Today is the famous Black Friday, a campaign of discounts on many products that mainly aims to increase sales before Christmas.
But we must not forget that the massive centralised shopping on this day has a considerable impact on our environment and it is with the aim of reducing this impact that Green Friday was born.
Black Friday has huge negative consequences for sustainability and environmental protection. On the one hand, in order to sell at a discount, brands save on production costs, which results in the selection of materials that are less sustainable and difficult to recycle at the end of their useful life. On the other hand, compulsive shopping leads to over-consumption and increased waste generation. The management of this waste is unresolved and causes an immense environmental impact.
This movement seeks to promote responsible and sustainable consumption with our environment. And there are already many brands that have decided to go hand in hand with this day.
In this way, the aim of Green Friday is to “draw society’s attention to the energy waste involved in the use of most household appliances, as well as to raise awareness of the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling”,
Green Friday promotes a “slow” celebration, with small purchases in local businesses, supporting small commerce, handmade gifts, second-hand sales or recycling.
There are several ways to celebrate Green Friday 2022 and if you are one of those who believe that another world is possible, you will be one of those who want to promote a new type of consumption. How can you do it?
- One of them is by shopping in your neighbourhood, in small shops and supporting small businesses. You can also support artists,illustrators, designers… or friends who have set up their own business to support them.
- Resist aggressive discounting and don’t buy anything on Black Friday.
- Look for brands that have Green Friday initiatives and buy their products to support them.
- Think before you buy: do I really need it, if it wasn’t on sale, would I buy it?
- See if you can fix damaged products before throwing them away.
- Buy second-hand products; you can do this on platforms such as Vinted, Zalando or Veepee.
- Buy artisan brands and go for local commerce.
- Pass on the message to your environment to help spread it.
