20 Eco Friendly Business Ideas To Start In [2024]

Pat Walls

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Updated: July 15th, 2024

Eco-friendly businesses have taken the limelight in recent years. The trend is partly because consumers have started embracing sustainability as part of their responsibility to care for the environment. are you interested in starting an eco-friendly business?

We put together a list of the best eco-friendly business ideas you can start today.

In this list of ideas, you can find:

Home-based eco-friendly businesses to start.
Low investment sustainability business ideas.
Unique green business opportunities.

Here is the full list.

1. Start a tree planting service

Planting trees on your property is an excellent long-term investment. While trees will take years to grow, the profits from a tree farm can be enormous.

Luckily, the tree planting business does not require much daily work, so do not take much of your time.

If you are interested in starting a tree farming business, you will need a piece of land you do not plan to use soon.

2. Start a farmers market

Farmer’s markets offer small businesses and farmers the chance to sell their products. The farmers’ market has become crucial to rebuilding local food systems and meeting the growing demand for locally produced food. A farmers’ market can be a successful business venture in your area if located strategically.

3. Start a solar energy business

Switching to solar energy has become the best way to save money by reducing utility bills. Are you interested in starting a business that focuses on renewable energy solutions?

A solar company can be a great business idea. You can set up a solar energy plant and sell the power to households and businesses without requiring them to purchase the entire solar energy system.

How much you can make: $600,000 — $2,000,000/month

How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)

How I Started A $600K/Month Company Selling Low Cost Solar Energy

Clean Energy Solutions, a solar-energy provider based in LA, has grown over 6700% from 2014 to 2019, with monthly revenue around $600,000 and plans to expand its energy-efficient affordable housing division, thanks to its unique solar program allowing clients to save money using solar energy at a lower price than their utility would charge.

Read this case study

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4. Start an electric vehicles shop

Electric car shops sell, lease, and can buy back used electric vehicles for re-sale. The increased demand for electric vehicles opens up the opportunity for car dealerships.

If you could start an electric car shop, it could be a promising business opportunity for you since more people are considering EVs as an alternative to gas-powered cars.

How much you can make: $30,000 — $95,000/month

How long does it take to build: 150 days (?)

How We Started A $95K/Month eVehicles Online Retailer

Rydable, an online retailer of electric-powered skateboards, scooters, and hoverboards founded by Terry McGinnis and Kartik Gurmule, achieved break-even within one month of launch and grew their Instagram following from zero to 150k in three months through a smart Instagram strategy and focus on organic sales.

Read this case study

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5. Start an environmental blogging business

Do you have passion for green environment? Starting an environment blog where you educate others about importance of taking care of the environment can be a rewarding idea undertaking. You can monetize the blog or add an affiliate link where you promote greener solutions and earn a commission from the sales.

How much you can make: $200/month

How much does it cost to start: $700 (?)

How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)

How We Started An Eco-Friendly Blog & Monetized Within 1 Year

Blue Oceans Green Earth, an eco-friendly affiliate marketing site promoting alternatives to plastic, shares the challenges they faced in building brand awareness and how rebranding and a team of VAs saved the business, with plans to balance revenue channels soon.

Read this case study

Read by 2,253 founders

6. Start a sustainable construction materials business

According to statistics, the green building materials market is growing at a CAGR of 8.8%. The key factor driving the market growth is the increasing demand for energy-efficient structures, which created a market for environment-friendly and energy-conserving materials used in residential construction.

Therefore, starting a sustainable construction materials business can be a profitable venture.

7. Start an organic farm

An organic farm uses ecologically based pest control and biological fertilizers derived from animal and plant wastes.

More people have become conscious of the health benefits of organic farm produce. As a result, the demand for organic farm produce is overgrowing, creating a business opportunity for farmers across the globe.

Therefore, if you are interested in organic farming, consider starting the business. You do not need massive land to begin your organic farm.

Start with creating an organic farm in your backyard using vertical farming. You can grow flowers, vegetables, or cereals on your organic farm.

8. Become an organic fertilizer producer

Fertilizers are an important addition to the soil as they replace the nutrients resulting in higher crop productivity. Without fertilizers, crop yields and agricultural productivity would be significantly reduced.

According to statistics, the global demand for fertilizer is expected to reach over 200 million metric tons. The increased demand is due to increased crop production to feed the growing population.

Therefore, starting a fertilizer production business can be a great venture.

9. Start an eco-friendly toy business

The toy industry is one of the most plastic-intensive industries globally. People who appreciate the need to be environmentally friendly are switching to sustainable toy options.

A sustainable toy features renewable, natural materials like wood, fabric, rubber, or bamboo.

Sustainable and eco-friendly toys are in high demand across the globe as they promote environmental conservation goals.

Identify a supplier and stock your shop if you want to start an eco-friendly toy business. Be sure to partner with environment-conscious manufacturers. Alternatively, you can start the production of sustainable toys and sell them at wholesale or retail prices.

How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)

10. Start a worm farming business

Rearing worms has become a lucrative business venture. Worms do not need sophisticated feed, as you can sustain them with just rotten organic waste, which includes fruits and vegetables.

Therefore, if you are looking for a profitable business that you can start from home, consider worm farming.

Making worm farming profitable requires following all the basic requirements, such as providing secure shelter and appropriate feed to the worms.

11. Start a bio-fuel production business

Biofuel production refers to the fuel produced over a short time from biomass rather than through prolonged natural processes of fossil formation. In today's world, resources are becoming limited and scarce, while countries are focusing on more ways to reduce waste through reuse or recycling.

According to experts, eco-friendly fuels like biodiesel will start making a significant impact on our roads. Therefore, starting a biofuel production company can be a lucrative business you will start today.

The good news is that you can set up a biofuel production business in your backyard. To start producing biofuel, you need access to raw materials and tools. Typical raw materials for biofuel production include used vegetable oil, methanol, and potassium hydroxide. Since you will be dealing with chemicals, it would help if you invest in high-quality PPEs.

Also, it would be best if you had skilled staff to help you produce the biofuels and packaging process.

12. Start an aluminum recycling business

Aluminum recycling is the process through which scrap aluminum can be reused in products after its initial production. Aluminum is used in many products, including cans, foils, kitchen utensils, window frames, and building materials.

To start an aluminum recycling business, create a company plan, get a trade license, and register your business. You then need to set up a facility where you will collect the aluminum waste, melt and transform it into new products.

13. Start a glass recycling business

Glass recycling involves washing, crushing, and melting used glass before molding it back into bottles, jars, or other items. Starting a glass recycling business can be rewarding.

However, starting a new business can be capital intensive. Therefore, you may opt to get into a franchise with a prominent industry leader.

When you think of starting a glass recycling business, choose a specialty and estimate the costs involved in starting the business. Source financing and research the market to determine which focus could be more profitable.

14. Start a mattress recycling business

According to statistics, the US disposes of over 18 million mattresses annually. However, only a small percentage of these waste mattresses are delivered to recycling facilities. If you are interested in starting a recycling business, focusing on mattress recycling can be a great opportunity. You can source the waste mattresses through different suppliers, including:

Municipal waste management and recycling programs
Institutions across the country
Hotels and other hospitality businesses
Mattress manufacturers
Individual households
Charity programs that generate unusable mattresses

Starting a mattress recycling business requires a warehouse facility where you can keep the waste mattresses. You also need a forklift, industrial baler, wood grinding equipment, and other mattress handling equipment.

15. Start a plastic recycling business

Plastic recycling involves recovering scrap or waste plastics and turning them into usable products in radically different forms. Recycling plastics has been around for decades and has been touted as a profitable business.

According to a study, one person uses about 30 kilograms of plastic annually. This results in over 900 million tons of plastic annually. However, only 9% of plastic is recycled, with 79% disposed to landfills and 12% burned.

To start a plastic recycling business, conduct comprehensive market research focusing on the plastic recyclers' functions and objectives to understand the industry better. You can visit several plastic recycling facilities and meet industry advisers to get answers to your questions.

Your market research should focus on the following aspects:

Outline the prerequisites for a plastic waste recycling company
Investigate the overall investment needed to set up a plastic recycling business
Determine whether a factory or land is required
Sources of plastic waste
Determine the equipment and utilities needed to start a plastic recycling business
Evaluate the profit margin in plastic recycling and the return on investment

Once you have enough information based on the above areas of focus, register a business, identify the location and obtain the trading license.

16. Start a food waste recycling business

Food waste can be used for composting to enrich the soil. Also, food waste recycling reduces landfill volume in any given area, a practice that saves cities and homesteads money by lowering the need for trash collection. Ideas for food waste recycling business include:

Starting an organic fertilizer company
Commercial worm farm
Bio-fuel production company
Recycling food waste into animal feed

To launch your food waste recycling business, determine the focus line and register your business. Also, you will need licensing and permits to start trading. Ensure you have met all the licensing and legal requirements and purchase appropriate equipment/machinery for your business.

17. Start a battery recycling business

The battery recycling business reprocesses spent lithium-ion batteries into new cells. The procedure aims to reduce the number of batteries disposed of as municipal solid waste by separating them and reusing them to create new cells.

The global market for battery recycling is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 7.12% to reach $18 billion in the next few years.

Therefore, starting own direct battery recycling business can be profitable. Direct battery recycling is said to be cleaner and more efficient. To start your battery recycling business, write a business plan that indicates your old-battery collection approach.

Then, register the business with the states where you intend to operate. Finally, determine the type of batteries you want to recycle and identify the target market.

18. Start a scrap metal recycling business

When the metal products we use every day come to an end of life, we either discard them or recycle them into useful products without loss of quality. Therefore, starting a metal recycling business can be profitable.

A full-service metal recycling business accepts large quantities of scrap from small scrap yards and the municipal collection points, breaks them down and prepares them for shipment to a manufacturer.

To start a metal recycling business, you need extensive acreage, machinery, and hardworking staff to help you collect and process scrap metal. Recycled metal materials can be used to produce construction supplies such as nails, screws, iron, or other metallic supplies for the construction industry.

19. Start a pvc recycling business

Polyvinyl Chloride is a synthetic plastic polymer used globally for various requirements. Also known as PVC, it is a durable element in plastic and hence highly reliable.

Just like other plastic, unused PVC can be recycled into usable products.

PVC recycling has become a very common business because it offers a great price for recycled products.

Therefore, since there are abundant PVC waste materials from the building and construction industries, you can start setting up the business easily and earn a good profit from recycling PVC.

If you have decided to start a PVC recycling business, create a detailed business plan and register your business.

20. Start an e-waste recycling business

E-waste refers to electronic products nearing the end of their useful life. They include computers, televisions, VCRs, stereos, and other electronics used in our homes of businesses.

Recycling e-waste is reusing and reprocessing electrical and electronic equipment that has been discarded or regarded as obsolete. Initiated to protect human and environmental health, e-waste recycling has become one of the most profitable recycling opportunities.

To start an e-waste recycling business, research and gather more information on the E-waste recycling industry.

Then, identify the electronic wastes available to you that can be recycled. Create a business plan, and acquire all necessary permits and licenses before launching your business.

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Pat Walls