How to Sustainably Shop Black Friday
Are you getting emails left, right, and center about Black Friday deals?
I'm with you. It's a great way to save a bit of money on Christmas gifts, which I'm sure no one would object to, but there are a few ways we can be more sustainable with our purchases this year. The sales are my favorite time to shop, and I often get tempted by things I wouldn't have bought otherwise, but I have compiled some tips on how we can shop more sustainably and maybe save some money.
Will it be used?
Whether you're buying a gift for someone else or treating yourself after a difficult year, consider whether the item will actually be used. In addition to cost-per-use going down, it won't end up in the trash any time soon, so the user/you will really appreciate it. The same applies to homewares (will it be loved? ), clothing (will it be worn?), and skincare (will it be used up?). If the answer is yes, then great! That is a conscious gift-giving decision.
Think packaging.
Companies need to stop packaging their gift sets in plastic. I'm mostly thinking of those beauty gift sets that come in plastic molded packaging. An alternative would be to use reusable gift bags or recycled cardboard instead. It would be great to have unwrapped everything on Christmas Day and actually have no wrapping or packaging that couldn’t be recycled. Large companies really need to examine this, but for now, I guess it's up to us to decide.
Support Small Business
In this year's holiday shopping more than ever, there has been a focus on supporting small businesses. At the time of lockdown, we were shopping small to keep our businesses local, and now we're shopping small to make them happy this Christmas. Shopping small also often means making eco-friendly choices as they in turn only buy and use what they need, use more sustainable options in their packaging, and don’t have large processes that use up many resources.
Great or Waste
How often are we tempted by an item just because it’s on sale? A conscious purchase also means considering whether we would have bought the item if it wasn't on sale, so we can determine if we want it.
Do you normally buy from the brand? Did you need/want the item before Black Friday? If not then consider whether it is a great saving or a waste of money.
In case the item you found saves waste and money it might be worth the trouble. Check out our Reusable pods / Mesh produce bags.
Don't Shop Take a Walk
Finding yourself in nature instead of shopping might be just what you were looking for. Raising positive hormones by escaping the screen could save excessive shopping.
In case you need nature but are working too long, wash your eyes in green here:
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