April 22, 2012
Green Business
Earth Day sparks the green thoughts in everyone, including the eager entrepreneurs ready to jump on green business opportunities. Green practices, policies, are trending upwards, and if you are in the right green realm as an entrepreneur, you may be able to take advantage and start or expand your business in the environmentally friendly direction.
Eco-friendly, green strategies and practices are good for the environment and are also good for business as it helps build solid positive relationships with customers who will make a connection with the green conscious business. The green environmental sector is big business, with 2011 revenue estimates at nearly $330 Billion.
Here are some ideas of green businesses for entrepreneurial consideration:
Green businesses – Eco-Friendly Products
Green Retailing is big business in the US, accounting for billions in revenue. Entrepreneurs jump on the opportunity of providing products that don’t have an impact on the environment, don’t contain harmful chemicals, or products that are available with eco-friendly packaging. Organic products, falling under this business category, include some opportunities such as organic produce retailers, cosmetics and specialty garden products. According to some reports, customers are willing to spend an estimated 20% premium on organic products.
Green Marketing Agencies
Getting the message out about your green practices, polices, procedures and products helps your business resonate with the consumer base that is trending green. The segment of the consumer market that is eco-friendly will make a connection with your company, and thus a customer relationship will be made. Marketing professionals can specialize in this area of green marketing, helping companies develop and implement strategies for positioning their green products and services.
Green Businesses – Environmental Engineering
Environmental engineering is the profession that provides science and engineering services to improve the natural environment. Services include consulting, development and planning, and mitigation of projects that may have an impact on the environment. In many jurisdictions, it is required to complete environmental screenings or assessments, and that’s where the environmental engineers come in. Government agencies and the private sector seek environmental engineering firms to help meet environmental regulations and standards.
Eco-Efficiency Consultants
Eco-efficiency professionals specialize in finding, developing and helping your business implement environmentally friendly practices. These consultants dig into your operations and analyze aspects such as energy consumption, product use, and practices.
The specialists would ultimately provide your business with a set of recommendations to reduce waste, reduce cost and move to more environmentally friendly practises in your business.
Research and Development Companies
Businesses that currently develop and provide consumer products often branch out to undertake research and development of better, more eco-friendly and efficient products. Such is the case with light bulb manufacturers, with the development of compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs and newer light emitting diode (LED) bulbs. Whether it’s an existing corporation or a newly funded start-up, there is plenty of opportunity in the environmentally friendly, product development realm.
Green Businesses Recycling and Recovery Companies
The consumer turn-over of products is amazing, such as the electronics industry where some products are replaced every one to two years. Companies specializing in recycling and recovering metals and plastics and other materials from discarded consumer products are well poised to take advantage. Valuable metals and materials can be recovered from the more than 200 million mobile devices that are discarded every year in the US. For instance gold, silver, palladium and sometimes platinum can be recovered from computer boards. At the current metal prices, some other these recovery business opportunities would be worth investigating.
Business information, resources and tips for the entrepreneur
© 2012 Strategy Plan One
Thank you for sharing this post. I found it very interesting and inspiring. More businesses need to be environmentally conscious. I heard of a company, Micro Solutions Enterprises, who uses their recycled foam caps and converts them into carpet padding or used in waste to energy. I really appreciate when businesses do those kinds of things.
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