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The fight to use 'that' and 'which' correctly has pretty much been lost, with almost nobody noticing the difference. Even for those who are passionate about the English language (which obviously includes all business writers), the difference can be tough to understand.
Put simply, 'that' implies a very direct connection while 'which' implies more of a by-the-way aside.
The hand that rocks the cradle is a soft target for disposable nappy campaigns.
A baby gets through a lot of nappies, which is a big sales opportunity.
The first example needs 'that' because that rocks the cradle cannot be separated from The hand without losing meaning.
In the second example, which is a big sales opportunity is not essential. We could put a full stop after A baby gets through a lot of nappies and it still makes perfect sense. Notice the comma before 'which'. Clauses containing 'which' are always separated from the main sentence using a comma whereas this is not the case for 'that'.
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