America Goes Green: Sustainable Start-ups

“Recycling, packaging, businesses are changing all of those things because that’s what consumers want.” – Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream.

Sustainability is gradually taking on a major role for companies. Fair production, sustainable packaging, and durability are all aspects that play an increasingly important role for consumers. This is also the case for entrepreneurs and, no matter how sustainable they themselves are, they see themselves forced to make their own production more sustainable. 

Sustainability is at the forefront of many consumers’ minds – not only in America but worldwide. And even job seekers are concerned about sustainability. But what about founders and thus the future owners of new and innovative ideas? Is sustainability important to them, too? IONOS SE conducted a study to learn more about future founders of America and was able to uncover some exciting facts.

For Founders, sustainability plays a major role 

Asked about a possible start-up, 90% of the participants in the study stated that they attribute huge significance to the topic of sustainability. The younger generation is 95% more aware of how important Mother Earth is to us, humans. The topic is particularly close to the hearts of students.

Sustainability as a priority

However, when participants are asked what makes a dream job for them, sustainability ranks far behind, coming in second to last. Is the longing for sustainability perhaps not so intrinsically based? For about 48% of the participants, going green is essential to create a positive image for customers. It seems like the co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s hit the nail on the head.

Protecting mother earth leads to success

For men, in particular, sustainability seems to be an essential success factor when starting a business. Men also see competitiveness as more important in business (f: 29.1%, m: 36.8%)?

If companies actually become greener, the motivation behind it is irrelevant. However, consumers should make sure that “green companies” are not greenwashing and are working for the good of the environment. However, it seems inevitable that more sustainable companies will spring up in the future.

What else is important to future founders?

What else is important for Americans when founding a business? The IONOS SE Study uncovered interesting facts around the following areas: 

• Satisfaction with the current jobs of Americans
• Attributes of a dream job
• Barriers that keep Americans from starting a business
• The popularity of startups in rural areas
• Disadvantaged groups in the process of founding a business