green vs brown field - jargon decoder?
November 6, 2009 3:02 PM   Subscribe

Businessjargon filter: 'green field' situation vs 'brown field' situation - what do these terms mean in a business context?
posted by jennyhead to Education (9 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Green field is new construction/project, brown field is usually a contaminated site that is rehabbed.

Green field in business usually refers to a project started from scratch as opposed to acquiring a business/asset that would accomplish the same function. I'm not sure that I know what brown field means in something other than a real estate context where it means what I said above.
posted by Frank Grimes at 3:08 PM on November 6, 2009


In terms of land development, greenfields are areas that haven't been previously developed, like farmland (ie housing development in a former farmer's field). Brownfields are usually areas that have been contaminated to some degree by industrial activity and therefore aren't suitable for residential or agriculture, but can be redeveloped for commercial or industrial use (ie lead contaminated soil to be paved over or otherwise remediated, but not to the highest standards).
posted by electroboy at 3:09 PM on November 6, 2009


A green field situation is one unencumbered by past decisions or investments. A brown filed situation results when there is a fundamental incompatibility between past decisions or investments that are unchangeable (or must be protected) and the desired path or outcome.
posted by carmicha at 3:09 PM on November 6, 2009 [1 favorite]


In oil / gas production brownfield means a developed field that is on the downside production-wise. Sometimes the life of the field can be extended by drilling "re-entry" wells.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 3:11 PM on November 6, 2009


Agreed that the terms originate in land management or similar, but carmicha defines the most agnostic usage. I have heard it thusly in industries ranging from pension finance to pharmaceuticals to software.
posted by randomstriker at 3:16 PM on November 6, 2009


I've heard these terms used without the usual positive & negative connotation. Namely, "Green field" = build your own building (for a factory, warehouse, office, or whatever), "Brown field" = adapt an existing building (which may or may not have been originally built as a factory, warehouse, office, or whatever). "Brown field" did not have the very negative connotation of contamination or pollution.
posted by mhum at 4:51 PM on November 6, 2009


Carimicha has the right definition in a general business sense.

Neither is necessary "good" or "bad". Greenfield projects have open skies but also no history to learn from, brownfield projects have some groundwork, probably abandoned, but also come with inherent/historical challenges due to earlier development.
posted by rokusan at 5:05 PM on November 6, 2009


Carmicha, rather.
posted by rokusan at 5:06 PM on November 6, 2009


Carmicha and rokusan for the win.

An example of this in action would be if a consultant was pitching a methodology to run a business. The business owner might retort that the idea was fine for a green field situation but for the brown field case it didn't take into account all the corner cases and legacy aspects of their business.
posted by mmascolino at 6:44 PM on November 6, 2009


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