“Green” Friday
I just learned that my friend Anna is in this new documentary, Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy. It’s a powerful reminder to customers ahead of the Black Friday shopping bonanza that landfills and waste sites around the world are filling up with unwanted clothes, tech, and household goods.
This documentary unpacks the tricks brands use to keep their customers consuming. Because yes, it’s hard to ignore the slew of emails and ads alerting us about Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.
Why not buy that maraca cocktail shaker you’ve always wanted but could never justify paying full price for? Or why not buy your holiday gifts early? Or yeah, I didn’t realize there are actually all these things I really “need!?” I personally have fallen for these emails and find it hard to resist clicking “buy.” But sadly, this infamous sale season of overconsumption not only impacts your wallet, but also the environment.
According to The Commons, “one study found that about 80% of Black Friday purchases, including their packaging, are discarded after minimal or no use. In the U.S., waste increases by 25% from Black Friday to the New Year, with packaging materials like plastic and cardboard contributing to the growing waste crisis in landfills and oceans.”
The surge in online shopping during these days leads to increased use of transportation and energy resources. During last year’s Black Friday week, it was estimated that 1.2 million tons of CO2 was released due to trucks transporting goods around Europe. Also, we often forget that it takes a lot of energy to fuel these online retail stores.
Lastly, think of the human contribution. The workers who are packaging, shipping and delivering these products, rarely profit from these sales and instead face stress and long hours, up to 12-16 each day during these days. This more often happens at companies like Amazon, where for example, they are planning on striking and asking for increased wages and for employees to be permitted to unionize. (Not to mention the crazed behavior of shoppers who sleep outside stores days prior to Black Friday, or those who inadvertently trample employees to death like in 2008 at a Walmart.)
So enter Green Friday, an initiative that seeks to transform this high-consumption event into an opportunity for eco-conscious shopping which supports brands with ethical practices, ingredients, and materials. Here are the affiliate links and discount codes for my favorite eco-conscious brands:
Activist Skincare, eco skincare line
Axiology, plastic free makeup (use code HANNAH for 20% off)
Conscious Step, eco socks which donate some proceeds to different charities
Grosche, reusable coffee & tea products
Grown Alchemist, wonderful shampoos, creams
Earth Hero, I think of it as a green amazon aka all products you could possibly need
Keep Cup, reusable coffee cups
Marley’s Monsters, eco friendly & reusable home goods
Me Mother Earth, plastic free home goods
Neal’s Yard, natural & organic skincare products
Plant Paper, bamboo toilet paper & tissues
Priti nails, organic & vegan nail polish made in the USA
Sea Bags, born as sails & transformed into nautically inspired totes made in the USA
Tek, brushes & combs from natural wood & pure rubber
Terra Thread, organic & fairtrade bags
Waxelene, a green alternative to Vaseline
A greener option: shop local to avoid shipping and packaging, and to support your local stores. Another good practice to reduce overconsumption, is to make a list of things you truly need versus things you want and then see if you can source these items secondhand (online or in person). And putting things in the cart gives the dopamine hit even if you never actually buy the things.
But the greenest option (which also saves you green aka cash), observe “Buy Nothing Day,” a global movement that challenges consumerism by encouraging people to refrain from making purchases for a full 24 hours.
Happy shopping! Or not…
xx Hannah
