Are you an entrepreneur but you lack ideas on what eco-friendly business to start? If YES, here are 100+ best business ideas in the green industry.
The world is going green, from recycling and power generation to organic groceries, sustainable fisheries and even eco-tourism. Everyone, it seems is interested in easing the burden humanity places on the environment, and earning a living while at it.
If you are looking for ways to put a little money in your wallet by turning the world into a better and more livable place, you might be surprised at the number of eco-friendly businesses you can do that can yield you profits. Continue scrolling to see them.
100+ Best Business ideas in the Green & Eco-friendly Industry
1. Solar Panel Installation Business
Solar panel installation has indeed stamped its foot in the world of business. Many scholars expect solar installations to provide one-quarter of the world’s energy needs by 2050, and it has been predicted that 11 percent of solar energy will come from panels installed on houses and office buildings.
People who live in sunny climates have traditionally been more likely to take advantage of solar technologies, but as panels become more efficient and less expensive, solar installations increasingly make sense virtually anywhere. You don’t have to be an electrician to go into the business of installing solar panels, but it would be to your advantage.
Solar farms utilize a large-scale deployment of solar panels to generate renewable electricity for sale to utilities, government entities, individual consumers and organizations. A solar energy farm is one business that requires a huge land space to get started. Some professionals estimate that you need at least 15 acres of land to start a solar farm. If you have the capital, you can purchase the land, but if you don’t, you can lease the land.
Building a solar farm is a capital intensive business as estimates show you need at least 1 million dollars to start a solar farm, but the Returns on Investment (ROI) are worth it in the long run. After production of your electricity, you can sell it back to the government.
A recycling business is a venture that allows you to make profits while helping the environment. It is, however, a large undertaking, and you’ll face serious competition from already exiting businesses. By making a detailed plan, locking in financing, understanding the legal requirements, and using good business sense, you can get your recycling business up and running.
The waste and recycling industry offers a number of opportunities for someone looking to start a small business with a modest investment. You just need to find one or more waste materials that are being discarded but can be reused, resold, or recycled.
Dump trucks are contracted for many jobs, including, hauling material to and from construction sites, moving debris from natural disaster sites and helping during demolition. In order to become an owner and operator of a dump truck, drivers must know more than how to work the truck.
They also have to develop clients, work with landfills and handle accounting tasks. Purchasing a truck and obtaining a commercial driver’s license are minimum requirements for owning a dump truck business.
A tire recycling business helps the environment in a lot of ways because tires are essentially nondegradable. Instead of piling up in the local landfill and potentially starting a hazardous fire filled with pollutants, recycled tires can be broken down for use in other product or be retreaded.
By learning how to start a tire recycling business, you can help preserve the environment as well as become a member of this fast-growing industry. In addition to benefiting the environment, used tire recycling can be a profitable business.
6. Scrap Metal Recycling Business
Metal scrap recycling is one of the most difficult businesses to establish, however it is a very profitable business. Scrap metal recycling business is very lucrative, though it is capital intensive and requires a lot of technical know-how.
Prices for different types of recycled metals increase or decrease on a daily basis, but over the long run metal prices consistently (if gradually) increase over time. And there is a willing market for every ounce of scrap metal you can secure for recycling. So, if you get started on the right foot, a metal recycling business could be the key to a profitable business enterprise.
On a daily basis, tons of waste is generated in the country. The disposed waste is a conglomerated form of organic as well as non-organic waste. Emerging waste management companies are removing and recycling disposed garbage effortlessly. Utilizing scores of waste and transforming it into a usable product is a good deed as well as a business. Similar to the growing waste, the revenue in the waste management industry is also surging.
8. Medical Waste Management Business
Medical waste disposal companies remove and dispose of medical waste such as needles, chemicals and contaminated supplies, which keep hospitals, dental offices, laboratories, clinics, the environment and the general public free of harmful medical waste. Additionally, they may respond to medical recalls and retrieve recalled products and materials.
To successfully run a medical waste disposal business, you need to meet the rules and regulations set by your locality and state to make sure that you will be able to carry out your business without interruption. You also have to obey medical waste facility regulations in areas like treatment, storage, transportation, labeling and packaging.
Starting a junk removal business seems like a straightforward self-employment idea. People are looking to get rid of junk, and they pay you to do it. A junk removal business can bring in significant income under the right management.
The best part of it is that you need only a minimal investment of time and money to start such a business. But in order for your junk removal business to be successful, you need to build a good reputation, maintain a busy work schedule, find clients who can help you increase the awareness of your brand and improve your reputation among others.
If you are looking to start a business that isn’t too common, you may want to look at the salvage business. The salvage business is one where you get to buy antique furniture and collectibles and re-sell them to those who are willing to buy.
The salvage business as a whole involves having to restore a damaged furniture or item and then offer it up for sale later. Before going into this kind of business, it is essential that you have a technical knowledge about the items you intend salvaging as this will be most helpful to you when running the business.
Wind farm companies generate energy using renewable resources and environmentally friendly technology. Wind farms generate no emissions and use no fuel. The only drawback to starting a local wind farm is the possibility of invasive noise from turbine blades.
Wind farm companies can take advantage of grant funding and specialized investment, as well as the ability to serve a variety of customer-types and take advantage of government subsidies and tax incentives for customers. If you have the capital and technical capacity, and you are looking towards starting a technical related business, one of your options is to go into wind farming.
12. Logging Business
The logging industry involves cutting trees for forest management and timber. A logging company typically provides the industry with timber or provides general forestry management services through the use of machines and lumberjacks to private landowners or through government bids for logging services on public lands. A logging-business operator must have forestry management education and experience, as well as an understanding of logging logistics and products.
13. Portable Toilet Rental Business
This may not be the most glamorous of industries, but the portable toilet business can be a lucrative enterprise. It is a service industry that requires staff to deliver, retrieve and empty the toilet systems that are leased by clients. It will require an education on the industry, financing, obtaining equipment, a disposal site, and proper training for the employees to prevent possible health hazards.
From photovoltaic solar panels to kinetic energy adapters for stationary bicycles that generate electricity from pedalling, entrepreneurs are taking advantage of the green revolution by finding renewable energy solutions. Since we use energy for almost everything, the recent trend towards greener, more sustainable technology is creating many opportunities for entrepreneurial-minded individuals.
Starting a renewable product or energy business can be a profitable endeavor that does our environment some good as well. Many renewable energy businesses require no start-up fees or formal training.
As businesses become more environmentally friendly, the demand for green cleaning services has also increased. Business owners looking to start a green cleaning business can simply add these services to a current business model, or start a new green cleaning business.
Like other cleaning services, this type of business can be started easily with a small investment. You only need to purchase janitorial bonding and insurance, contact vendors and suppliers to purchase green cleaning supplies, develop a contractual agreement and pricing for your business, and promote your business.
16. Wood Pallet Recycling Business
More and more people are becoming conscious about the environment, as are many businesses. Accordingly, several industries are using wood pallets instead of plastic pallets because they are environmentally friendly, and also because of safety and health regulations. Starting a pallet recycling business is not only profitable but is also environmentally responsible, again, you do not need to raise tons of money to start the business.
Green burial, also called direct burial, involves the preparation and burial of a body in a simple, biodegradable container without the use of chemical preservation. This process is gaining in popularity as a natural and environmentally conscious way to commemorate the end of a loved one’s life. A green burial business has the potential to be even more profitable than a conventional funeral home or cemetery, since green burial eliminates the need for heavy concrete vaults, expensive embalming chemicals, and specialized embalming instruments.
Smog is one of the main causes of air pollution and according to environmentalists, it is poisonous to the health of human beings. It is also harmful to plants because of its high level of toxicity. More studies show that smog has great effects on some materials like rubbers, textiles, and dyed fibers as it reduces their strength and quality. So, smog has to be checked and controlled for the sake of human beings and the environment.
Starting a smog check business is not easy as compared to other businesses. There are certain requirements to complete and necessary equipment needed before you can get a license to operate. Every state has their own standards and laws for the issuance of permits for smog check stations. But regardless, this business has a lot of profit making potentials.
19. Battery Recycling and Reconditioning Business
Batteries are expensive and have a relatively short life span. As discarded batteries grow by the tonnage, entrepreneurs are enticed to start a business in recycling. When tossed into landfills, the batteries contaminate water sources and other natural resources.
Desktop and laptop computers, backup ups systems, cellular phones, compact disk players, television sets, toys, calculators, automobiles, flashlights, watches and blue tooth headsets and more, use batteries as their power sources.
Setting up a home based battery recycling business is not very difficult. You only need to register your business with your County Clerk if your county requires you to do so, identify local sources for used batteries and notify these sources of your new business.