New research from money.co.uk predicts that online shopping this Black Friday could release up to 386,243 tonnes of carbon – the equivalent to 215,778 return flights between London and Sydney, and the same weight as 3,679 blue whales.
The experts predict that, with sales estimated to fall by at least 10% vs last year, Black Friday 2021 could be responsible for 386,243 tonnes of carbon emissions – down 11% from last year’s figure.
How carbon conscious are the UK’s online shoppers?
- Deliveries from Black Friday shopping are estimated to release over 386,243 tonnes of carbon emissions into the atmosphere
- Amazon is predicted to produce 15,272 tonnes of carbon from Black Friday deliveries – down 23% on last year’s figures
- An accompanying survey of UK shoppers finds that overall, consumers believe they have made more environmentally responsible online purchases during the past 12 months
- Almost one in four (22.05%) shoppers consider the environmental impact of their online purchases – up 88.1% when compared to figures from last year
- Gen Z (18-23) would be willing to pay up to £8.84 per delivery to offset the carbon produced by their online purchases – that’s more than any other age group in the report
- More than one in six (17.3%) UK shoppers admitted that they would be unwilling to pay any additional money towards offsetting the carbon produced, which is a 13% decrease compared to the 2020 findings.
