There are a number of ways to start creating green products and services for your business. Your approach will depend on whether or not you are just starting a business, or have been in business for a while and wish to make your business greener.
Do Your Research
Your first step is to do your research. If you are starting your own business, you need to do niche research to determine whether the market you want to enter into will be profitable. Within that market, you then need to find out if green issues drive purchasing decisions.
For example, we know that dog training is a profitable niche, but are dog owners green, or interested in holistic living? The answer is yes. There are avid readers of Whole Dog Journal, for example, and would never miss an issue – especially the reviews of the healthiest all-natural dog foods for their beloved pet.
They will buy healthy toys that are not plastic and will steer clear of rawhide, since it is full of chemicals. They will avoid anything that says it is made in China after the pet food poisoning scandal that took so many pets‘ lives several years ago. Think about your niche and the green issues that might be driving your target customers‘ purchasing decisions, then cater to them.
Greening Your Existing Products
If you already have an existing business, it is important to survey your customer base to determine whether or not they would be interested in greener alternatives to your top-selling products. Below are a few ideas for creating greener products and services that your customers should love.
Organic Food Service
Ordering food online is booming. You could stand out if you were to offer organic whole food delivered fresh to people’s doors every day. Emphasize freshness, locality, and taste in your chemical-free organic foods.
Organic Fashion
These days, people are interested in sustainable natural fabrics, not synthetics. You can source fabrics from all over the world that are 100% organic, such as linen, bamboo and cotton. There is also a great interest in recycled or upcycled items.
Some people love to shop in vintage stores, while others love repurposing pre-existing garments. For example, you can make great cushion covers with old sweaters, and even a wedding gown out of old umbrella fabric.
Eco-Friendly Gardening
If you run a lawn maintenance and garden service, consider offering an organic one that promises no harmful pesticides and harsh chemicals will be used. When making choices about what products to use, also take into consideration any family pets and children. Cocoa mulch is all natural and very effective, but dogs have died from eating it because they should not consume chocolate.
Green Wedding Planning and Live Event and Party Planning
Weddings are a prominent example of conspicuous consumption. Many modern brides, however, are concerned with the impact of their wedding on the environment. They also hesitate about spending a lot of money on cut fresh flowers when there are many green alternatives, such as silk. If you are already a wedding planner, or live event or party planner, you will know all about the amount of waste such events can generate.
If this is the case, take a 360-look at the events you run to see how you can green them. Locate products and vendors and become an affiliate and earn a commission, or earn commission on referrals.
These are just a few simple ways to create green products and services you know there will be a market for, for greater profits.