Okay, I have to admit that the title sounds a bit contradictory at first glance. Black Friday, the day after the American Thanksgiving, is known as a day of rampant consumption. Sure, it doesn’t fit into the concept of sustainability in almost every way. Of course, the most sustainable thing to do here would be to resist the percentages altogether on Black Friday. But that is an extremely privileged view. People use discounts and sales for different motives. For many people, the discounts help them finally buy products that would otherwise be unaffordable. Nevertheless, there are many ways to make the shopping experience sustainable, as saving money and sustainability do not always have to be mutually exclusive.
In recent years, more and more alternative campaigns to Black Friday or Black Week have been launched. Green Sunday, for example, is the idea of an online marketplace to buy more secondhand, i.e. used items, instead of new products. Buyback Friday comes from a large furniture store that offers its customers the opportunity to sell their old furniture back to them and thus save money.
The idea behind Green Friday is that the environment should also benefit from our desire to buy. Many companies plant a tree for every purchase, while others donate the profits to social causes. In this way, Green Friday draws attention to more sustainable consumption. Fashion companies that make sustainable clothes also have discount promotions, such as erlich textil, the sustainable fashion manufacturer best known for its organic underwear, which is giving a tidy 30% off. The sustainability brand ARMEDANGELS advertises 25% on Green Friday.
One of the basic rules of sustainability is to only buy what you REALLY need. The fact is that there are always good Black Friday deals, so if you’re already saving up for a certain product, this discount battle is still a good way to save a few bucks. For some, it is an affordable vacuum cleaner, for others, the sweater is made of organic cotton mix. The main thing is that the products serve you for a long time and are not replaced by new products next season.
These and many other examples show that saving money and at the same time showing consideration for the environment need not be a contradiction in terms. Sustainability is also a top priority at Falkensteiner: the sustainable water system at Resort Punta Skala, Austria’s largest hotel-owned permaculture garden at Balance Resort Stegersbach, or the use of sustainable cosmetics and regional cuisine in many Falkensteiner Hotels & Residences. Convince yourself and get the 40% Falkensteiner Black Friday Deal!
