Making your pet business green

What many of the best retailers continue to look for is an answer to the ever elusive question: What is it that consumers want and how do I find out how to establish a profitable business around meeting their needs? One area that all retailers (pet retailers included) continue to explore is the world of eco-friendly and green business. So the question becomes: Why should my pet business be concerned with the green movement? Here we offer some of the reasons to build a green business and more importantly, offer resources to help you gain information as you seek to educate yourself with all things green for your business. Building a green retail pet business Consumers seeing green – the first and most important answer to why being green matters to retailers starts with the almighty consumer. The Green movement has been around for some time now, but consumer involvement has been accelerating in recent years. Initially, green consumers focused on the ingredients that comprised “organically sourced” products. Today’s consumers are increasingly focused on the impact that their activities and lifestyle have on climate and natural resource consumption. Eco-friendly consumers consider being “good environmental citizens” by reducing their carbon footprint. Their environmental decisions not only include their own personal actions, but also extend to partnering with, and shopping at, stores that understand their desires and eco-friendly needs. This shared concern creates an opportunity for retailers to succeed with offerings that cater for the newly evolved “eco-citizen” and thus benefit (in the form of profits as well as improving the planet) by selling products that fit the latter’s lifestyle. More and more environmentally sophisticated consumers make no distinction between a retailer and the practices of its suppliers. Greening the supply chain is a concept that has quickly taken hold in retail, therefore. Is the product manufacturer using environmentally friendly fuel sources and pollution controls? Is the manufacturer using fair trade and labour practices? Is the product shipped using fuel-efficient transportation methods to minimise the impact on the environment? Additionally, consumers are also shifting their eco-friendly focus to the retailer’s store operations. Are retailers shifting to more electronic marketing and utilising recycled paper in direct mailing? Are retailers using recycled products for gift wrapping, packaging and product shipping? Are…