Going green isn’t as impossible and difficult as before. “Go Green” is not just a famous slogan anymore. It’s a global movement that showed businesses using eco-friendly products and processes. The movement reuses items and became more conscious about using disposable items. And the consumers love these businesses for them. People care about what they eat and buy because it’s a nice feeling for them to know they contributed to environmental protection.
The term eco-friendly is more than a buzzword the media uses. It’s a marketing strategy, too. People flock to businesses that are known for their sustainable practices. They would most likely invest in businesses and brands that participate in the global movement to protect the environment. The Millennials and Generation Z are particularly concerned about supporting businesses that ignore the environmental impact of their businesses. ;
Food Industry
The food industry is one of the first to adopt eco-friendly measures in its processes. From finding the right suppliers to using recyclable packaging, the industry has come a long way in protecting the environment. If you are in the food industry, you can start looking for environmental franchise opportunities that can help transform the way you buy, cook, and sell your products.
For example, one company uses micro-filtration to filter cooking oil. The process extends the life of the oil, allowing the business to reuse the oil for more times than originally possible. Aside from that, a food business can also use organic food that does not use synthetic chemicals. Even in the packaging, a food business must be conscious of how its choices can send the wrong message to its consumers.
Manufacturing
The manufacturing business is the biggest abuser of the environment. Do you know that it takes 200 tons of fresh water per ton of dyed fabric? To make one leather jacket, the manufacturer will use 7,996 gallons of water. And to produce a pair of blue jeans, the makers need to use about 2,886 gallons of water. Jeans are made from water-hogging cotton.
But this is in the cloth manufacturing industry. How about the other businesses that fall under this category? Transporting these products around the world requires millions of barrels of petroleum products. It is a naturally occurring liquid that occurs beneath the earth’s surface. It turns into fuel after a refinery process or converts into plastics.
Although the earth is rich with petroleum and it is safer than coal, it presents many disadvantages, too. Refining petroleum creates air pollution and releases toxins into the air. That’s why there is a call for a slow-fashion movement. This means that people should support local seamstresses and designers instead of fast-fashion brands.
There is also a need to cut on the transportation of raw materials. Sourcing local materials is a better alternative to ordering from another state or out of the country. Not only will your business save on costs, but local sourcing will also have less impact on the environment.
Construction
The construction industry accounts for more than 25% of non-industrial waste generated per year. Recently, construction companies began using more sustainable and environment-friendly processes and materials. The use of renewable sources and materials is also another thing that the industry has been doing this past decade.
The industry can use prefabricated materials, manage waste, and reduce energy use. For example, the contractor can look for a waste management company that can recycle the waste the construction generates. Instead of filling up landfills, the company can recycle, recuse, or recycle the waste.
Household
Look around you. What are the things that you use in your household? From tissue paper to garbage bags to plastic containers, everything somehow affected the environment. If you manufacture household products, use sustainable materials and eco-friendly processes. Many of the things that you see in your home are products of the burning of fossil fuels. This practice has to stop.
You can use reclaimed wood and recycled steel and metal to make ornaments. There are also emerging technologies for eco-friendly tissue paper and disposable containers made out of coconut husk or recycled cardboard. These are great household products that your consumers will support.
There is such a huge risk of alienating certain consumers if you don’t switch to using green materials. Millennials and Generation Z have been known to push the envelope about environmental protection. They use this massive influence on social media, where people “cancel” companies they deemed are abusive of the environment. These two generations want brands to be conscious of the environment. Though that might take a while and a lot of research, it is one of the ways you can weather this pandemic.