Why Elements of Cornwall are doing #BlackFriday differently

Figures from the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) show that 85% of independent retailers are boycotting this year’s #BlackFriday. Why you wonder? Well, Green Alliance say that up to 80 per cent of items bought over Black Friday– and any plastic packaging they are wrapped in – will end up either in landfill, incineration or, at best, low quality recycling after an often very short life.

I know we all love a discount but often you will find retailers over the black Friday upping the prices from previous months! Plus, is it just me or do you often find yourself looking at things that you never would need? And here is the problem.

Black Friday doesn’t need to be a bad thing, and in many ways, it does help many small businesses. I know that just researching about Black Friday made me think about how I could do better, and therefore Elements of Cornwall will be donating 10% of any purchases this weekend to #TheOceanCleanUp.

I do also love supporting other business so I have listed ways on how we can all do better in sustainable shopping:

1 Shop local

2 Ditch the plastic bag

3 Gift with less packaging – try not to use single use wrapping paper and go for companies that have worked on reducing single use items.

4 Buy second hand or revamped items

5 Buy E-gift Cards / experiences

6 Shop with businesses that care

7 Carbon offset on deliveries

All these things are just small steps in the right direction but if we all did them how much change could we achieve?