How To Reduce Your Carbon Footprint When Shopping This Black Friday And Cyber Monday

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In this article, we'll examine the ways that Black Friday shopping can negatively impact the environment and what changes you can make to your shopping habits to reduce your carbon footprint.

A rule of thumb is the bigger an item is, the larger its carbon footprint. As a guide, goclimate.com estimates a new smartphone has a footprint of approximately 70kg of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), while a laptop can range anywhere between 200-400 kg.

If you really do need that upgrade, make sure you responsibly recycle the items you're replacing. Give them to someone who can use them, or donate them to Goodwill or another charity store.

If your old items are broken, dispose of them responsibly. Many stores will take tech items from you⁘even broken ones⁘and recycle them, such as Walmart's Gadget to Gift Cards scheme .

Today, lots of companies are very aware of their carbon footprint and, in trying to appeal to eco-conscious consumers, they actively promote environmentally-friendly schemes. Lego, for example, is very transparent about its commitment to reducing its emissions. They are actively changing plastic packaging to cardboard, an ongoing process we've been seeing since 2023, and they have been documenting their efforts to reach a 'zero impact' target .

Apple is another company committed to reducing its net emissions to zero: by 2030 it hopes to massively reduce its carbon footprint across its entire brand .

A quick search of a company or manufacturer plus the words 'carbon footprint' should quickly bring up any policies they have about environmental responsibilities. Avoid any companies without a visible environmental policy, as this likely means they don't have one at all.