What is a green or sustainable business?

  

 

What is a green business?

A green business prioritizes sustainability and conservation in their business model. They work to reduce their negative environmental impact as a company and may also support green initiatives through local partnerships and philanthropy.

Some green business options seem obvious, like solar panel installation, which promotes renewable energy and provides a green product. These green products are easy to identify as environmentally-friendly and meet a clear need for sustainability. It's a product that mindful consumers would specifically look to buy to meet their personal sustainability goals.

Other green businesses may not seem inherently eco-friendly, but they choose to prioritize sustainable materials and procedures. For example, a printing company may use recycled paper and solar energy to reduce any negative environmental impacts. Businesses like these can set an intentional standard of sustainability that serves as a key marketing tool when advertising to the majority of consumers who are looking to support sustainability.

Green business ideas

Green businesses are vital to repairing and protecting our environment, and they align with a cause consumers care about and want to support. If you're looking to leave your office job and pursue your passion for climate action, we have 40 green business ideas for you to explore.

 

 

 

 

Support sustainable fashion

 

Fast fashion is everywhere and generates billions of pounds in textile waste in the U.S. alone. What's worse, only 15% of recyclable textiles are reused. It's an issue that's been gaining attention and consumers have a growing interest in second-hand clothes.

 

If you have an eye for style, consider opening your own resale shop online or in-store to revive once-loved clothing. There are online services like Shopify that can help you get started. Of course, you can build and market your own site, and some people have found success simply selling on Instagram or other social media marketplaces.

 

Become a tailor

With the rise of fast fashion, consumers are buying significantly more clothes and keeping them half as long. Custom-made, quality clothing lasts longer and fits correctly, allowing the wearer to get more use out of each garment and increasing the lifecycle of our wardrobes.

 

Correct fits also mean fewer garments are being returned to retailers to either be re-sold and shipped or disposed of entirely. As a tailor, you can also reduce waste by prioritizing sustainable and ethical fabrics, educating consumers on sustainable fashion, and reducing the waste of ecommerce shipping.

 

Repair bicycles

Cycling will likely never go out of style, and it's a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and improve your health at the same time. Bicycles can be expensive, like any mode of transportation, and require care and maintenance to stay on the road.

 

Repairing bicycles is something you can easily start in your garage and build up with an online presence. Once you get started, you may even start collecting vintage bikes to refurbish and resell. While the bicycle dealership industry took a hit during COVID-19, it was growing steadily before the pandemic and will likely continue to grow after the economy stabilizes.

 

Grow your own food

Direct, local food sales are growing in the U.S. as consumers are looking to support their local producers. Local goods and organic food aren't just great for the economy, but produce much less waste than grocery producers do from packaging, large-scale production, and transportation.

 

If you have a green thumb, then you can get started with a small garden and a booth at the local farmers market for a couple of hundred dollars. You'll do best if you find a market gap beyond raw produce, like homemade spices and sauces, or canned goods like pickles and jams. These products will also allow you to sell year-round well after the harvest ends.

 

Launch a native landscaping business

Meticulously manicured grass lawns are a thing of the past and more homeowners are switching to native landscaping. Become an expert on the native plants in your area and their care, then launch an eco-friendly landscaping business to help convert lawns to support biodiversity and protect native habitats.

 

Additionally, you can help homeowners learn how to care for their lawns efficiently to save water and energy. Some trees and plants may even grow to help them save on their utilities.

Upgrade a dry cleaning business

Dry cleaning services have come a long way from what they once were, but still use harmful chemicals and chlorinated solvents. Leaking sewage or improper disposal of these chemicals can pollute the surrounding environment, and poor handling safety can also be harmful to employee health.

 

Many of these chemicals have safer alternatives available to protect both the environment and employees. A modern and eco-responsible dry cleaning business would prioritize non-toxic chemicals as well as responsible handling and disposal of chemicals and waste. Other green practices may include using recyclable garment bags and exclusively in-house dry cleaning.

 

 

Sell sustainable food

Food production has a massive impact on climate change every step of its production, from the farm to our trash. In fact, animal agriculture alone produces 65 percent of nitrous oxide emissions a year, which has 300 times the global warming potential as carbon dioxide. Once the product is produced, it's then shipped from the farm to distributors, sometimes taking a global journey to finally reach your table.

 

As an environmentally responsible restaurateur, there's a number of things you can do to reduce your harm. Serving exclusively vegan food can help reduce the environmental harm of raising livestock, and local, organic food can reduce the impact of harmful pesticides and fertilizers. Additionally, proper portions and food inventory management can reduce food waste, while natural lighting and limited hours can reduce your energy consumption