What is an green regenerative business brand model?

A green, regenerative business brand model is one that is focussed on extending the life of products and resources by reusing, repairing and repurposing as much as possible.

It’s all about minimising waste and environmental impact by rethinking and reshaping business processes to give resources a longer life.

Examples of green, regenerative business models include hiring and leasing products, incentivising the return of containers and packaging so they can be reused, and businesses and brands teaming up to share products, waste materials and other resources.

As a small business looking to be more sustainable, there are lots of ways you can make your brand more green and regenerative: 

• Embracing green, circular packaging
• Reducing waste through regenerative business collaborations
• Thinking more locally for your materials
• Offering a repairs service to revive used products
• Encourage conscious consumerism

Let’s have a look at these in more detail…

Embrace green, regenerative Branding Packaging design

Packaging is unavoidable these days, but the less we can use the better. Recycling is good, of course, but even better still is to create just one of something and reuse it as many times as possible. Because even when packaging is recyclable or biodegradable, the most environmentally thing would be to not use those resources in the first place.  

In many ways, the ‘cleverer’ we have become, the more reckless we have become. If we look at how older generations did things, there was circularity ingrained in every purchase. Everything was reused or mended, and nothing was wasted. Bottles were returned and refilled. Lunches were made at home and carried in paper bags. Shopping was transported in fabric bags week in week out. And even veg peelings became a meal in their own right.

Our throwaway culture has had a huge negative impact on our planet, and we’ve spent decades plundering the resources we forget are so precious. We’re waking up to our mistakes, though, and there’s a growing demand among consumers for a return to the ways things used to be done.

So what can you, as a green eco small brand, do to help? 

Wherever possible, try and embrace the green regenerative circular economy by encouraging customers to reuse, refill or repurpose your products and containers. 

Brands like Zero Waste Path incentivise customers to return containers for a discount on their next purchase. We’re seeing wonderful, nature-led innovations in this area too – like greetings cards that can be planted to create wildflower meadows, and placemats and coasters made from plastic collected from beaches – and business brands should let their creativity fly.

Looking for inspiration? Read more in my blog, Sustainable, innovative eco-friendly packaging ideas for branding

Reduce your Waste with green regenerative brand Collaboration 

In my opinion, collaboration is almost always ‘A Good Thing’. There’s something so special and empowering about working towards a common goal with another business who shares your vision and values, to the benefit of you both. But the happiest thing about collaboration in a circular economy is that the benefits go way beyond the two brands involved to include local communities, local economies and, of course, the environment.

There are creative brand collaborations going on all across the UK, and especially across my stomping grounds of Stockport and Greater Manchester. In Stockport, one local farm donates leftover wool to local restaurant growers The Landing, which uses it to fleece their rooftop veg patches. In Manchester, sustainable candle company Booze and Burn gives a new lease of life to the empty wine and beer bottles they collect from local bars and restaurants, cutting and repurposing them as containers. 

The possibilities for regenerative green branding collaboration are almost endless. Get creative and think about how you could collaborate with other local businesses to create a more circular and sustainable economy.

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*sustainable design for aerende

Think More Local for your green branding Materials

Sourcing materials locally is not only good from an environmental perspective – fewer transport miles means less carbon impact – it is great in terms of supporting the local economy, and in helping the local independent business community to thrive.

Have a look at your supply chain and see if there are any areas where a fellow local business could provide what you need. If you make and sell candles or wax melts, is there a local ceramicist or potter who could make your containers? If you are sending out a product brochure or mailshot, is there a local design agency or printer who you could team up with instead of using an online outlet? If you make artisan dressings, sauces or preserves, can you source your ingredients from local growers, beekeepers or orchards? Can you source packaging or wrapping locally and buy in bulk to further reduce transport miles?

Reducing distances means reducing environmental impact, and you’ll be surprised how many smaller local brands there are that can offer something you need.

regenerative business: Offer Repairs or a Service that Revives Used Products

A fundamental tenet of the regenerative, circular economy is to extend the life of everything we use, for as long as possible. And what better way to do that than by offering a repair or refurbishment service? 

Clothing is the ideal product to offer a repair or reuse service on, and sustainable, eco-conscious brands like Patagonia, Lucy & Yak, Vivobarefoot and Alpkit have been helping redirect clothes from landfill for years – and building up loyal customer bases in the meantime. 

Think creatively about what you sell and how you can support customers to get the longest life possible out of your products – not only is it good for them and good for your business, it’s better for the planet too.

Educate your Customers to Consciously Consume circular style

Educating your audience about the circular, regenerative economy needn’t be any more complicated than simply sharing your story. By simply sharing the sustainability steps you are taking as a brand, you can teach your audience and customers about the painless but important things they can do to make a difference too. 

Openly educating your customers can also be a wonderfully empowering thing to do, both for you and your brand, and for your customers. And there are so many ways you can do that.

Blog about it. Use your social media to talk about where your products come from, how you source the components, and why you chose the delivery service you use. Use your green packaging to communicate how your products are circular, or to inspire customers with ideas for how they can reuse the packaging itself. Encourage people to buy and use your products more consciously, and teach them how they can do that.

• Looking for more ideas on how to make your brand more circular? Explore how you can work with me…
• Book a Design Day to work on your brand

want to learn more? Keep on reading below…

• Ethical Brand Packaging
• Are your brand Roots strong enough? Taking guidance from the trees!
• Explore my outdoor nature brand exploration sessions