5 Green Trends for Small Business

The examples used in this article have been excerpted from 75 Green Businesses You Can Start to Make Money and Make a Difference by Glenn Croston , available from Entrepreneurpress.com .



Going green is not going away, but the various trends within the green business movement will change direction, creating opportunities for new products and new businesses. Looking forward, here are five green trends that entrepreneurs can capitalize on to make money while making a difference.Green Car DealershipThe Market Need:More efficient cars are in high demandThe Mission:Sell fuel-efficient cars that pollute lessKnowledge to Start:Autos, salesCapital Required:$10,000 (for an alternative model) to $1,000,000-plus (cars on a lot)Timing to Start:Months to yearsSpecial Challenges:Many new, competing technologies are coming to the market

The Prius is only the start. A variety of green cars are coming to the market from different manufacturers, large and small. While sales of cars overall will not grow quickly in a mature market like the United States, sales of green cars are rising as rapidly as the price of oil.

Who is going to sell all these green cars? One option is to work with the big, established auto manufacturers, but there already are many dealerships, and as a dealer you sell a full range of cars--not just green cars. An alternative is to work with the smaller, upstart, green auto producers. As the technology continues to improve, more and more cars will become available to fit a range of needs and markets.

Some car brokers deal in used cars one at a time, building deals between private buyers and sellers, as well as helping with financing, if necessary. An online green-car dealership provides access to a variety of cars, while avoiding the investment and risk of a car lot with brick, mortar, and asphalt.

Opportunities in green cars include:

Opening a dealership for one of the emerging new producers in technologies such as electric carsOpening a used-car dealership specializing in high-mileage carsCommercializing a new car technologyBrokering sales of green cars between individual buyers and sellers

Low-Carbon GroceriesThe Market Need:Consumers are starting to think about the impact of their food and groceries on the environment, but have scant information to guide their shoppingThe Mission:Build and provide systems for tracking foods journey and its carbon footprintKnowledge to Start:Carbon auditing, supply chains, marketingCapital Required:$10,000 to $99,000Timing to Start:YearsSpecial Challenges:Carbon labeling is not yet broadly adopted

When it comes to being green, food is so simple and yet so complicated. How green is your food? The answer depends on what green means to you. Does green food have to be grown using organic methods? What about the impact of our food on climate change? The greenest food includes consideration of how it is grown, and the environmental impact of its journey to the local market and your plate.

To make smart, green shopping decisions, consumers need information right on the label. Already in the United Kingdom, products are starting to have transportation labeling, with a picture of a plane or a boat. The trend is likely to spread to the United States and improve by labeling products with their actual carbon footprint.

Opportunities for low-carbon groceries include:

Creating low-carbon products and brandsProviding tracking and auditing of carbon footprint for productsImporting products with a smaller carbon footprint, even after accounting for transportationLooking for low-carbon products being developed in Europe or elsewhere to see what ideas can be imported into the United States

Green Shopping BagsThe Market Need:Billions of plastic shopping bags are thrown away each yearThe Mission:Replace disposable plastic shopping bags with renewable, reusable bagsKnowledge to Start:Materials, manufacturingCapital Required:Under $10,000 (for homemade bags)Timing to Start:Weeks to monthsSpecial Challenges:Finding a niche among competition