It’s Thanksgiving this week, signalling the imminent arrival of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Alongside these shopping extravaganzas come enticing sales and deals that can be hard to resist. However, the question remains: how can we curb wasteful consumption and environmental pollution?
The Green Alliance’s Building a Circular Economy report reveals that as much as 80% of plastics, textiles, and electronic goods may still end up in landfills, incineration, or low-quality recycling. Essentially, the majority of these items are discarded after just one use, contributing to environmental degradation.
Many holiday purchases are short-lived, with potential serious consequences for the environment. This year’s Black Friday deliveries are estimated to generate 429,000 metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to the emissions from 435 round-trip flights between London and New York.
The debate continues regarding the environmental impact of in-store versus online discounts on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. While MIT research suggests that online purchases have a lower carbon footprint than physical store visits, a University of California study counters this when customers opt for faster delivery, which is often the case.
The “green” factor in online shopping depends on the transportation choices for the purchases. A study by Vox and the University of California’s Climate Lab found that two-day delivery, such as that offered to Amazon Prime members, has a larger carbon footprint than slower options that take a week, due to more vehicles consuming more diesel fuel and less efficient shipping technologies.
Moreover, United Nations research indicates that only about 20% of e-waste is recycled, and dumping electronics in landfills poses a threat by releasing harmful chemicals like lead and mercury into the air, water, and soil.
Vestiaire Campaign
Last year, Vestiaire Collective, the online hub for second-hand luxury treasures, made a bold sustainability crusade. Their battle cry? “Think first, buy second.”
In a global offensive against fashion’s environmental foes, the platform is booting out heavyweights like H&M, Zara, Uniqlo, Mango, and Gap. The mission is to expose the dirty laundry of textile waste and the gluttony of fashion overindulgence.
Vestiaire Collective proudly declared 2023 as the encore of its Fast Fashion Ban, now featuring an impressive lineup of 63 banned brands. Their battle plan invited users to enlist in the movement just in time for the Black Friday showdown.
Fueled by the power of AI, the campaign is a visual spectacle. The AI video and images depict colossal heaps of clothing strategically placed in iconic locations like Marina Bay Sands, Times Square, or the Eiffel Tower. It’s a cinematic reminder of the looming textile waste catastrophe coming soon to a landfill near you. But the craziest part is that this is the reality of landfills. Most of us are just fortunate enough to live in places where landfills are far and away from our sight.
However, Zerrin, the largest discovery platform for sustainable brands in South-East Asia, made a great and really fair point on Instagram about Vestiaire’s campaign. While the campaign has good intentions, “BUT, fast fashion isn’t the only culprit when it comes to overproduction. Many luxury fashion brands (which Vestiaire resells) overproduce too, and some are saying that banning an accessible price point from the market is classist. That being said, Vestiaire has always been about selling higher end designer pieces. It’s easy for them to ban what they don’t really sell.” Susannah Jaffer, founder and CEO of Zerrin, laments on Instagram.
As we’ve zipped forward to 2024, the technological landscape has transformed dramatically, with a newfound environmental consciousness surrounding artificial intelligence that would have seemed almost unimaginable just a twelve-month prior. The collective consciousness has shifted from wide-eyed technological enthusiasm to a more nuanced, critically aware perspective on the carbon footprint of our digital innovations.
What seemed revolutionary in 2023 now appears through a more tempered lens, with video campaigns and sustainability reports highlighting the energy-intensive nature of large language models and machine learning processes. It’s a rather delightful demonstration of human adaptability – how quickly we can pivot from unbridled excitement to thoughtful scrutiny, proving that our capacity for learning and recalibrating our understanding is perhaps our most sophisticated algorithm yet. This rapid evolution of perspective underscores a critical truth: knowledge is not static, but a dynamic, ever-shifting landscape that requires constant re-examination and intellectual humility.
Yes, the fashion industry cranks out a whopping 100 billion garments annually, but the consequence is a staggering 92 million tonnes of textile waste dumped each year. Banning fast fashion alone won’t cut it; it requires a shift in consumer mindset. Vestiaire Collective isn’t just preaching, though. They’ve crafted an enlightening expedition for buyers and sellers alike. At every turn in your shopping or listing escapade, expect nuggets of wisdom. Not stopping there, they’re dishing out practical alternatives for your fast fashion faves via an online guide loaded with donation strategies and sustainability smarts. It’s an urgent reminder that it’s time to dress sharp and shop smarter.
Recognising that certain Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals are irresistible, the challenge lies in making informed and environmentally conscious choices. So, how can we ensure responsible purchasing and consumption without exacerbating the climate crisis? Despite the unavoidable environmental impact, there are steps we can take.
Declutter your email! Unsubscribe to non-sustainable brands!
As Black Friday bargains flood your inbox, consider seizing the opportunity to declutter your digital space and reduce your carbon footprint. While emails have replaced traditional paper mail, they still contribute to carbon emissions. The average American wades through approximately 500 unread emails, many of which are likely junk. If we calculate that each email produces 0.3 grams of CO2, we’re looking at an additional 150 grams of carbon dioxide per U.S. citizen, according to The Good Planet. Eco2 Greetings takes it a step further, revealing that text-based emails emit around 4 grams of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent). Over the course of a year, the carbon footprint of emails adds up to about 136 kilograms, equivalent to driving 200 miles in a gas-powered car.
However, it still has to be said that compared to traditional snail mail, emails are a more eco-friendly option, utilising only 1.7 percent of the energy required for a paper letter. So, as you clear out those promotional emails from brands and companies that urge you to spend unnecessarily, you’re not just decluttering; you’re making a small but impactful stride towards environmental sustainability.
Opt For Sustainable Shipping
If you want to minimise delivery-related environmental damage, slow shipment is the way to go. Many online shoppers would go with the cheapest delivery option if given the choice. Again, this is more than reasonable. Don’t feel guilty if this is your only option. However, if you’re able to afford another option, you might want to consider it. The cheapest shipping options may be helpful for saving money, but they have serious environmental consequences. To reduce carbon emissions and increase efficiency, the Spanish logistics provider Correos developed a service called “Envíos Responsables,” an option that optimises delivery routes so that a delivery van does not leave until it is completely filled.
For eco-conscious customers, certain online stores provide eco-friendly delivery alternatives. These methods of transporting goods are less harmful to the environment because of the precautions taken.
Avoid being influenced by marketing!
Before you buy, analyse what you already have to avoid impulse buying. If you can, make a list of your needs before Black Friday and try to stick to it. This isn’t just meant for Black Friday or Cyber Monday; this should always be considered when making purchases. When shopping online, it’s preferable to make a single large purchase rather than several smaller ones. Consolidating your order into one shipment by adding all of your desired items to the shopping cart first will save you money on shipping fees.
Shop Locally
This holiday season, big-box stores and international chains may have the best deals, but buying regionally has its advantages. Not only is it better for the environment if you buy holiday presents from a store in your own community, but gifts purchased from regional companies have a double-positive effect on the economy. For one thing, many of the goods sold in neighbourhood stores are produced in the immediate area. Less pollution is produced when goods don’t have to travel far from their origin. Moreover, presents from nearby shops are more endearing. A product made by a global firm is available to everybody, but a product made by a small business in your community is more unique.
Another alternative would be to shop secondhand! It’s not an original thought! Thrift stores are a worldwide phenomenon. Secondhand alternatives, from the most affordable to designer labels, may be found on a wide variety of websites and applications.
If you’re looking for local sustainable brands, we’ve got you! Check out our articles here and here.
Participate in the “Green Friday” movement
Green Friday is a great alternative to Black Friday shopping. The purpose of this day is to encourage consumers to give more consideration to their purchases, learn more about the production processes of the products they buy, and switch to more eco-friendly businesses. To be clear, supporting eco-friendly businesses is about more than simply where you do your shopping.
The purpose of Green Friday isn’t to prevent people from making purchases but rather to influence both the kinds of products people buy and their motivations for doing so. One of the drawbacks of sales is the trash they might leave behind. This is because people tend to buy more during sales than they really need. Even items that haven’t been used at all are sometimes discarded. By resisting the temptation to make last-minute purchases as presents, you may help cut down on the trash that holiday shopping generates. In order to lessen the quantity of packaging that ends up in landfills, consumers should resist the urge to make hasty purchases.
As an additional objective, Green Friday encourages shoppers to question whether they really need the items they plan to buy. No one has the right to stand in the way of someone else getting a good bargain, but if you’re like most holiday shoppers, you undoubtedly had plans to pick up a few items you don’t actually need.
Green Friday is a great time to stock up on necessities instead of impulse buys, but it’s important to be realistic about what you really need.
Get creative with your presents
If you’re using Black Friday and Cyber Monday to buy presents for the Christmas season, may we suggest getting creative with your presents? We mean, have you considered “clutter-free” gifts? These gifts are mostly experience-based or need-based. It could be anything from a gym membership to a massage or spa day! Concert tickets, edible arrangements—the choices are endless. And chances are, whoever you’re gifting them to will more than appreciate it. You’re not buying presents per se; you’re gifting memories.
“Boycott Black Friday”
There has been a rise in support for the “boycott Black Friday” campaign. More and more companies are making an attempt to inform their consumers about the negative effects of excessive holiday spending on the environment. That being the case, a crucial question arises: can these deliberate actions really make a difference in the broader picture? Most likely, it’s a no. But they’re great motivators for starting new dialogue and teaching people about the personal, societal, and environmental consequences of excessive consumption.