It’s Black Friday – when prices are slashed and hyper-consumerism goes into overdrive. But while other lists detail the best Black Friday deals on offer, here we examine the biggest environmental costs to the planet.

Black Friday, once a single-day shopping event, has now expanded into a month-long international affair where prices are reduced and we’re all encouraged to buy, buy, buy.

You don’t want to miss out on a good deal, right?

But whilst the price of products may be reduced, the lesser-known environmental costs to the planet only rise.

Here we will unpack the worst environmental impacts of Black Friday.

And examine the more sustainable alternatives such as participating in Green Friday instead this year.

1. Plastic Packaging

The world produces 141 million tonnes of plastic packaging a year.

A lot of this packaging is single-use plastic that is not recyclable and ends up in landfill.

Around a third of all plastic packaging leaks from collection system – ending up in oceans and rivers and contributing to the growing problem of microplastics.

Plastic isn’t biodegradable; therefore, it doesn’t break down in the natural environment. Instead, it degrades into smaller and smaller pieces known as microplastics. Microplastics are less than 5 millimetres in length. There has been increasing concern about microplastics polluting waterways and soil, and ending up being ingested by wildlife and humans, with potentially serious health effects.  

The surge in sales during Black Friday increases the production and disposal of plastic waste. For example, Amazon’s Black Friday deals led to a 352% surge in purchases in 2022. As a result, Amazon also produced around 321,596 metric tonnes of plastic packaging waste in 2022.

2. Deliveries

The Black Friday shopping frenzy also causes a spike in deliveries. The products we purchase either air-freighted by plane or shipped across the ocean, then transported by a delivery van to be dropped at our doorstep, all of which adds to its carbon footprint.

One study suggested that Black Friday deliveries generate an estimated 429,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

Black Friday deliveries in the UK alone emitted the same amount of emissions as 435 flights between London and New York. The retail sector itself is responsible for 25% of the world’s carbon emissions annually, with Black Friday responsible for a surge in sales and emissions.

Targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are falling behind. A recent UN report predicts that we’re on track to experience a global temperature rise of 2.7 degrees. This will worsen the effects of climate change including: unprecedented heat waves, wildfires, drought, and climate-related natural disasters.

It’s imperative that action is taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit further global temperature rises.

Even the smallest choices we make can make all the difference once we act upon them collectively.

The more of us that choose to opt-out of Black Friday sales – buying less and repairing the products we have – can go a long way to help reduce overall emissions.

3. Waste

Black Friday deals where prices are temporarily reduced can encourage people to buy things they don’t necessarily want but feel compelled to buy, otherwise they’ll “lose out” on a cheaper deal.

But buying something you don’t really want or need often leads to the even more wasteful Black Friday regret – where products are disposed of or returned.

A 2019 study found that consumers threw away 80% of items purchased on Black Friday after a few uses. Discarded products ending up in landfills, incinerated, or going to low-quality recycling centers.

Many people choose to return their goods instead. But one study found that the environmental costs of returns can be 30% higher than the initial delivery due to the energy-intensive logistics. When you return a product bought online, lorries or ships will transport them back to the warehouse – where manufacturers will need to steam, clear, or re-package returned products in new plastic wrapping.

Returns can also be twice as expensive for the manufacturer compared to the initial cost of delivery. Some brands, unprepared to cover these costs can end up sending returns straight to landfill because it’s cheaper.

Green friday

The anti-Black Friday movement has already begun with the advent of Green Friday in 2015, to create awareness about the waste generated by Black Friday.

Green Friday occurs on the exact same day as Black Friday, and it involves brands and companies not reducing their prices, but rather encouraging their customers to repair their existing products instead.

Brands such as IKEA, Patagonia, and Osprey have all participated in Green Friday.

final thoughts

With the cost of living, it’s easy to see why many people would want to take advantage of the cheaper deals. But given the climate crises the world is facing, there’s no longer room for peak consumerism to be encouraged.

To make a difference it’s simple, don’t buy anything this Black Friday.