Going green is no longer just for hippies and tree-huggers. It’s a trillion dollar industry and one of the hottest business trends out there. Everyone’s doing it, from industry leaders like S. C. Johnson and Hewlett-Packard to small, local outfits like ma and pop stores and even home-based businesses.

Though it would be nice to think that businesses adapt green technologies and practices out of true concern for the environment, most do it for their own self-serving purposes. So what’s their motivating factor? (Hint: It’s the most common motivating factor in all of business.) You guessed it—money.

Even though it can cost a ton of money to convert to more efficient technologies or institute eco-friendly business practices, for these businesses it’s really an investment. They don’t do it because it will eventually save them money. They do it because it will eventually make them money.

It’s about branding yourself as the company that cares. Right now environmental awareness is trendy. And many consumers really do care. If they think that your business, whether it’s large, medium or small, also cares, you may have just won over a new customer.

It’s smart. It’s even lured me in a time or two. Recently Heinz announced that it plans to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent within about seven years, but isn’t making any changes to the ketchup itself. Even so, I’ll still think twice about purchasing off-brand catsup.

Because more and more companies are implementing green business practices or already have them in place, those lollygagging organizations that continue to weigh their options or reject the green movement altogether run the risk of losing their competitive edge.

Though I’m a huge opponent of doing it because everyone else is doing it, I think this is one of those rare occasions when going against the grain is stupid. The time to act is now. The sooner you do so, the sooner your small business can reap the bottom-line benefits. 

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