Environmentally-friendly Business Ideas
There is a growing drive to be more environmentally-friendly and offer more green options. You can open numerous environmentally-friendly businesses whether you’re helping others be more eco-conscious or offering eco-friendly products, here are 10 environmentally-friendly business ideas:
201. Environmental Publications
Environmental publications are websites, blogs, magazines and newsletters related to improving the environment. Green publishers inform the public about environmental initiatives or trends.
How to start this business idea
You can start this business as a blog or newsletter, as you grow in readers you can reach out to environmentally friendly businesses to advertise with you.
How to keep this business idea successful
Once you have a substantial following you can reach out to more environmentally friendly businesses to get them to contribute to your publication and add weight to your channel.
202. Package free shopping
Consumers want to reduce the amount of plastic and packaging they receive while shopping. Why not offer them packaging free shopping?
How to start this business idea
Develop kits for people to use that totally eliminate single use plastics. Offer them sustainable and reusable cutlery, straws and containers so they can buy things without ever having to use a plastic bag again.
How to keep this business idea successful
Expand this concept into zero packaging kits that use reusable materials for everything from lunch time to cleaning implements. For more ideas visit here.
203. Sustainable construction materials
The construction industry now offers projects made out of recycled materials. They are most commonly used in projects such as infrastructure repair.
How to start this business idea
You can come up with ways to use recycled goods to create construction materials. Find out what other construction companies around the world are doing to become more sustainable and what recyclable materials they are creating.
How to keep this business idea successful
You’ll need to show business the benefit to their reputation if they use your environmentally friendly materials. Partner with contractors and property developers to offer sustainable construction solutions to their projects.
204. Bicycle repair and refurbishing
Bicycles are the ultimate in sustainable transport, you can offer repair and refurbishment services to those wanting to use this sustainable form of transportation.
How to start this business idea
You’ll need to know your way around a bicycle and how it fits together. Find suppliers, should a customer need replacement parts. Offer your services to frequent cyclists to keep their bicycles in peak condition.
How to keep this business idea successful
To add to the sustainability of your business you can buy older bikes from customers or other sources, fix them up and resell them.
205. Handmade all-natural/organic products
Consumers are asking for chemical-free natural and organic products of all kinds. If you’re good at making usable concoctions you can develop, package and sell organic products.
How to start this business idea
You can make all-natural soaps, cosmetics and cleaning products. You can package them sustainably and sell them in sets to make them convenient for your customers. You can sell your products at markets, events and even from an online store.
How to keep this business idea successful
Continue to offer different flavoured products, create gift sets for different occasions, expand your product range and keep advertising your products.
206. Eco-consulting
There are many businesses that want to become sustainable or at least start implementing environmentally-friendly systems, but they don’t know how. This is where you come in.
How to start this business idea
Research all you can on how different businesses in various industries can become more sustainable. You’ll need to offer a cost analysis of how much it will cost initially and how much they will save later.
How to keep this business idea successful
You can offer your services to private homes, schools, universities and shopping malls. To further boost your credibility, you can become a certified eco-consultant.
207. ‘Upcycled’ furniture
Are you good at making something new out of broken parts? You can create new, unique and sustainable furniture from broken parts.
How to start this business idea
With basic skills and access to power tools you can convert broken furniture and left-over pieces into something new and exciting. You can then paint it and sell it to individuals looking for one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture.
How to keep this business idea successful
Once you gain experience you can expand your range of furniture types and styles. You could even take on a commission pieces.
208. Second-hand store
Nothing says sustainable like recycling your old things. Instead of throwing away old items you can now put them in a second-hand store, so others can use them.
How to start this business idea
You can sell used clothes, coats, books, kitchen appliances and furniture. You can offer to purchase the second-hand items or ask for donations.
How to keep this business idea successful
To keep your business sustainable, you can upcycle some of the items or if you have a creative flair, you can give them a new paint job or stitch new fabric on and sell them.
209. Eco-friendly Fashion
Some fabrics can be used many times over, if you’re dedicated enough you can mesh together various leftover pieces of fabric to make material for a new piece of clothing.
How to start this business idea
You can repurpose surplus fabrics into an eco-friendly fashion brand. Using environmentally friendly and organic fashions to create sustainably produced clothing.
How to keep this business idea successful
You can expand your range to include baby, children, men and women’s clothing that appeals to everyone. Just because they’re eco-friendly doesn’t mean they can’t be on trend, so ensure you partner with a designer to offer a range of fashion forward sustainable clothing.
210. Glass Artist
Nothing is quite as sustainable as glass. If you’re good at glass blowing and creating sculptures or stained-glass panels this might be the business idea for you.
How to start this business idea
You’ll need experience working with glass, once you know the basics you can start creating unique and interesting products. Recycling glass can help reduce your costs and create even more sustainable products.
How to keep this business idea successful
You don’t just have to make ornaments, you can branch into glass bowls, beads for jewellery and stained-glass products.