Move over Black Friday, make room for Green Friday

Move over Black Friday, make way for Green Friday 

Let’s start this post by making it really clear, I’m not here to shame or instill guilt in anyone. This is a space to share knowledge, learn about our own impact and grow together. As a brand, and as the founder behind Salt Sister, I am constantly learning and evolving, and as the brand grows, our brand ethos strengthens. 

As shoppers, you probably recognise the term Black Friday as a time for extreme discounts and sales, creating a feverish frenzy to spend. If you’re working in retail, you can expect this time of year to be utter chaos, long work days and nights. Perhaps you’ve even read the extreme and sometimes violent lengths shoppers in the US and around the world have gone to, to grab that bargain at the mall. As thousands of people rush to invest in goods simply because of a seemingly ‘good deal’, it’s damaging our climate and increasing our carbon footprints in the process. 

As an online retailer, there is a certain pressure of this season that is driven by the infamous marketing holiday Black Friday. Globally known for being the shopping highlight of the year, the pressure is on for businesses and brands to deliver big discounts to hit their year targets. When we apply this landscape to small and newer businesses, the reality can be pretty scary. Especially for brands like Salt Sister, as I’m already swimming against the current to function sustainably and ethically. 

80% of Black Friday purchases end up in landfill. Read that again. 

Is it time we reevaluated this long-standing tradition of unnecessary spending and started striving to shop more consciously? It is refreshing and exciting to see brands reject Black Friday and offer us an alternative. Allow me to introduce you to Green Friday. 

Green Friday is Black Friday’s woke cousin. A day to remind us that together we must remember to shop responsibly, and consciously. We are delighted and inspired that one of our stockists, Plain Tiger, is thinking the same way, and for every sale made through Plain Tiger from Monday 22nd to Monday 29th November, all of the profit will be invested in reforestation projects. 

So what is Salt Sister’s take on Green Friday? Upon further thought around this time of year, I’ve decided that our ultimate aim is not to promote masses of discounted sales, but instead our goal remains the same as it does year round; to provide our community with high quality pieces they love, and can enjoy for years to come.

A lot of people don’t realise that it’s the larger brands that can afford to buy in mass volumes. This brings their cost down, meaning they make more profit and can afford to sell their items at lower prices than slow fashion brands like Salt Sister. As a result of mass production, these brands are often left with so much stock and Black Friday is the time of year that’s their best chance at selling it. On the other end of the spectrum, we produce small runs and small collections, with limited wastage. Our fabric cost is higher due to the smaller volumes, our production cost is higher due to the handmade work and when it comes to holidays like these, we simply don't have mass volume of stock to be given away at cost price. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to having sales and this article isn’t to shame anyone who does. There may be times throughout the year when our estimations aren’t quite right, or we overstock or understock a product. Our loyal customers mean a lot to me, so I sometimes want to reward you by offering sales throughout the year. My main point is that I am not condoning the overproducing and mass buying frenzy, but instead I would like to thank our supporters who choose to make the sustainable switch and to encourage shoppers to buy consciously on days like Black Friday.

I would like to reward our tight knit community of conscious shoppers, and to those of you who support Salt Sister and our brand values, I’m offering you an exclusive Green Friday discount code valid for 3 days to encourage conscious buying instead of flash sale impulse buying, and for every sale made from Green Friday onwards (26-29th), we will be planting one tree, through non profit organization-One tree Planted.

Thank you for your support this year, and for supporting upcoming and local businesses. I hope you enjoy my sustainably-made pieces, and remember that throughout this busy season to shop mindfully and carefully. 

If you like what you’ve read here, or agree with the overriding themes of Green Friday – spread the word! The more we connect, the greater our potential and impact. And while we have a tendency to underplay it: your simple actions can really make a difference in creating a better world!

Love Sophe X

(All orders as always will be shipped to you locally and internationally in our compostable hero packs)