|
Green Machine - the rise of the Green Business
Friday, 2 May 2008
Green businesses are springing up all over the country. As the world's population takes greater ownership of global warming issues and slowly acknowledges a desperate need to reduce waste and carbon emissions for the sake of an ailing planet, a new generation of business-minded eco warriors is taking up the cause.
Some businesses belong to the innovator category, refining or completely revamping mainstream products and services to become more eco-friendly. For those short on innovation but interested in becoming part of the green movement, eco-friendly franchises provide a multitude of options, from the selling of low eco-impact goods and services to environmentally-friendly concrete cutting businesses and beauty salons.
ecowash mobile began as a two car operation - my business partner Stewart Nicholls and I out there on our own washing cars without water. In four years we have grown to over 50 franchises throughout Australia and now have operations in 10 countries including some of the world's most famous cities - Paris, Dubai and Athens for example. This is a global trend and indicates that people are wising up to the potential in going green.
The Green Business movement has changed incredibly in the last decade. It used to be largely considered trendy and alternate. It is now accepted as having a very strong technological basis and as a prerequisite for being a sustainable enterprise and for gaining acceptance from the wider community in terms of your environmental impact. You simply cannot continue to embrace the business practices of 10 years ago without inviting condemnation. However, consumer priorities still make this a bit of a balancing act - the balance between an acceptable level of environmental impact and consumer demand for lifestyle and quality products and services. Advances in technology mean that you can now achieve this while being green and therefore sustainable.
Being green is also being business savvy if you want to stick around a while.
More people are making the decision to operate a green businesses because they are environmentally sustainable, which forms a solid basis for future growth.
It is the same reason our business model started. It was self-evident that being environmentally sustainable would help preserve our long term future. By minimising the environmental impact of our business model, we were also establishing our competitive advantage - we are able to access a broader client base and provide then with both an indulgence and a clear conscience! That is the market niche for green business - if you can produce a product of service of similar cost to an existing non-green business, and one which produces a similar or better result, you have a very solid business foundation - it is more possible than ever to be profitable AND acceptable.
That doesn't mean things are all straight forward. There are often strict government commercial sector regulations to meet before you can pass the test of being considered a bona fide Green Business. Things you may never have taken into consideration.
In the case of ecowash mobile, we had to address stringent environmental and OHS considerations on a country by country basis. We have a natural advantage because we are waterless, but all our products need to make the grade - they are all biodegradable (according to European standards) and have detailed material safety data sheets - in getting to where we are today, we have to be mindful of the specific requirements of specific countries, corporations and building management companies.
My advice would be to think every step of your business through. It only takes one crucial step of your operation to be out of place and your classification will be compromised.
10 years ago, you could have been green but your product or service was not only likely to be more expensive, but inferior in terms of quality. Necessity is the mother of invention and the need to save the world has seen more money poured into technology and the development of sustainable products. The result is cost-comparable options that don't compromise quality.
Time is running out for businesses to get their houses in order and ensure their environmental impact is minimal. The recent change in the government and policies will increase this pressure even further. It is a case of reducing the environmental impact of your business or perish. If a business can perform your service AND be sustainable, they will have a natural competitive advantage.
Jim Cornish is a co-founder of ecowash mobile, a completely waterless car detailing and cleaning business. Ecowash Mobile is a international multi-award winning Australian franchise system with operations in the Middle East, Europe and the USA. Ecowash Mobile was named 2007 FCA Emerging Franchise System of the Year (NSW/ACT) in the Price Waterhouse Coopers Excellence in Franchising Awards.
|