The highly anticipated Black Friday is right around the corner. But as a sustainable brand, how do you keep up with the pace or position yourself differently from mass consumption or flash sales? 

Black Friday

Unfortunately, the mass buying frenzies that are Black Friday and Cyber Monday do three things:

1. They are not very profitable for our planet. Free shipping, packaging and unwanted items add to CO2 emissions, or end up in a landfill.

2. They fuel a culture of over-consumption.

3. They deliver all the profits back to big corporates or big-hitting brands. 

Green is the new black.

Over the last few years, awareness of climate change has formed a new movement of anti-consumerism asking people to do better for the planet. For conscious brands, these anti-consumerism days include #BuyNothingDay, #FreshAirFriday, #Giving Day, and Green Friday. Using Black Friday to think about the impact purchases have on the world, and how we can instead take positive action on the world around us. 

Here are some of our favorite initiatives to help you find your brand purpose this Black Friday. 

1. Shop Slow. If you want to offer your loyal customers discounts, this is a great way to ensure considered purchases. Running a week sale with a discount rewards their custom, does not promote excessive purchases and in our experience results in higher value orders and long customer loyalty. 
2. Buy Nothing Day. Join the movement by encouraging your audience to buy nothing and spend their days being more present. Colorado in the USA is a great example of a state taking leadership on this, they encourage people to take the pledge to ‘enjoy some fresh air this Black Friday’.  
3. Green Friday. This is a great initiative that balances consumption with givebacks. We have seen this work well when companies pledge to plant trees or donate a percentage of their profits for every purchase which has been made that day. 

Choosing how to approach Black Friday is unique to most sustainable businesses, it’s about doing what feels most aligned to your business values. If this means doing nothing, then great if this means rewarding customers with a sale then good on you. And don’t forget to test it, what works this year might change next year, keep an open mind, and trial alternative ways to promote your brand effectively during this time.