‘50% off! Save £100! Get it before it’s gone! Buy one get one free!’
As Black Friday approaches, the bombardment of offers increases at every turn. While it has never been acceptable to physically stampede over fellow shoppers in a race to get the latest iPhone or beauty advent calendar, the temptation to succumb is real.
This year, people in the UK are set to spend an estimated £3.8 billion during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, according to Finder.com. Among them, 86% of Gen Z shoppers are planning to snag a deal, with an average spend of £181 each.
But here's the kicker: the retail sector is responsible for 25 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and UK emissions increase by nearly half a million tonnes (429,000) from Black Friday-related deliveries alone. When you add up all those cheeky little purchases, the impact on the planet could be huge.
Brand marketers are well-versed in smart tactics, such as behavioural psychology, that will encourage even the most resolute among us to ‘add-to-basket’ and ‘complete purchase’. Such strategies are designed to get us to part with our cash quickly, even if it goes against our better judgement, our usual spending habits or sustainability values.
Furthermore, a study from Intuit Credit Karma reported that 43 percent of millennials and 35 percent of Gen Z in the US have confessed to "doom spending" — a way of coping with global and personal challenges by splurging on purchases. As a result, especially due to the usability of online and mobile banking apps, Black Friday may kickstart a period of festive overconsumption which can be as damaging to our personal finances as it is to the planet.
So, if we’re serious about understanding and reducing our own environmental impacts, we need to reflect on how, when, and where we spend our money.
Here’s some ideas to help you go green this Black Friday:
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Shop Second-Hand: According to the Green Alliance, nine out of 10 consumers are willing to shop second-hand in principle, and second-hand selling sites such as Vinted and Depop have seen huge growth in the last few years. Green Alliance figures show that shoppers can save up to 60 percent on dresses and 90 percent on trousers, compared to buying the same items new.
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Rewarding Rentals: For higher-end items such as occasion wear, it can make sense to rent rather than buy outright. For example, a £90 dress can be rented for three days at £12, equating to an 87 percent saving.
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No-buy Black Friday: buy nothing days and months have risen in popularity in recent years and can be a useful time to put a pause on spending and do something more mindful instead – this might be giving your time as a volunteer, making donations to charity or simply enjoying the draw of nature instead. GreenFriday.org has more information.
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Reuse, repurpose, repair: rather than hitting the shops for senseless spending, it can be equally rewarding to look around the home to see what can be reused, repurposed or repaired.
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Switch off: simply turning off your phone / social media and removing yourself from the hype could bring big gains for your mental health.
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Declutter: use the time you might be tempted to go doom spending by having a declutter instead, and donate what you no longer want or need. Get a head start on the great January clear out!
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Think about your own carbon footprint and what you might do to reduce it (tip: sustainable digital banking apps like Zero can help with this one!)
With around 80 percent of Black Friday purchases thrown away after just a few uses according to the Green Alliance, a more mindful approach this year could pay dividends for the planet as well as your wallet.