Half of UK adults think Black Friday contributes to landfill waste

Black Friday, derived from American culture, taking place the Friday after Thanksgiving, sees British people spend roughly £3 billion per year.

The YouGov poll, on behalf of Keep Britain Tidy, revealed that while 54% of adults have made a Black Friday or Cyber Monday purchase, 42% agree it is bad for the environment.

In the UK alone in 2020, the CO2 emissions related to the home delivery of Black Friday purchases was an estimated 429,000 metrics tonnes.

To counteract the marketing of Black Friday, Keep Britain Tidy is launching its Buy Nothing New Month campaign, which will take place throughout November to encourage people to save money and the environment.

This follows the charity’s unveiling of a newly designed and tested version of the waste hierarchy as part of fresh guidance to help the industry better educate the public about waste prevention and mindful consumption.

Reuse, repair, preloved

The charity’s research revealed 58% of UK adults who have made a Black Friday purchase borrowed money on a credit card, while 14% used flexible payment options and 6% turned to store credit. 8% of those surveyed admitted they “did not really need” the item anyway.

Keep Britain Tidy said 63% of UK adults think campaigns like Buy Nothing New Month are a good idea, encouraging alternatives to buying new, such as reusing, repairing or buying preloved.

Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, said: “The waste our nation generates is a huge issue all year round, but is exacerbated at this time of year, as seemingly large discounts persuade people to buy items they don’t need and can’t always afford.

“The public are awakening to the idea that this level of consumerism is environmentally and economically unsustainable. Today’s figures show that people are ready take up the challenge to ‘buy nothing new’ for a month – and that could make all the difference to our planet.”