Elaborate beds, clothing, treats shaped like human food—if you have one, you know that pets aren’t just animals, they’re family. And the practice of humanizing pets and the supplies that come along with it have been around for a while because fulfilling that particular consumer need leads to profit. But another competitive advantage for pet retailers and suppliers is on the horizon: eco smart pet products and services. So when you put those two unmet needs together—what happens?

You create a doubly robust competitive advantage.

Take PetSmart for example. Their commitment to sustainability goes far deeper than plastic bag recycling. In November of 2009, PetSmart teamed up with Arizona State University students from the Herberger Institute for Design and Arts to create a dog house constructed of recycled materials that provides sufficient ventilation and insulation, can be easily cleaned—and most importantly, is an environment where a dog actually wants to live.

Sixty designs were submitted and narrowed down to three winning designs, which were displayed at PetSmart’s booth at the Greenbuild 2009 Expo, the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green building. This eco-smart effort was part of PetSmart’s Think Twice initiative—what Suzanne Lindsay, PetSmart’s Director of Environmental Sustainability says is “[part of PetSmart’s] journey toward becoming more sustainable.”

While surely landfills are being filled with tons of half-chewed pets toys, tired litter boxes and other cast-offs, companies like PetSmart are working toward making a difference—and wisely profiting by offering innovative green products to a rapidly growing consumer segment that is asking for them.

By infusing eco-perspective into products, Petsmart can help consumers manage the carbon footprint of their pets—and of course by doing that, manage their own.

After all, truthfully, it’s we humans who are creating our pets’ carbon footprints — from choosing to even own a pet to determining what we buy for them. But now, choosing a retailer can be part of that step toward going green. And the companies that offer those options? They’ll be leading the industry, with a paw up on the competition.

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