By Enterprise Innovation Editors | Apr 22, 2009

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According to data collected by Alibaba.com, the green products market is gaining momentum worldwide despite earlier forecasts saying that the market would shrink as a result of the economic slowdown.  Searches for alternative energy resources such as solar and wind, electric cars, bio-diesel and organic products increased steadily on Alibaba.com over the past two years, driven by growing mainstream environmental awareness.

“Despite the downturn, online trade in environmentally friendly products is holding up well. This is because going green not only saves money but also creates money, especially as more entrepreneurs develop innovative products to support growing global demand. Also, many consumer-based green options, such as switching to solar lights, both make economic sense and protect the environment. Entrepreneurs and SMEs are realizing that green is good business, as long as there is a fiscal motivation as well as an environmental one,” said David Wei, the CEO of Alibaba.com.

While consumers are lured to the “feel good” and cost-saving benefits of the going green, entrepreneurs see a new potentials of growth. Green technology is becoming more accessible to businesses of all sizes as costs are declining, and favorable government legislation and tax subsidies make it more sustainable. All these factors have led to exponential growth of the market for green goods.