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Green franchises have come along and garnered a lot of buzz in last year or so. Even at a time when economic concerns may be overshadowing entrepreneurs’ desire to save the environment, green franchises have lost none of their luster.  Green pizza franchises are even popping up — as the Franchise King recently blogged. The truth is that ecological problems are not going away and the green market still remains an excellent sector for franchisors and franchisees to corner.

Did you know becoming a green franchise is easier than it looks? One franchise in the Franchise Direct network that personifies the green philosophy is Flip Flop Shops, who began franchising a year ago. Buoyed by a novel franchise concept (they’re, not surprisingly, a shop that sells flip-flops), Flip Flop Shops utilise an environmentally-sustainable approach to franchising. They promote products made from recycled products and their shops themselves boast natural cork floors, water-based paints, and more efficient lighting, to name a few things.

“As a new retailer, we want to do a good job of being brand ambassadors for manufacturers,” Darin Kraetsch, CEO of Flip Flop Shops told Franchise Times magazine. “We want to attract people like us, who are proud and passionate about the concept.”

The Franchise Times article also points out other things that franchisees can do to increase sustainability, such as using alternative fuel sources. While Kraetsch admits that going the extra mile to create a more environmentally-sustainable workplace does bring extra costs, it has a number of stirring upsides, including access to the growing ‘green’ market. For executives like Darin Kraetsch, a sustainable approach to business pays for itself.

Many entrepreneurs and small-business people are beginning to think similarly.