From solar-powered mobile phone masts to electric cars, sideshows at the latest UN climate talks suggest business is making progress where politicians are struggling.
The presence of some major corporations including energy and mining giants may be little more than PR at the conference in Durban, South Africa, but there is also evidence of firms seizing the green initiative - not least for their own interest.
African mobile phone company Vodacom is pursuing a scheme for base units supplied by solar, wind and fuel cell technology, not just to drive down emissions but in the face of rising fuel costs.
Osamu Igarashi, of Nissan, which is displaying its Leaf electric car at the talks, said the company had targets to reduce emissions to 10% of 2000 levels by 2050, and could not meet them without a shift to electric vehicles.
The move is also being driven by a recognition within Nissan, which is set to produce the Leaf in Sunderland from 2013, of the advantages of powering cars with electricity, which can come from a range of energy sources including renewables.
Jennifer Morris of Conservation International said: "The private sector is already seeing the effects of climate change and are taking the long view on how to address this increasingly critical issue as they realise it is in their own enlightened self-interest to do so.
"What we are seeing now is strong leadership in the business community and we hope negotiators will follow sooner rather than later."
But while business may be stealing a march on politicians, the talks have a crucial role in sending a signal to companies to move towards a low-carbon economy.
The UK Government has been criticised for hitting the solar industry by cutting subsidies for small-scale solar, but climate change minister Greg Barker said the Government was committed to delivering the green agenda in a way that fitted with growth and provided "best value" for consumers.
"The politicians in the UK are setting the framework, getting on with the low-carbon economy. It's going to be the private sector that delivers the low-carbon economy but they need the framework. We're creating opportunities and the private sector is rushing in to fill them," he said.