Feeling the Black Friday blues? Last year, it was estimated that £3.95 billion was spent on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This year’s string of sales are forecast to produce 429,000 metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from product deliveries, and see 80 per cent of products bought during this period end up in landfill shortly after. With over-consumption on the rise, many people are boycotting sale season in favour of something different: Green Friday.
Started as a means of raising awareness of the impact that shopping habits can have on the planet, Green Friday – or the ‘anti-Black Friday movement’ – is an event that promotes mindful shopping and environmental appreciation. Coinciding with Black Friday, it involves boycotting stores promoting the event, avoiding online sales and highlighting the massive scale of CO2 and waste produced during this period.
While Black Friday has been an annual staple since the 1980s, Green Friday is a newer concept. Early versions of the event have been tracked back to Canada’s 1992 Buy Nothing Day, which is now its own international event in protest of consumerism, but it’s since grown beyond a boycott to include mindful shopping practices, outdoor events and learning opportunities.
To find out more about Green Friday, click here
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