6 green business ideas for Africa’s eco-minded entrepreneurs

green business ideas - climateaction

6 green business ideas for Africa’s eco-minded entrepreneurs

Since the COP26 talks ended with a climate pact that is to be upheld by nations, organizations, and companies, there’s never been a better time to launch a green or sustainable small business.

Why, climate-related disasters that are happening with greater frequency foreshadow the implications of allowing the global temperature to exceed 1.5C.

No wonder companies and organizations across the world are tweaking their business practices to ensure environmental sustainability.

According to one report, companies continue to raise their commitments and achievements on renewable energy, greenhouse gas emissions, sustainable supply chains, water and land stewardship, the circular economy, and other aspects of a sustainable enterprise.

For many businesses in Africa, ‘sustainable thinking’ has become a watchword. This is rightly so considering that the continent is the most impacted by climate change.

Are you an eco-minded entrepreneur or perhaps you’re in search of sustainable green business ideas to launch? Whichever it is, this piece has got you covered!

But before we dive in, let’s discuss what a green business is, how you can launch one, and possible green business ideas you can explore as an eco-minded entrepreneur.

A green business is an enterprise that has little to no negative impact on the global or local environment, community, society, or economy.

Rather than focus excessively on profit to the detriment of the environment or people, a green business prioritizes sustainability and conservation in its business model.

Green industry businesses have sustainability at their core; as such, they aim to use as little water, energy, and raw materials in eco-friendly ways, reducing as much carbon emissions as possible.

What’s the appeal of a green business to consumers? Beyond what companies do as part of their Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR), consumers have come to care about how much impact a brand is leaving on the environment as well as solutions to reduce negative effects, where there is any.

So to launch a green business, you need to identify an eco-friendly service that nobody in your market currently offers. If there are several, you don’t have to be discouraged, you could turn an existing idea into an innovative one that aims to make people’s lives better, easier with benefits on the environment.

Remember that as an eco-minded entrepreneur, your lifestyle has to reflect the vision and values of your business. Now, consider the following green business ideas to know which can work for you.

Apps and software development

It’s not surprising that technology is accelerating sustainability solutions in energy, buildings, transportation, food, and just about everywhere else.

For the techies, this is a no-brainer. You can develop mobile apps designed to help people with environmentally friendly functions, like providing climate-smart agriculture practices to rural smallholders who have been affected by climate change, finding recycling services, or other solutions that can address the climate crisis.

Upcycling

While more people are familiar with recycling, upcycling is a close relative of recycling. For people with a creative eye, upcycling allows them to transform by-products, waste materials, useless, or unwanted products into new materials or products that have greater artistic or environmental value.

If you’re a creative with a touch of entrepreneurship spirit, you could join a growing number of young Africans who are building iconic works of art out of trash.

Event planning

Have you ever seen an event venue after an Owambe (meaning a typical Nigerian party), it sometimes looks like a disaster zone with plastics, cans, and glass bottles littering the whole place.

One thing is for sure; whether they’re big or small, meetings and events can produce large amounts of waste and consume valuable resources. This is where an eco-minded entrepreneur with a flair for event planning comes in.

From electronic invitation cards to reusable eating materials, green event organizers can use their expertise and event-planning skills to find eco-friendly venues, materials, and accommodations.

Not only will that bring you value- financially and socially- it will also help you create environmental awareness in the community.

Sustainable building materials

Did you know that construction and the wider built environment currently account for around 40% of the world’s global greenhouse gas emissions? That’s a lot of carbon if ongoing global climate crises are anything to go by.

How can you help the industry to radically reduce the amount of carbon embedded in new construction, infrastructure, and buildings, which is becoming a huge challenge?

As an innovative and eco-minded entrepreneur, you can do your homework and find sustainable materials that can be used to replace energy-intensive and non-sustainable materials such as steel and concrete.

For example, Haile Hempress House, a young female-led African startup, is creating awareness on the use of industrial hemp as an alternative to bricks made from cement.

Eco-consulting services

If you are an expert on green and sustainable living, why not get certified and start an eco-consulting business. It doesn’t get greener than that.

You could market your services to homeowners, businesses, and organizations offering your clients solutions that can help them manage resources, money and protect the environment.

Solar installation

Renewable energy is more than just a trend; it has come to stay. What is more, solar energy is seeing more uptake across the globe.

In West Africa, sales of off-grid solar products in the second half of 2020 climbed to 434,000 – a 19% increase over the same period in 2019 and a 23% rise compared to the first half of 2020.

If the current trajectory holds, more eco-conscious people will want to install solar panels on their homes. If you know how to do this, offer this service in your area.

These are just a few of the green business ideas that you might want to consider. The good thing about them is that you do not need to have huge capital to launch your enterprise.

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