Skip to main content
An official website of the European UnionAn official EU website
Paper bag picture ©Photo by Lucrezia Carnelos on Unsplash

Turn the Black Friday into a Green Friday and keep it that way!

Last updated on Friday, 27/11/2020

Since online shopping landed as a common buying practice these days, several events on the calendar have marked a big occasion to concentrate purchases from home. This could be your chance to learn some tips and embed them all over the year when shopping online to go for more environmentally-friendly alternatives.

Online shopping is on a speedy rise and due to the huge amount of possibilities to buy from home, one may get lost when trying to assess the most suitable marketplaces and end up with the first option coming up on their browser or app.

Turning to big e-commerce platforms is easy and fast but it comes with a high price for the environment and local communities. As these platforms gather a huge variety of products and reach even the remotest places on earth, small retailers are hit hard and sometimes left with no option but to close down. This is even more staggering in rural areas where local businesses are at risk of disappearing. You can help them stay in business with more conscious shopping choices! 

In case you are wondering…yes! It is possible to buy local on the internet.

Besides, taking time to select and buy your products can be an enjoyable experience from home too. Especially if you have at hand, some tips and options to go shopping in line with your commitment to contribute to tackle climate change and make sustainable choices. We want to help you with this excellent combo!

Don’t panic, you can still get an actual paper-book from your favourite local bookstore!

Do you remember how many times you enjoyed just popping in your local bookstore around the corner and spent hours browsing through the shelves until you found a hidden treasure? What about going to their own website to place an order directly to them?

In case they do not have one, good news! It’s your opportunity to give them a call, have a nice chat with the bookseller, listen to his/her experienced recommendations and find a way to get your books. Be assured that this will have a greater impact on their day and mood than just your purchase!

The benefits you will get from this choice is that you will be reducing your footprint thus you will be supporting local businesses and caring for the environment at the same time. To help you out on this commitment of more sustainable buying choices, don’t forget to check out our article on buying green.

Fancy some clothes?

The fashion industry has one of the biggest shares of online shopping, which comes with no wonder if this is how you skip the line to use fitting rooms! Shopping for clothes online gives you the chance to recreate a fitting room anywhere inside your house. If you are ready for the show at home after buying clothes online and want to do it without thinking about all the kms (and tons of COs emissions!) your clothes had to make, be sure of choosing a platform that states clearly their policy to reduce their social and environmental impact. 

Environmentalist tip to upgrade the green-shopping cart: check the EU Ecolabel Product Catalogue, where you’ll find certified products with lower environmental impact in comparison to similar items on the market.

If second-hand clothes and flea markets are your thing and indeed a very smart choice to give another chance to that product someone else doesn’t need anymore, there are plenty of apps available where you can explore many items and contact the seller directly! 

On the other hand, many neighbourhoods or municipalities have online social fora where citizens living in the area chat and interact. Usually, there is always a discussion topic about second-hand items which may be worth a look! Who knows what vintage gem is waiting for you two streets away?

Similar to second-hand shops and flea markets you have the option of charity shops. Perhaps you didn’t know that you can get a wide range of their fair-trade products online! 

As you see, there are many options to keep up your commitment to fill in your shopping cart with environmentally friendly and ethical choices!