3 ways to make sure going green saves you green

‘Going green’ is the hottest business trend of late. But for it to pay off, you have to have a solid plan.

From corporate giants to family-owned businesses, everyone’s rethinking how their business fits into the newly environmentally aware economy. But some businesses aren’t being completely honest about how green they really are. A few have even ended up on YouTube for their blunders after proudly proclaiming their environmentally friendly tactics.

An earth-friendly image can be a huge turn-on to customers — an added bonus to the the potential savings you can get from using more energy-efficient products or amping up recycling/salvage efforts.

Here are three easy to spot things you can do to ensure customers are satisfied with, and aware of, your level of greenness:

1. Certification: Anyone can say they’re “green”. But if you’re certified by a third party your customers will be more confident in your claim. Hit the web for some local independent contractors in your area. A few places to start: GreenBuilding, Green-E and EERE.
2. Relevance: For example, touting that your products are CFC-free may sound great, but it’s not that impressive since CFCs have been banned for about 30 years. Letting customers know you don’t use certain harmful chemicals or processes is always a good thing — as long as whatever it is you’re doing is by choice and not required by law.
3. Specifics: Declarations like “chemical-free” and “all-natural” have popped up all over the place on hundreds of products. And just because they’re supposed to be “all-natural” doesn’t mean they don’t have a potentially hazardous naturally occurring chemical in them – uranium for example. Let them know exactly what isn’t in your products that would appeal to them – no MSG, no artificial colors or maybe it’s produced in an environmentally friendly way.

Consumers are more aware than ever about what they do and don’t want to purchase and the current economy is making them even more particular. Green companies are attracting their attention; just make sure yours gets the right kind.