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How does Black Friday affect the environment?
Known for its annual astounding deals and slashed prices on all consumer products, Black Friday was created in the 1950s in the United States before being exported all around the world. In 2022, the rate of online shopping saw an increase of 6% compared to 2021. In recent years, criticism has been raised against this practice, which encourages compulsive buying and overconsumption. Although it generally lasts only 24 hours, this event results in a disastrous carbon footprint.
Greenly has looked into the impact of Black Friday, particularly one of its most successful areas: fashion online purchases.
Black Friday Online Shopping
In 2022, the value of online retail sales in the United Kingdom was estimated to be 106 billion British pounds. Due to its undeniable advantages, e-commerce has quickly positioned itself as the best way to find great deals during Black Friday. (Statista)
According to Finance Online, the factors influencing online purchases are as follows:
- free delivery;
- additional promotions;
- the ease of use of the website or application (i.e., if it is accessible at any time of day or night);
- click and collect (i.e., buying online and benefitting from a wide choice of items, then picking up the order in-store).
NB: With the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, the value of online retail sales in the United Kingdom was estimated to be 107 billion British pounds in 2020 and 119 billion British pounds in 2021.
“ However, this is important to remember that despite its apparent neutrality, the Internet is not necessarily eco-friendly. In reality, it depends on the context. ”
Let’s take an example. According to Greenly’s experts, the carbon footprint of one session on one website is 11gCO2e per session (for an average selling website). In 2022, the traffic increased by 38% between November 19th and Black Friday. If we focus on the number of studied sessions by SaleCycle only (409 607 109), we can already say that their carbon footprint was about 4500 tCO2e.
NB: These calculations only take into account the emissions from network infrastructures, not from data centers.
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The Development of Online Sales Changes Consumer Habits
Black Friday Promotes Overconsumption
Although discounts apply to products and equipment from all sectors of activity, certain areas are more coveted than others and encourage overconsumption.
According to our research, the fashion sector generates the most traffic (58%), followed by retail (37%) and airlines (5%).
Considering the figures provided in the SaleCycle Report, we can assume that the estimated Black Friday 2022 carbon footprint related to clothing sales amounted to 33,012 tCO2e - which is +72% more than a normal day (19,325 tCO2e).
However, the production of clothing is not just synonymous with a carbon footprint. As a reminder, producing 1 kg of cotton requires 10,000 liters of water, of which 33% is drinking water. A simple t-shirt represents 2,700 liters of water. T-shirts are among the product types with the most success online outside of Black Friday (24% of textile category sales (SaleCycle report) - followed by dresses and sweaters.
Referring to this single example, the carbon footprint related to the sale of t-shirts jumps from 841 tCO2e to 1430 tCO2e in the space of a single day.
It should be noted, however, that according to SaleCycle report – that vests, hoodies, and sweaters see the most significant increase in sales (79%, 78%, and 76% respectively).
“ On the occasion of Black Friday, these three categories alone account for no less than 9,900 tCO2e. ”
A Mode of Purchase That Increases the Negative Impact of the Internet
According to Queue-it, the Internet traffic induced by Black Friday amounts to 66 million visits compared to 22 million for a “normal” day in October. However, visits and online sales are not made without creating an impact.
Few internet users are aware, but the web is not immaterial. On the contrary, it consumes a certain amount of electricity (whether it’s a computer plugged into the mains, or a data center operating 24/7 to store computer data) and rare resources (to manufacture the terminals).
According to a 2022 ADEME and ARCEP study, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to digital technology represent 2.5% of global emissions.
The ADEME report entitled "On the Road to Digital Sobriety" provides two interesting figures regarding the impact of digital technology:
- 55% of global energy consumption corresponds to data traffic;
- 1% of global electricity consumption is used by data centers.
The Increase in Transport and Delivery of Goods
“ The growing purchases made during Black Friday lead to an increase in deliveries, and consequently emissions related to transport. ”
Favored by consumers for their speed, express deliveries and air freight of goods have a more significant environmental impact than slower modes of transport.
Particularly when it comes to expedited deliveries, businesses frequently resort to air transport as an emergency measure to fulfill tight shipping deadlines.
According to the ADEME Base Carbone v20.2, goods transport carried out:
- by a 100-ton cargo plane is responsible for 1.74 kgCO2e/ton/km;
- by a dry cargo container ship generates 0.008 kgCO2e/tonne.km - 217 times less than cargo plane;
- by a 20 to 26-ton diesel truck emits 0.123 kgCO2e/ton.km - 14 times less than a cargo plane.
Locally, the figures are striking. For example, in Paris, France – Black Friday leads to approximately 2.5 million deliveries per day - 10 times more than on a “normal” day. We examined how DB Schenker, the second-largest parcel company in France, operates in the Paris area and found that they use four terminals (labeled A, B, C, and D in the figure). Terminals B and D are responsible for delivering parcels within Paris.
A few approximations:
- 16.4 deliveries per round (for DB Schenker, so we assume that it should be similar for other parcel companies), that is to say 16.4 stops to deliver all the parcels.
- For one round, the distance between two delivery points is about 1.8 km (so the entire round average distance is about 29.5 km per roundtrip).
Assuming deliveries are made with average utility vehicles:
- Those 2.5 million deliveries in Paris would be equivalent to 152000 round trips (2500000/16.4), which means a total distance of 4500000 km (152000*29.5).
- The total carbon footprint would be equal to 3717 tCO2e - compared to 371 tCO2e for a normal day (10 times less).
NB: we assume that the emission factor related to these trucks is 0.826 kgCO2e/km (ADEME: VUL/<3,5 tonnes/road diesel, 7% biodiesel incorporation).
NB : these calculations do not take into account the entire impact of transportation, only the impact of the delivery between the terminal (next to Paris) and the final customer. There are additional emissions, seeing as parcels can come from other regions of France or other countries.
More Substantial Waste Production
The promotions of Black Friday encourage excessive consumption of products and equipment. Once they become obsolete or unused, they are simply thrown away instead of being repaired or sorted.
According to ADEME's Footprint Database:
- The average environmental footprint at the end-of-life stage for used textiles and household linens amounts to 500 kg of CO2 equivalent per ton;
- The average end-of-life environmental footprint for flat screens averages 907 kg of CO2 equivalent per ton.
To this are added the releases of toxic substances that pollute water and soil.
How to Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Black Friday?
Raising Public Awareness
Reducing the impact of this event primarily involves raising consumer awareness about the disastrous impact of this day.
“ Although advertising makes a product desirable, it is not necessarily essential to own the latest smartphone. ”
Several important questions should be asked before purchasing:
- Do I really need it?
- Can I find it second-hand or from a resource center?
- Do I already have a similar one in good condition or repairable?
In this context, second-hand and used purchases are good alternatives. However, beware of the rebound effect!
According to a study by the Boston Consulting Group, 70% of consumers would resell new products second-hand in order to increase their purchasing power in the new market. A practice that is not sustainable, since the overall demand for new products may increase.
In conclusion, prioritize buying second-hand and used items, but do so responsibly — avoiding the lure of excessive purchasing, even when prices are discounted.
Prioritize Durable and Eco-Friendly Equipment
What's the point of buying a low-priced product with a limited lifespan? For economic and environmental reasons, it is better to purchase a product that is a little more expensive, but whose quality ensures a much longer lifespan.
To minimize your environmental footprint, prioritize the following sustainable products and equipment:
- Reusable, rechargeable, and easily repairable.
- Labeled;
- Made from renewable, local, and recyclable natural materials or ingredients;
- Sold with little or no packaging;
In this regard, low-tech solutions are a way to combat the mass consumption of digital equipment. These objects and practices fight against planned obsolescence, limit energy consumption, and contribute to reducing waste.
Ecological Initiatives Are Emerging
As Black Friday gains momentum, the ideal would be to eliminate this event in favor of more ecological alternatives, such as:
- Green Friday proposed by a collective of associations and companies, aiming to boycott Black Friday;
- Make Friday Green Again created by FAGUO - a brand of responsible clothing and footwear - aiming to raise awareness for responsible consumption.
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