Black Friday – an American import that happens on the Friday after Thanksgiving and sees Brits spend about £3 billion – encourages us to increase our consumption with the promise of hefty discounts at a time when we need to be reducing the amount of ‘stuff’ we buy for the sake of the environment.
Along with Cyber Monday and start of the Christmas shopping frenzy, Black Friday has helped make November the month of rampant consumerism. A YouGov poll on behalf of the charity reveals that while 54% of adults have made a Black Friday purchase, 70% agree the event promotes excessive consumption of goods and 42% agree it is bad for the environment.
The poll also revealed that there is a growing awareness of the impact of buying new items on the planet, with half of UK adults agreeing that Black Friday contributes to landfill waste and 41% believing it creates excess carbon emissions.
The global adoption of Black Friday means its carbon footprint has rocketed in recent years. In the UK alone in 2020, the CO2 emissions related to the home delivery of Black Friday purchases was an estimated 429,000 metric tons.
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Chief Executive of Keep Britain TidyThe waste our nation generates is a huge issue all year round, but is exacerbated at this time of year, as seemingly large discounts persuade people to buy items they don't need and can’t always afford.
“We do talks in schools and youth groups about the impact litter has and what to do about it, and the changes that can be made,” Richard shared.
Richard even uses drone photography to showcase the scale of the litter of issue.
The group’s efforts to improve their local environment have earned them a place on the shortlist for this year’s Green Award for the BBC Three Counties Radio Make a Difference Awards.
The Aylesbury Wombles recycle what they can with a little support from Buckinghamshire Council.
“Our volunteers split their rubbish on the go. Three main streams; general rubbish, recycling (like the stuff you recycle at home) and aluminium cans,” Richard explained. “We have a garage that is paid for by ‘Fairhive’ which is a local housing association. When we have between 200kg and 250kg, Simon comes in his big van and we take them off to ASM (Metal Recycling) in Aylesbury to be recycled.”
Bucks Council then match fund this recycling scheme, which the Aylesbury Wombles have been delivering since September 2020. In that time, they’ve recycled over 5.5 tonnes of cans – or approximately 385,000 cans.
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Chief Executive of Keep Britain TidyThe public are awakening to the idea that this level of consumerism is environmentally and economically unsustainable. Today's figures show that people are ready take up the challenge to ‘buy nothing new’ for a month – and that could make all the difference to our planet.
To encourage people to make better choices for the environment in the face of the Black Friday marketing onslaught, Keep Britain Tidy is launching its award-winning Buy Nothing New Month campaign, which will take place from this Friday, November 1 to November 30 to encourage people to save their pennies and the planet.
The charity’s research reveals 58% of UK adults who have made a Black Friday purchase - more than 16 million - borrowed money on a credit card, while 14% used flexible payment options and 6% turned to store credit.
Sixteen per cent said, after purchasing a Black Friday item, they realised it wasn't as good of a deal as they thought it was and 8% admitted they did not really need the item anyway.
The charity believes there is a growing public appetite to rethink the way we shop and consider the environmental cost - in fact 63% of UK adults think campaigns like Buy Nothing New Month are a good idea, encouraging alternatives to buying new, such as reusing, repairing or buying preloved or abstaining from buying ‘stuff’ in the first place.
Keep Britain Tidy’s Chief Executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, said: “The waste our nation generates is a huge issue all year round, but is exacerbated at this time of year, as seemingly large discounts persuade people to buy items they don't need and can’t always afford.
“The public are awakening to the idea that this level of consumerism is environmentally and economically unsustainable. Today's figures show that people are ready take up the challenge to ‘buy nothing new’ for a month – and that could make all the difference to our planet.”
During Buy Nothing New Month, Keep Britain Tidy and sustainability experts will share tips to support the public to highlight alternatives such as shopping locally for preloved goods, reusing, repairing, renting and borrowing items.
*originally published 28/10/2024*