As this green thing moves from novelty to large-scale business opportunity, some firms are specializing in services that help their customers reduce their environmental footprint. If the green wave is the new gold rush, these companies are selling the picks and shovels. By Andrew Winston

Last month we looked at products that help customers reduce their footprint in a few big environmental challenge categories: energy, water, toxics, and so on. This month we continue the customer satisfaction story by talking about services.

Service offerings are hard to categorize, but I'll break this discussion into a few areas:

• Providing tools that help companies measure and manage their footprint (IT/software offerings)
• Selling outsourced management of footprint issues (such as facilities)
• Developing green offerings within traditional services industries (like insurance)

Before giving some examples of these offerings, I should touch on another fast-growing service area that I didn't list above: strategic sustainability consulting. It's a subtle distinction, but I differentiate pure consulting on strategy (which I do) or, say, green product development from advisory work like facilities energy management based on how much technical knowledge and on-the-ground work is needed.

So let's turn from strategic consulting to the more tangible service offerings. Below are just a selection of examples, but they provide some fodder for thinking about new ways to serve customer green needs.

Tools to Measure Your Footprint

The first wave of greening focused on heavy industry - those companies with big footprints. But recently, the companies that didn't think environmental issues applied to them ("we don't have smokestacks") have discovered a tremendous business opportunity. Software companies are rushing to fill the large void in measurement and metrics on environmental and sustainability performance. Business analysis firm SAS, for example, designed a toolkit to help companies understand footprint data and how it impacts business performance (beta customer Cisco is trying it out), and TRIRIGA launched a product specifically aimed at real estate/workplace footprint (full disclosure: I've spoken at events for both of these firms to provide perspective on the greening of business, but not as an adviser or advocate).

Others are focusing on helping customers figure out what's happening in your supply chain. There's more activity here than anyone can follow fully with tons of product announcements, from the large companies, such as IBM, to smaller targeted offerings from a range of companies (see article here). I can't speak for any of these solutions, but it's an indication of the interest level, especially now that 60% of supply chain execs say they will measure carbon emissions upstream.

Tools to Manage Your Footprint

A few software companies, such as Verdiem and Big Fix, are offering more proactive software that does more than help you measure or analyze impacts. Looking at one particular source of energy and emissions, their products allow network administrators to manage the entire fleet of computers in a company and, for example, shut them all down to save energy. At the larger scale, IBM and others have service businesses to help datacenters reduce energy use. Industry-specific IT services are also on the rise. IBM launched products to help retailers reduce energy use from point of sale on back through the value chain. Some of the pitch is product based, but tech companies are also offering software solutions as well.

Services to Help Others Outsource Footprint Reduction

Companies are popping up all over the place to help customers tackle thorny environmental issues, both through operational advice and direct management of some aspect of the business. In the latter category, Johnson Controls' building efficiency business is booming. Of course the company builds and sells physical products - building systems such as HVACs. But the services side of the business that installs systems and technology, among other things, has really driven financial results for the company (some case studies here). Similarly, GE launched a fleet services business to analyze logistics data and help companies reduce miles or fuel use.

On top of new software products to measure upstream impacts, other companies are digging in a bit deeper with clients to streamline their supply chain. Consider Supply Chain Optimizers, a firm that focuses specifically on packaging design as a strategic decision that ripples through the logistics system. The company analyzes how packaging changes can reduce overall footprint by, for example, filling more pallets or trucks (to understand the leverage here, see this recent story about Sam's Club and square milk cartons). An advisory/analytical offering like this allows customers to outsource some of the green thinking around product development, packaging, logistics, and distribution. Having outside perspectives and analysis can break people out of their silos and encourage more holistic thinking.

Service Industries Finding Their Green Legs

Because the field is so new and growing, we'll cover service businesses in future e-letters. But for one example of new thinking, look at the insurance industry and how it's starting to experiment with green offerings. A few auto insurance companies like Travelers have offered lower rates to hybrid drivers. But the innovation around property coverage is more impressive. Fireman's Fund launched its Green Guard product, which offers home/business owners an interesting combination of benefits. If your home or building is destroyed, Fireman's Fund will rebuild to LEED standard, throwing in a LEED professional to guide the process. If you already had some green elements, like renewable power, on your building, the policy will protect you from higher energy costs during rebuilding or, say, lost time from destroyed solar panels. Buildings already certified to LEED standards receive discounted insurance rates. Travelers and other companies are playing around with similar elements as well. The innovation has begun...

As this green thing moves from novelty to large-scale business opportunity, we'll see companies consolidate knowledge and expertise and allow customers to outsource some part of their greening efforts. Of course a great deal of eco-strategy should come from within a company itself, such as innovation around product design or proactively building a culture that finds green opportunities and acts on them. But what about operational issues like facilities management? Your company may not excel at reducing footprint from buildings and IT, but companies like Johnson Controls and HP are. Why not leverage that knowledge so you can focus on what you do best?

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Andrew Winston is founder of Winston Eco-Strategies and co-author of the best-selling Green to Gold. Read his "Eco-Advantage" blog here.

Note: This article has been adapted from Eco-Advantage Strategies, Andrew Winston's regular newsletter on how to build value and competitive advantage by innovating for sustainability.