What do you do if you want to start a sustainable business but don't know which niche to choose?

Be clear on your objectives. Although we may want to be sustainable from being eco-friendly to hiring the underprivileged, be clear about the main objectives of the business. We cannot be everything to everyone

Definitely the most important thing to do when starting a sustainable business is to focus on your purpose. Purpose is the "why" of your life. Is your ultimate motivation. Maybe you want to solve single use plastic, help save a particular endangered species or help reduce a social inequality. This purpose will be the source from which you'll be getting energy when the times are tough. After this, you'll start to look for a niche market that can make your project sustainable also in economic terms. But then the niche market itself will be a way to assess your higher purpose, and you'll be able to adapt and pivot when needed, because your focus will be on solving the purpose you have.

Start listening to your heart. Find which niche makes you skip a beat after talking to others, reading about it and listen to advice from those who are already in there on the challenges. Weigh all these options and ask yourself which niche has the impact you would like to see and feel strongly about.

Since my own successful transition & growth towards a sustainability career, in the past 03 years, I have influenced at least 06 tangible & successful transitions from traditional jobs & business to sustainability on one key guideline ... "Your sustainability niche HAS to stem from your current strengths & experience, it SHOULD NOT be a direct deviation"

Start with where you are. You don't need to start fresh in order to make an impact on the climate. Every industry needs to adapt to the circular economy and reduce its emissions.

Meiner Erfahrung nach ben?tigen die Menschen, die aktuell noch wenig finanzielle und personelle Unterstützung in ihrem eigenen Unternehmen für Nachhaltigkeit bekommen, kostenloses, niederschwelligen Austausch mit Gleichgesinnten. Eine Online-Austauschplattform kann hier Abhilfe schaffen.

For a sustainable business, it's particularly important to educate potential customers about the value of what you’re offering. For example, sustainable packaging solutions may be more expensive than conventional alternatives, but they offer environmental benefits that might appeal to a growing demographic concerned with reducing their ecological footprint. Communicating the long-term savings and environmental impact of using renewable energy services can similarly attract customers who are ready to invest in sustainable solutions despite possibly higher upfront costs.

Sustainability is a rapidly evolving and growing area of expertise. There are new technologies emerging that require learning curves, new data emerging that need analyzing. Find something that appeals to you, learn about it, and apply it.

Las cadenas de abastecimiento, el sector financiero y los clientes son cada día más relevantes. En ese sentido es necesario ofrecer información de fácil comprensión, necesaria y adecuada sobre su bien o servicio. Atraer a la cadena de abastecimiento a la implementación de buenas prácticas, formación en temas relevantes de su organización 3) Comunicar estratégicamente a cada actor relevante la información que este busca identificar y que los alinee con los intereses de su empresa. 4) Tener un tercero auditor o de verificación que aumente la transparencia de sus procesos, inversiones y bienes y servicio en materia de sostenibilidad

Sustainability is a very general concept. If you want to test something you need to disclose how is the sustainability in your product or materials.

Identifying your impact areas for sustainability is critical but not enough, you need to think through the aspects holistically to make sure it just does not address the symptoms of a problem, but the root cause itself, for e.g., shifting from single use plastic cups to single use paper cups ignore the problem of a product being not just its material but its 'single use'. In addition to that, quantifying claims and validating them truthfully helps build consumer trust in the brand. Using buzzwords without understanding or executing them properly will only do your brand a disservice, especially because today's consumers are well-informed, conscious and have the right platforms to call out brands when they make tall claims.

Nachhaltigkeit ist ein weitl?ufiges Thema mit zahlreichen Facetten, von Umweltschutz bis hin zu sozialer Gerechtigkeit. Wenn es um die Fokussierung geht, k?nnte man beispielsweise in Betracht ziehen, eine Plattform zu entwickeln, die Unternehmen dabei unterstützt, nachhaltige Lieferketten aufzubauen und faire Arbeitsbedingungen sicherzustellen. Durch die Nutzung von Technologie k?nnte man Transparenz schaffen und Verbrauchern erm?glichen, bewusste Kaufentscheidungen zu treffen, die positive Auswirkungen auf Mensch und Umwelt haben.

La identificación debe generarse por impacto de mayor a menor para darle prioridad de gestión y de inversión a los temas de mayor impacto. Para esto existen por ejemplo mapas de riesgos y oportunidades climáticas, planes de descarbonización, huella ambiental de producto, huella hídrica o la más comúnmente utilizada la huella de carbono. Otros servicios más avanzados son las curvas MACC que priorizan las inversiones frente a reducción de emisiones. Todos estos son instrumentos que le permiten navegar de manera costo eficiente y generando mayor impacto la ruta de sostenibilidad en su triple hélice

Focus is the most important part since the amount of topics which are relevant are huge, but resources and knowledge it sometimes limited due to organizational size. Therefore making sure you identify the most important topics (for your organization) and executing those in highest quality and speed will give you competitive advantage.

To find your sustainable business niche, closely analyze the competition within areas of sustainability that interest you. Investigating what other sustainable businesses are offering allows you to identify gaps in the market or areas where you can offer something more innovative or influential. This step is crucial for distinguishing your business and finding a unique position in the sustainability sector. Understanding your competitors' strengths and weaknesses helps you carve out a niche where you can excel and make a significant impact.

Los benchmark sectoriales son parte de los inicios de una estrategia de sostenibilidad que está naciendo en una organización. Esto permite ahorros, evitar errores y analizar potenciales alianzas como por ejemplo en procesos de simbiosis industrial o de zonas francas ecosostenibles.

La sostenibilidad corporativa debe ser escalable, replicable y de tener una ruta de aumento de impactos los cuales pueden ser medibles desde el lado financiero, ambiental, social pero también en activos intangibles como lo es la reputación corporativa. Escalar un proceso exitoso debe tener en cuenta su cadena de valor y sus grupos de interés con el fin de potenciar los impactos positivos. La tendencia indica que no solamente se buscan empresas que gestionen sus impactos, que se pongan metas de neutralidad sino que vayan encaminadas a la positividad. Es decir ser carbono positivo, biodiverso positivamente y cero residuos entre otros temas.

When considering starting a sustainable business, assessing scalability potential is crucial for long-term growth and impact. Scalability refers to the ability of a business to grow its revenue and market presence without proportional increases in resources or costs. Identifying a niche with strong scalability potential involves evaluating factors such as market size, demand trends, competition, and barriers to entry. Sustainable businesses with scalable models often leverage innovative technology, efficient operations, and scalable distribution channels to expand their reach and impact. By prioritizing scalability in your business strategy, you can maximize the sustainability impact while achieving long-term growth and success.

Any business, in any sector, with any niche can and should be run as a sustainable business. Sustainability should be baked into business operations, policy and governance and embedded into culture and values from the get go. Material issues should be considered and all business decisions should take into account impact on people and planet. It's about factoring in the triple bottom line and pursuing profit alongside purpose. Ultimately, you don't need to run a specifically sustainability based business to be able to drive positive change in the world.

Starting a sustainable business involves identifying the "white space" by assessing your personal passion and expertise. Additionally, conduct a thorough evaluation of market needs to understand where there might be gaps in existing offerings. Look at what competitors are doing, as understanding their strategies can reveal areas where you can differentiate your business. It's sometimes beneficial to pick a model similar to what others are doing, especially if the opportunity is significant and there is room for multiple companies to tackle the same issues. By finding the right balance between innovation and market demand, you can create a sustainable business with a strong foundation.

It begins with a journey of self-reflection, market exploration. Identifying your passions, skills, values lays the foundation for aligning your business with your personal goals, societal needs. Through thorough research, market analysis, you can pinpoint niches where sustainability intersects with market demand, whether it's renewable energy, eco-friendly products, sustainable fashion, or ethical finance. Seeking inspiration from existing businesses, seeking guidance from mentors can provide valuable insights, support along the way. By starting small, testing ideas, iterating based on feedback, you can develop a sustainable business that makes a positive impact while meeting market needs and fulfilling your entrepreneurial aspirations.