At Design Rocket, Green Friday is the new Black

Our web-shop is quiet and several of our retailers report that theirs are also quiet, regarding customer flow. People come and look to gather inspiration and take pictures for the wish list for Christmas (which is great). Or they are checking what products will be released for super sale on Black Friday in a moment.

Black Friday has become one of the biggest shopping days in Denmark. In 2018, Danes spent 1.94 million DKK shopping on this day! (source: Texta). Many people save up money just for Black Friday.

It is custom in Danish families to prepare individual wish lists for Christmas, both young and old, to exchange with each other. Many will by this time of the year, already have distributed or received their loved one’s wish list, making it possible to buy more presents at a cheaper price. Of course, we all love to purchase things at a cheaper price, wouldn’t you?

Today we know that stores have fixed prices on their products, so that offers are possible but they are still making a profit. Psychologically speaking, we would rather go for the yellow tag or the percentage sign, showing us how much we can save. You earn what you save, right? So now, I can get 2 pairs of shoes for the price of one, it would be foolish to not take the second pair. But do we really need the second pair? Wasn’t it only the first pair of shoes I really needed? Or am I just being tempted by the good offer presented to me?

Consumer feast, where nature pays the price – again

All our shopping and our entire consumption puts a climate harming footprint on our nature. And especially on Black Friday, we are shopping so much that our planet can feel it. For example, choosing to shop for a smartphone, a pair of trousers, a pair of shoes and a set of workout clothes, on Black Friday, emits 342.3 kg of CO2 in just one day (source: greenmatch). That is the equivalent of a flight from Denmark to Madrid. Isn’t it crazy to think about, how much COVID19 also contributed to less air pollution?

Of course, we still need to buy groceries and especially support those shops/stores that we want to be open for us next year. But maybe, it is time to think about our consumption. To only buy the things we need. To rely on the manufacturer and store to set a price that makes it fair for both manufacturer, store and consumer. As a consumer, shouldn’t we be able to trust, that offer-sales were not counted into the final price tag at the beginning? Because wouldn’t that mean, that people who pay full price, actually pay an overprice?

Sustainable production and materials

We have chosen to produce only after demand to avoid overproduction and stock. This means that in some cases there is a slightly longer delivery time for both shops and consumers. All our wood is FSC certified, which means that it comes from safe forestry, considering fair treatment of nature and people (read more about FSC here). All our wood is being stored and reutilized for other production purposes. We try to convert all the leftovers into products, having as little waste as possible. We try to run an environmentally friendly production, with as little pollution as possible. We also dream of being able to think about social sustainability when it comes to terms of hiring staff at one point in the future. Imagine how amazing it would be, to help young people who find it difficult to find their place in life and on the job market?

We are new to this game and we still have a lot to learn, but we are doing our best (read more about us here). And as simple as that, we only try to encourage the consumer to do the following: think about what you buy, from whom and what it is produced of.

How do we hold Green Friday?

Frankly, we don’t know yet. Maybe we could donate a percentage of our Green Friday profits to a charity? Maybe we should encourage everyone to take a bag and go out into nature to collect waste and garbage? Should we do nothing about Green Friday? Or what else can we do? Do you have a good idea?