Top 10 Sustainable Start-ups And What Aspiring Entrepreneurs Can Learn

In today's article, we will be talking about the Top 10 Eco-friendly Start-ups and how they are inspiring other entrepreneurs to make sustainable choices. But before we start with the list, let's first discuss what sustainable entrepreneurship is all about and what qualities are normally associated with sustainable entrepreneurs.

What is Sustainable Entrepreneurship?

Sustainable entrepreneurship is as the name itself suggests a more sustainable and hence responsible version of doing business. It works on the same principles as any ordinary business would but with different goals and ways of executing business ideas. Ordinary businesses simply focus on making the most profits while sustainable ones focus on making the most profits and care for the environment, focusing on the sustainability-oriented goals that they have set for their business.

What are the qualities that make good sustainable entrepreneurs?

1) Determination

One distinct feature of Sustainable entrepreneurs is that they are always determined about putting their real purpose before profits. Apart from focusing on the finances and budgeting, they have a clear understanding of sustainable goals that they wish to accomplish first and a lot of their business ideas actively revolve around profitable solutions that are in the best interest of their customers and the planet alike.

2) Innovative ideas

Sustainable entrepreneurs often have very creative minds since this is the demand of their job. They continuously have to come up with attractive ideas regarding sustainable products and services.

So they need to think of ways by which they can make their products compatible while simultaneously working on replacing the existing conventional and unsustainable business practices.

3) Respect and value for human rights

When it comes to respecting the values that comply with the essentials of human rights, sustainable entrepreneurs take the trophy home. This is because sustainable entrepreneurs never make profits through inflicting any sort of harm on people by proactively managing and mitigating any potential risks of adverse impacts on the rights and dignity of people caused by their business activities and relationships.

Okay now, let's get back to the list we talked about right at the start.

1. Biome Makers

Biome Makers, this startup was founded in the year 2015 by Alberto Acedo and Adrián Ferrero in San Francisco. The main aim behind this business is to improve soil sustainability and assist farmers in enhancing their farming practices in a way that brings in good profits and improved environmental conditions. Biome makers are doing a commendable job educating farmers about soil fertility, biodiversity, and health.

2. Treeapp

Treeapp is a sustainable startup that was developed by three London Business School graduates in the year 2019. Their app was launched on April 22, 2020, and ever since then, it has contributed massively to the number of trees planted globally.  Within its first year through the app  230,000 trees were planted.

The way their app basically works is that customers select a reforestation project to support and they plant a tree and to keep them motivated, the app also allows them to track the positive impact of their actions globally. Such a creative way of keeping customers motivated, isn't it?

3. EcoCart

 EcoCart is a browser extension startup company that was set up in 2019 by Peter Twomey and Dane Baker. This startup has claimed to have offset 4 million pounds of carbon dioxide emission and has saved more than 8000 trees.

The way they run their system is that they enable merchants to show the carbon impact of a customer’s order, and allows the customer to offset their carbon emissions for a small fee.

4. Viva Maris GmbH

Viva Maris GmbH startup originates from Schenefeld, Germany. It is a green startup company that is committed to protecting the oceans through its numerous services based on nutrition, education, and raising awareness about the impact human activities have on the ocean.

5. Algenesis

Algenesis is another eco-friendly startup founded in 2016 by Dr. Stephen Mayfield. This company primarily focuses on producing fully biodegradable versions of plastic and has a collection of footwear and surfboards that are free from the use of any form of non-biodegradable plastic. They also make the best use of discarded waste materials, recycling them to make sustainable products. This is definitely something that can inspire many companies and businesses who want to adhere to sustainable practices.

6. Smart Microfarms

Smart Microfarms is a sustainable startup that works on algae production and is also notorious for being one of the best in this field. This company is doing quite a lot from growing highly sustainable, profitable, and nutritious algae to producing scalable microfarms for homes, community gardens, and entrepreneurs, hence empowering them to grow their own algae too.

7. Homeboy Electronics Recycling

Homeboy Electronics Recycling, as the name suggests, is a startup that focuses mainly on recycling and reusing products. It was created by Kabira Stokes.

The main goal of this startup is to provide sustainable ways of discarding electronics. To execute their ideas on a larger scale and to reach as many people as possible they have started a nationwide recycling program.

8. Entomo Farms

Entomo Farms was started by brothers Jarrod, Darren, and Ryan Goldin in 2014. These three brothers plan on completely revolutionizing the food industry by creating products made out of an unlikely protein — crickets. Their company has quite a lot to offer from flours, protein powders to light snacks. Entomo also actively participates in fighting against food waste and the ever-growing pollution problem. 

9. FuelGems

FuelGems business idea has come from serial entrepreneur Kirill Gichunts and is related to the manufacture of sustainable vehicle fuel. Rather than focusing on producing electric or hybrid vehicles, which could have resulted in huge sums of profit, FuelGems used an approach that was more profitable for the environment by coming up with a brilliant idea of dedicating themselves to making traditional fuels more sustainable.

FuelGems produces fuel additives that reduce the emissions created by diesel, gasoline, and biofuels. The best part? You only require one to five grams of their additive to treat 260 gallons of fuel. How innovative and convenient, isn't it?

10. Facedrive

Lastly, we will talk about Facedrive. This company has really stepped up its sustainability game and is helping cities more towards sustainability through its environmentally-friendly alternatives to practically everything from ridesharing, food delivery, e-commerce, health, and even tech options to consumers. Not only this, but Facedrive also works for better labor wages by ensuring that all of its drivers are paid good wages in return for their hard work. New cities and locations are being added so check their site regularly for your city.

The world is filled with innovative and creative people looking to make a difference in driving the sustainability bus. You don’t need to be a genius to make a difference or start your own business. At The Ecoporium we had a simple idea, and not necessarily a unique one, but we wanted to make it affordable for businesses and individuals to buy sustainable products. We wanted to show that supporting sustainability doesn’t have to be expensive and that there are many different options for single-use products.

The list of companies above is to show you that your ideas might not be as crazy as you think and that anything is possible. From eating crickets to growing algae in your backyard. It is all these ideas combined throughout the world that are going to save our planet, so don’t be shy about making a difference.