At Whatley Manor, a luxury country manor house hotel deeply committed to sustainability, we want to take a moment to consider something which is often overlooked, the environmental impact of Black Friday. With Christmas just around the corner, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of major discounts and the rush to purchase new products, but how do our buying habits affect the planet? In this blog we explore ways we can all make more conscious choices and reduce the environmental impact of Black Friday.
Black Friday has become synonymous with consumerism, often encouraging mass purchases of discounted goods that has a big impact on the environment. According to waste collection company, Waste Managed, Black Friday produces about 429,000 metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from product deliveries alone – that’s the same as 435 return flights from London to New York!
The environmental impact of Black Friday is not just about increased deliveries, it’s rooted in both the production of goods and the behaviour it promotes. Many of the products bought on Black Friday are manufactured quickly and with minimal regard for their environmental footprint. The production process requires vast amounts of energy, water, and raw materials, all of which contributes to pollution and increased greenhouse gas emissions.
As luxury hoteliers dedicated to sustainability, we understand the importance of reducing our impact on the environment and we have made considerable progress in our journey to achieve a net positive effect on the planet and its ecosystems. Under the direction of Sustainability Advisor, Sue Williams, Whatley Manor gained Silver accreditation by EarthCheck in September 2022, and we have retained it for three years running.
We have also been recognised in national, industry sustainability awards with our hotel being named Condé Nast Johansens Most Sustainable Hotel 2019 – 2024. Since 2020, Whatley Manor has been among the first few UK properties to be awarded a Green Michelin Star, recognising our sustainable gastronomy. Our most recent accolade was the Sustainable Independent Hotel Award in The Hoteliers Guild’s Sirius Academy Awards 2023.
Another large part of the environmental impact of Black Friday is the packaging and transportation of millions of orders – particularly expedited shipping options – most of which are shipped globally. Perhaps unsurprisingly, these shipments often require extensive packaging, much of which is single use plastics, and this contributes to waste in landfills and oceans, endangering wildlife and affecting ecosystems.
At Whatley Manor, we are working hard to decarbonise our operation by transparently and accurately measuring our environmental impact against EarthCheck’s key performance areas via an annual audit. We continually review our supply chain, both upstream and downstream, and source our purchased products and services responsibly. We also train, educate and build awareness amongst our team, suppliers, and guests, as well as embracing the circular economy model – refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle.
This Black Friday, we invite our guests and suppliers to reflect on how they can contribute to reducing the environmental impact of Black Friday by decarbonising their businesses, supporting sustainable brands, and opting for experiences over products. For more information about our sustainability journey click here
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Whatley Manor have our own once in a year sale of experiences launching on 29 November. The offers will be on general sale from 8am on Friday 29th November to midnight on Monday 2nd December. Otherwise you can sign up for early access to purchase 12 hours before the general sale. Here is the link to sign up to be notified of early access.
