How to have an eco-friendly Black Friday
It’s not long until Black Friday. Many of us are feeling the squeeze of the cost of living crisis so we can’t afford to overlook savings if there’re any to be made, but how can you limit your environmental impact this Black Friday? In this article, we’ll suggest a few eco-friendly tips to follow for Black Friday 2024.
When is Black Friday?
Black Friday is always on the final Friday of November so Black Friday 2024 is on November 29th. This is the day after Thanksgiving in the USA, the country that conceived Black Friday as an opportunity for retailers to boost sales in the lead up to Christmas through big discounts and promotions, often on surplus stock.
How does Black Friday affect the environment?
We’ve talked before about the environmental impact of Black Friday but here’s a quick overview.
Black Friday purchases are often made online, which leads to an increase in deliveries and a resulting increase in CO2 emissions from storing and transporting goods. UK shoppers spent £3 billion during Black Friday in 2023 but up to 80% of items bought on Black Friday end up in landfill.
Also, many of the best Black Friday deals line the pockets of those who are already extremely wealthy and no friend to the environment.
How to have an eco-friendly Black Friday 2024
Before we look at how we can limit the impact of our purchases on the environment we should always ask – do I really need this?
If the answer is yes, it’s tough during a time of tight budgets to turn down Black Friday deals, but there are ways you can do your bit for your bank balance and the environment all at once.
1. Have a Green Friday with eco-conscious brands
A few brands forgo Black Friday and instead opt for Green Friday. Some donate Black Friday profits to environmentally-focused charity whereas others suggest that the best Black Friday deal for the environment is considering how necessary your purchases are and what can be done with the things you already own.
2. Visit the high street
Reduce delivery emissions by hopping on your bike or the bus to visit the small, specialist businesses on your local high street this Black Friday. The discounts may not be as big as those you’ll find from the chains but you’ll be supporting your community and spending where it makes a difference. Many small businesses are working hard to do their bit for sustainability too – they’re vital to the global commitment to reduce emissions.
3. Choose second-hand
Perhaps you’d been hoping to use Black Friday as a chance to refresh your wardrobe or finally get a new vacuum cleaner to replace one that’s just not doing the job anymore.
Luckily, there are many great ways to shop second-hand and save something from going to landfill. Vinted and Depop have lots of clothes from popular brands, many hardly worn, and charities like Oxfam have a wide range of items available on their websites and in-store.
List your own unused items on these sites too and contribute to creating a circular economy.
4. Black Friday for electronics – choose refurbished
Many shoppers wait until Black Friday for electronics. These are some of the more expensive purchases we make and there’s lots of pressure to always be upgrading.
There are lots of options to buy refurbished electronics these days – not only is this cheaper but it reduces the impact of electronic waste (estimated at 57.4 million tonnes in 2021) on our environment. You can still get many of the latest models, often with warranty and without a long contract.
If you want to buy new, consider the repairability of the device you choose. Devices that are easily repairable will have a longer lifespan than devices that haven’t been designed with repairs in mind.
5. Repairing and borrowing
There’s always the good old-fashioned approach to Black Friday too – repairing and borrowing. You can learn a lot about repairing your favourite jeans from experts on YouTube and there are still plenty of businesses out there who can repair damaged phone screens, dodgy dishwashers, and slow laptops.
Borrow shops – sometimes called a ‘library of things’ – are popping up in more cities too. They’re easy to use and ideal for getting hold of things you may not use too often for an affordable daily fee. After all, why pay lots of money for something you rarely use when you can get it when you need it for a fraction of the price?
An eco-friendly Black Friday
We hope you find it easy to follow these tips and limit your environmental impact this Black Friday while making a few savings along the way. And don’t forget, if you’re getting rid of anything to make way for new purchases, see whether you can sell, donate or recycle them – you might just make someone else’s Black Friday.
