Nowadays, ALMOST EVERYTHING we buy is packaged by PLASTIC and other NON-BIODEGRADABLE materials. In 2017, scientists calculated that, in average, north-Americans and west-Europeans CONSUME about 100KG of PLASTIC per year and per person. Unfortunately, a large amount of this ENDS UP in RIVERS and SEAS. But not if your create your WATER CLEANING COMPANY!
An ocean scientist, Marcus Eriksen, even calculated in 2014 that there are 5.25 TRILLIONS PIECES of PLASTIC are floating on the sea. The total weight of all of this would be 268940 TONS! This is HUGE! Have you ever heard of the 7th continent? This one is not made of rocks and sands, but of PLASTIC TRASH! Scary right?
There are NUMEROUS CONSEQUENCES of all these things, both at a micro and a macro-level.
At a micro-level, BEACHES, RIVERS and LAKES are POLLUTED and this have a negative impact on TOURISM and FARMING. At a macro-level SEAS and OCEANS are POLLUTED and it also has a negative impact on ANIMALS and PEOPLE all over the world.
MOUNTAINS are even CONTAMINATED! In 2019, PLASTIC have been found in RAINWATER collected on the Rocky Mountains… No need to argue more, we have to find a way to tackle this issue!
And on SustainableProfit.net we believe that big ECOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENTS can be conducted THROUGH BUSINESS. Because we cannot except our governments to fix ecological issues on their own and the fastest vector of changes is business.
But, let’s go back a bit!
WHERE all this trash comes from? CONSUMERS buy PACKAGED PRODUCTS and THROW the packaging AWAY in the trash bin (best case) or in a place it’s not supposed to be (worst case)…
Wherever it has been thrown, a PERCENTAGE of it (higher in the worst case) will be DRAGGED by RAINWATER into small rivers, and from small rivers to bigger ones and finally to seas and oceans. Besides, with time, plastic packagings disintegrate themselves little by little, making them more prompt to travel farer.
The rivers, the lakes and the beaches close to the areas with a HIGH CONCENTRATION of PEOPLE are the ones RECEIVING the MORE TRASH. And two kinds of area are known to be very trash polluted: CITIES and HIGHWAYS.
Cities are the first places to watch because 68% of the WORLD POPULATION is projected to live in URBAN AREAS by 2050 (UN).
Unfortunately, most important cities are BUILT AROUND RIVERS or around SEAS or OCEANS themselves. These cities contribute to regularly dump a massive amount of trash into oceans and seas.
Now we can answer the WHY: there is already a TREMENDOUS NEED and the NEED to filter the trash out of cities’ water WILL INCREASE. The good thing is, important cities have budgets for such projects.
Now let’s talk about the HOW
Technically, efficient solutions already exist to filter trash out of water. Have you ever heard about ANTI-WASTE NETS? If not, let’s have a look to this picture:
ANTI-WASTE NETS have been first used in Australia in order to prevent trash from reaching rivers during storms. Why not used them in cities?
Some companies, like Pollustock, are already selling this filtering solution. It is a GOOD INDICATION there is a real market, and, as seen above, the market is potentially huge.
This is a Pollustock ANTI-WASTE NET along a Vinci highway:
Placing these ANTI-WASTE NETS strategically in or nearby cities would help filter a big amount of the trash.
Your company could sell an ALL-IN-ONE SERVICE to municipalities to:
- find the best optimized places to install the anti-waste nets
- install the nets
- maintain the nets
- collect the trash once in a while
- Etc
Later, you could also optimize the maintenance of the nets using predictive algorithms and the collection of the trash using force sensors. This would help you to be more profitable.
This is technically feasible and it’s potentially a BIG MARKET. It is worth designing a business model, isn’t it?
The proposed business model below is centered around the needs of the customers. But remember that the goals of the customers are actually aligned with a greater goal which is reducing drastically the amount of trash in the water.
OK! Let’s create a CANVAS business model!
NINE THINGS are necessary in order to COMPLETE the CANVAS: the value proposition, the customer segments, the channels, the customer relationships, the key activities, the key resources, the key partners, the cost structures and the revenue streams.
I. The value propositions (what values are delivered to customers):
- Better experience for tourists in or nearby the city (economy)
- Help meet environmental objectives (politics)
- Durably regain previously contaminated areas (economy)
II. The customer segments (the most important customers):
- Municipalities (tourism, health)
- Local governments (environment objectives)
- Port organizations (functional)
III. The channels (the best channels to reach the customers):
- Networking
- One-to-one appointments
- Press
IV. The customer relationships (types of relationship with customers):
- Meetings
- Reports
- Emails/Calls
- Training
V. The key activities:
1) With respect to the value proposition:
All-in-one service (preparing installation, placing, maintaining, collecting trash)
2) With respect to the channels:
- Go to specialized events, like mayor meetings
- Ensure good visibility in notorious newspapers
- Take appointments with the persons in charge
- Send letters/Emails + calls people
- Recommendations
3) With respect to the customer relationships:
- Meetings to get urban plans from municipality/public sector companies
- Emails/calls to get access authorizations to restricted areas
- Regular reports (amount of collected trash per month/week in kg)
- Meetings every 3/6 months
- Emails/calls in case of need of high maintenance
- Training municipality workers for collecting/light maintenance
4) With respect to the revenue streams:
- Writing an all-in-one contract and make sure customers sign it
- Writing/sending bills every month/3 months/6 months
- Make gentle recalls of payment in case of need
- Hire a lawyer (write contracts, conflicts, etc.)
5) With respect to the partners:
- Take and keep regular contact with them
- Join networking events with them
- Keep them regularly informed about the efficiency of your service
VI. Key resources:
- Engineer(s) (prepare installation, install and perform heavy maintenance)
- Local technician(s) (or municipality worker(s)) (collect trash and perform light maintenance)
- Utility vans (installation and maintenance)
- Equipment (installation and maintenance)
- Computers (prepare installation)
- Secretary
- Office
VII. Key partners:
- Municipality
- Public agents
- Local companies (share common goals with the municipality)
- Public sector companies (access areas)
VIII. Cost structure:
- Salary mass
- Buying and maintaining utility vans
- Buying and maintaining equipment
- Renting an office
- Travels
IX. Revenue streams:
- Municipal/public budget (on annual contract)
- Companies’ chambers budget
The CANVAS in image:
Download the Excel file of this CANVAS here.
And to finish, staying neutral about politics is important in this context. Otherwise, your contract could not be renewed after the next election.
It is certainly not a perfect CANVAS! But you can start with this one and improve it afterwards! Please let me your suggestions in the comments below so I can improve it and propose a better green business model to other readers!
And again, if you notice any dead links or outdated information, please let me know!
Convinced that the transformation of our world goes through reasoned entrepreneurship. Paul is passionate about business, new (and old!) technologies and how to mix that for a greener world.