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Green Friday 2022: 6 brands with eco alternatives to Black Friday sales
Fed up with Black Friday? With brands preparing to slash prices and introduce flash sales, environmental activists are championing a more sustainable alternative: Green Friday.
To help raise awareness around the impact of society's shopping habits, Green Friday (also known as the 'anti-Black-Friday movement') encourages people to shop more sustainably. While Black Friday drives demand for discounted goods, Green Friday is all about shopping carefully — and buying from retailers that promote greener causes.
From IKEA to Primrose, take a look at the stores getting involved this year...
1. TEEMILL
Teemill, the world's biggest dedicated circular economy platform, is working with its community of 10,000 stores to ask customers to send back Teemill-made clothing they no longer wear. As part of its new #TakeBackFriday campaign, returned items will be made into new products using innovative Remill technology. Once you have sent garments back, you will be given £5 credit to spend on future purchases.
"Black Friday is a symptom of how waste has been woven into the way our world works. Products have been designed to be thrown away, meaning the only way to create growth is make and sell more products and create more waste," Teemill co-founder, Mart Drake-Knight, says.
"We built Teemill to solve that issue. Our products are designed from the start to come back and be remade, and that means that instead of creating waste we create new products from it. Doing the right thing shouldn’t cost the earth, so we made the platform free because we want to encourage everyone who cares about these issues to have the chance to co-create a more sustainable future with us."
Less than 1% of the world’s clothes are recycled back into new clothes once they are worn out. That's why our clothing is designed to be turned into new products again and again. #TakeBackFriday #remill #circulareconomy #sustainablefashion #circularity #circularsupplychain pic.twitter.com/dF3o8WKyYw
— Teemill (@Teemillstore) November 24, 2022
2. RITUALS
Beauty brand Rituals is offering customers special deals on its sustainable retailers for Green Friday, rather than discounting all product lines.
"We think it is important that you feel good and that we take care of the planet at the same time," Rituals said. "This way you not only save on packaging, but also keep money in your wallet."
3. Swyft
Swyft has announced they will not be running any Black Friday promotions, encouraging people to love the sofa they already have.
"Last year, we threw out the traditional Black Friday approach in favour of a more planet-friendly initiative of offsetting carbon for every product solved. We decided we didn't want to stop there, and now, partnered with Ecologi, we offset the carbon footprint created by each and every product," Swyft say.
"To date, we’ve helped plant over 5000 trees and supported 9 different carbon reduction projects."
4. IKEA
Swedish retailer IKEA has announced a new Green Friday initiative. Following on from the success of last year, the Swedish retailer will enhance its Buyback & Resell scheme, where customers can sell back furniture to IKEA.
From 18th November, customers will be able to get an additional 50% off new items when they return used IKEA furniture to a store. Whether it's a BILLY bookcase you no longer need or home accessories, IKEA wants to encourage shoppers to make greener choices when it comes to purchasing.
"At IKEA, we are continuing to develop circular solutions for our customers, helping them to shop more sustainably and affordably," Ikea UK and Ireland country commercial manager Michaela Quinlan said.
"We know this is a busy time of year for shoppers, but it’s also important we support people to be sustainable all year round. That's why we have no expiry on our gift cards, so that customers can wait to invest in something they really need.
"The Green Friday offer is just a small part of our wider commitment to become climate positive by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions no later than 2050."
5. Primrose
Looking to spruce up your home with new plants? Well, Primrose is also taking a green approach to Black Friday this year, by encouraging shoppers to choose plants instead. Once you've got a new tree for your home, why not shop some of their beautiful houseplants? They currently have 20% off the whole range!
6. Sofology
This Green Friday, Sofology is launching a brand new sustainable sofa designed in collaboration with TV presenter George Clarke. Named the Gaia, the sofa is completely staple free and can be recycled or repurposed at the end of its life. Handcrafted from durable woven mix fabric, customers can choose from a selection of colours, including honey yellow and Atlantic blue.
"Sofology doesn't encourage hasty purchases, so they don't offer Black Friday deals. Instead, they want you to find a sofa you'll love for a long time, with the ability to refresh your space without damaging the planet," says George.
When it comes to making more sustainable purchases and lifestyle choices, reduction should always come before recycling. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. It’s also important to know how to recycle as best we can. Read our guide on how to recycle household items, furniture, electronics, beauty waste, fashion and tech.
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