.

The film highlights Michigan’s partnerships with cutting-edge companies such as Australian-based company Fortescue Zero and innovation accelerator Orange Sparkle Ball. Earlier this month, another MEDC partner, Corning Incorporated, was recognized in the Clean Energy Manufacturing category of Business Facilities’ 2024 Impact Awards for their $900 million investment to construct a new manufacturing facility for solar components in Saginaw County.
In the video, which appeared on CBS, Meaghan Kennedy, Founder of Orange Sparkle Ball, comments on the state’s environment for her company, which has an autonomous robot pickup platform in action through a pilot program with the city of Detroit. “Orange Sparkle Ball came to Michigan for a couple of reasons. We had been really watching innovative program after innovative program, and that created the perfect storm of opportunity for us where we had a state support of mobility projects.”
“We must ensure we are creating a cleaner, more sustainable planet for future generations not just here in Michigan, but around the globe,” Quentin L. Messer Jr.,CEO of the MEDC, said within the film. “Michigan is leading in sustainability through business and policy, which is creating more opportunities for investment, job creation and cleaner communities for our citizens.” Watch the video here.
Michigan is home to nearly 128,000 clean energy jobs. As these job opportunities grow, so too must the talent pipeline. Throughout the film, Hilary Doe, Chief Growth Officer for the State of Michigan with the MEDC, highlights Michigan’s STEAM talent pool, along with efforts to attract leading minds who strive to do purpose-driven work. The MEDC works with higher education institutions to create new college programs and pipelines aligned with evolving industry needs.