With the ecological crisis posing a threat to our future, more people choose to go green and shop at sustainable and eco-friendly businesses. These days, consumers want brands whose values align with theirs. In fact, a study by IBM shows that 70% of consumers in the U.S. and Canada care if the brand they’re shopping from holds the same social and environmental values they do.
If you’re an entrepreneur who shares the same passion for the environment, creating a “green business” will help you turn a profit while saving the environment.
What is a “Green Business”?
A green business shows its commitment to a sustainable future by utilizing business practices to protect the natural environment. These businesses aim to minimize the company’s use of natural resources and contribute to climate change. Green businesses do this to cut carbon emissions by using minimal water, energy, and raw materials. If the company generates waste, it gets reused as energy or raw materials.
Going green not only benefits the environment, but it benefits your business, too. When you utilize green business practices, you increase energy sufficiency, save money, boost employee morale, and raise awareness of your business.
Sustainable Business Ideas
If you’re looking to start an eco-friendly business, here are a few ideas that can help you get started!
Ink Refills
If you’ve ever owned a printer, you know that ink cartridges are expensive and potentially wasteful. Encourage your customers to reuse their old printer cartridges by refilling them with ink. You might think that a refilling business encourages printer usage, which makes up a big chunk of paper waste in the environment. While this is true, printer cartridges are non-biodegradable, and fewer of these items in our landfills make a big difference.
Sustainable Clothing
There are two ways to open a clothing store: making it a thrift store or selling clothing made from sustainable materials. If you’ve chosen the former and don’t know where to source your clothes, take a look inside your closet and see which clothes you aren’t using anymore. You can even ask your friends to donate a few pieces to your cause. If you’ve chosen the latter, make sure to source eco-conscious materials, not just for your clothes but for your packaging too.
Wood-Engraving
If you’re looking to open a green business focusing on the creative side, you can offer a wood engraving service to people who want to upcycle their furniture or spice up their wooden pieces. You’d only need to invest in a quality laser cutter, and the great thing is that lasers are a greener solution to regular cutters. They don’t use lubricants, generate less waste, are more energy-efficient, and are made to last a very long time.
Beauty Salon
If you have a passion for making people feel beautiful, then a salon might be the right choice for you. You can also preserve the world’s beauty by making steps towards becoming more eco-friendly, as 150 million pounds of disposable items like foil and color tubes end up in landfills every year. You can make your salon more sustainable by selling recyclable products, offering products that don’t test on animals, and using ammonia-free hair color and refillable in-salon products like shampoo, conditioner, and styling products. You can even have a refilling station for your regular customers!
Secondhand Bookstore
Books use paper and many other resources during the production process. Give life to your old books and sell them at a fraction of their price instead of tossing them out. You’ll be allowing people to read books they wouldn’t buy at full price, and you’ll be earning from it too!
Tech Refurbisher
With new gadgets making their way into stores almost every year, old devices often go unused and are left to collect dust. Make use of old electronics by repurposing them and selling them to people who need a more affordable model. If you want to go further, you can also consider selling the parts of the old electronic devices you have.
Organic Catering
Eco-friendly food enthusiasts can share their passion for both food and the environment through organic catering. You can cater local events or business functions using locally grown ingredients, free-range poultry and even provide different food options depending on your client’s preference. You’ll not only attract nature lovers to your service but health buffs too!
Now’s a better time than ever to start a green business, and with these unique and sustainable ideas, your business won’t just deliver profits. You’ll also get the gratifying experience of helping the environment and making a difference. So, what are you waiting for?
