An eco-friendly business, or “green business” demonstrates a commitment to an environmentally sustainable future. A green industry business uses sustainable materials to make its products.
Green businesses strive to have a positive impact on the environment and their community. This can be achieved through many practices and strategies, from recycling to sourcing local products to promoting energy efficiency. Eco-friendliness is a method of commodity production that is less or not harmful to the environment. So these businesses support renewable resources and reduce the consumption of fossil fuels.
These businesses use as little water, energy and raw materials as possible while cutting carbon emissions or it finds ways to utilize these materials in renewable and eco-friendly ways. In some cases, if waste is generated, it is reused as energy or raw material. Sustainable and green business ideas combine the business’ commitment to the environment with the objectives of the business. This minimizes the business’ strain on natural resources and contributions to climate change. Social and ecological commitment that in addition to positive changes in the world generate profits for the business.
Here are some innovative and eco-friendly business ideas that serve the purpose of sustainability and are profitable as well.
1. Green walls
Placing natural plants on interior and exterior walls of offices or architecture and decoration offices, among others. Preparing walls with a coating helps to avoid humidity, the generation of insects or the proliferation of bacteria.
2. Using Ecological disposable products
A disposable utensil is used at least once a week to collect these products. To reduce environmental damage, it disposes of products made from organic elements. These, unlike the others, biodegrade completely in a time of 90 to 240 days, since they are consumed by bacteria and microorganisms from the ground.
3. Advertising using bicycles
Means of transport, bicycles can serve as an advertising medium, mounting advertisements on their wheels or on adapted structures at the rear. Hire drivers for several units and monitor them with an app and a GPS system that counts the kilometers traveled. Set your rates based on the number of bicycles hired and the kilometers traveled per day or month. Your potential customers: advertising agencies, local businesses or companies seeking to position their brand.
4. Car wash without water
Contribute to saving this vital liquid by providing the car wash service with biodegradable products that replace water. Be even more ecological by using bicycles as a means of transport. Another good idea is to get a mobile point of sale terminal (POS) to charge with a Smartphone or Tablet.
5. Dry cleaning and ecological laundry
Few people have the time, space or desire to wash or iron in their homes. Start with a dry cleaner in a local area, at street level or in a shopping center. It offers added value by using machinery that minimizes the use of water compared to traditional dry cleaning machines – and biodegradable detergents.
6. Urban repairs
This process allows the damaged viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum to be recovered and reused to minimize the use of new material, which is a petroleum derivative. Potential customers are: hospitals, schools, companies and even local governments. Try to hire two to three people to do the repairs or create alliances with contractor companies.
7. Intimate hygiene
The use of disposable products – diapers and sanitary napkins – have a high environmental impact, since they are considered by the Waste Law as “inorganic of limited use” because the reuse of their components is almost nil. Help reduce impact by marketing sustainable products such as cloth diapers and menstrual cups.
8. Organic responsibility
Those who have specific food needs with the marketing of organic bread and desserts made from certified inputs. Take care to make them free of milk, eggs, sugar, preservatives and hormones, so that they can be consumed by vegans or people with conditions such as diabetes, autism or cancer. To wholesale, go to organic markets, hospitals and foundations that serve people with these conditions.
9. Solar panels
The installation of solar panels is a trend that has gained interest in the country.
It serves regions where the electricity grid is scarce, businesses with high energy consumption or even families concerned about reducing their polluting emissions and spending on their bills.
10. Filters and water purifiers
It contributes to reducing this contamination by marketing portable filters for taps and bottles that eliminate 100% of bacteria and parasites. Installation takes five minutes and anyone can do it; so you can sell the packaged product or install it yourself.
11. Biodegradable for pets
Avoiding bad odors at home and not harming the health of pets are two common concerns of their owners. It meets these needs by marketing biodegradable products made from essential oils. Your catalog can range from soaps, shampoo and odor remover to repellents and aromatherapy products to reduce stress for animals.
12. Natural comics
One of its most recent exploits is in the beauty industry. It sells cosmetics made from this cactus, such as mascara for eyelashes, make-up removers, powders and body creams, free of substances derived from petroleum. With a sustainable or people with specific dermatological needs, promote, market and process your orders using digital platforms.
13. Organic crops
Organic markets are opening the door to small producers, and join this opportunity with your own cultivation of vegetables and ornamental plants. Train yourself to master the cultivation methods and the different techniques –garden, hydroponics or greenhouse–, as well as irrigation systems, plant nutrition and pest control. Your main customers are: shops, local markets and your acquaintances or supply centers.
14. Gas savers
Gasoline and electricity prices continue to rise. Help citizens to have savings on these expenses with a business for the sale and installation of savers. The regular consumption of gasoline, diesel and electricity, as well as the reduction of minerals accumulated in the water pipes. The equipment is installed in hoses, tubes or pass-through wiring in as little as 10 minutes.
As well as looking at the fundamentals of a business, there are some simple ways to make day-to-day activities more eco-friendly too.
Here are easy ways to make your business more environmentally friendly.
1. Save Energy
To avoid wasting power in your office, there are some super simple solutions you can implement.
- Activate power management systems
- Shut down tech at night
- Lighting tips
- Let fresh air in
And harness the power of nature to cool your business in summer by opening windows and doors rather than putting on the air conditioning.
2. Choose Green Suppliers and Partners
- Green energy suppliers
- Other eco-friendly companies
From sustainable raw materials suppliers to carbon balanced printers and even eco-friendly web hosts, there are heaps of green partners out there, so you can ensure your whole network is as environmentally friendly as possible.
To keep our carbon footprint down and to ensure our service is as sustainable as possible, we fuel our servers with 100% renewable energy.
3. Go Paperless
- Paperless billing
There’s no need to send out paper bills and invoices nowadays. E-bills, app notifications and internet banking are commonplace and go paperless.
- Digital docs
To make your business more environmentally friendly, try to avoid using paper and printing as much as possible. Virtual sign-off, fillable PDF forms and online ordering are just some of the other ways you can let go of the letterhead.
- Avoid single-use paper
And don’t forget about other paper use too. At Solve, we also avoid things like single-use kitchen rolls and paper towels in the bathrooms.
4. Save Water
- In the kitchen
Use a dishwasher in the office kitchen and wash all the day’s dirty dishes together rather than individual office members washing them by hand throughout the day.
- In the bathroom
Look at dual flush toilets which can use less water and push taps to avoid water wastage.
- Collect rainwater
Collect rainwater to quench the thirst of your office plants and grassy areas where you could even flush your toilets with it!
5. Recycle & Reuse
- Waste packaging
Encouraging recycling and reusing is important in any green business. If you’re a retail business, you could sell branded reusable products like shopping bags and coffee cups. Encourage employees to use reusable lunch packaging, or even provide them with branded, bento-style lunch boxes – great for marketing and the environment
- Food waste
Try selling leftover cafeteria food at the end of the day or even an informal noticeboard for staff to share out short-dated produce and save it from the bin.
- Community initiatives
6. Encourage Walking & Cycling to Work
To reduce the environmental impact of your business, you can encourage your employees to take more eco-friendly transport to work like cycling, walking or running.
7. Reduce Unnecessary Travel
Minimising travel wherever we can if it can be done virtually, saves emissions and goes digital.
If you really do need to travel, try to maximise your trip by combining multiple visits.
8. Create a Green Space
A simple way to create a healthy, more environmentally friendly workplace is to make it greener. Plants absorb the carbon dioxide we breathe out and release fresh oxygen back into the environment, which can cleanse the air at the same time. Using your free window sills to grow fresh herbs that can be used by staff at lunchtimes.
9. Be the Change
As an eco-friendly business, you could promote horticulture and sustainability within your staff and community by getting involved in things like tree-planting events or community gardening projects. If there aren’t initiatives within your local area, why not organise some? Use your power as a business to drive change and promote your green thinking and values to your following. Share your knowledge and encourage others to get involved.
To better preserve our planet for future generations, we all need to do our bit to tackle issues like climate change, deforestation and pollution together. Businesses have a huge part to play so do whatever you can for the environment at all levels of your life.