Sustainability

Fighting for a sustainable future

According to the 2022 Climate Change Performance Index, Australia has received a “very low” rating for its performance in every category (greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy, energy use and climate policy). For this reason the index has placed Australia an embarrassing 58th out of 64 countries!

As a nation, we no longer ‘should’ do better, we need to.

It’s time to disrupt retail consumerism on behalf of the planet.

We can’t do it without your help

As the world grapples with a host of worsening environmental issues, most of us aren’t doing enough to help make a difference.

Single use plastics, runaway consumerism, a lack of focus on sustainability. They’re things we want to be better at. But our busy lives make doing more really hard.

Currently, our choice is either keep doing what we’re doing and ignore the planet. Or, turn ourselves into hermits, buy a pair of hemp sandals and reject the modern world.

Discover a better way with Green Friday.

We built the Green Friday platform to make it easier than ever for consumers to source products and services that are better for our planet. Green Friday will feature hundreds of deals from brands who have offers within the sustainability, re-commerce or circular economy space.

What brands can participate in Green Friday?

In order to meet Australia’s Paris Agreement commitment (to reduce emissions by 43% by 2030 and to net zero emissions by 2050) we need to see change from major Australian retailers. To get to this goal, we don’t need retailers to be “all in” or nothing when it comes to sustainability. We don’t need thousands of brands being 100% sustainable… we need millions to be imperfectly sustainable.

That is why for Green Friday 2022, we are including a wider range of Australian brands and retailers on the platform and celebrating their sustainable efforts. We are giving brands the platform to prove to Australian consumers that they are on their sustainability journey and to showcase some incredible sustainable deals!

However, not just any brand can participate in Green Friday. All brands are vetted against our sustainability framework as pictured below. You, as the consumer will then be able to shop sustainable deals based on what is most important to you. Only want to shop certified sustainable businesses? Fine! Only want to support businesses that sell products with sustainable materials? Can do!

Our Top 5 Sustainability Tips

Living sustainably is not about going without the things that you love and enjoy doing. In fact, a little thought and a few simple tweaks to your lifestyle can have a big impact on your environmental footprint, without requiring a lot of time and effort.

Often living sustainably is about forming new habits that are healthy for you, your family and the environment. Our top 5 tips will get you started.

1. Reduce your food waste

Reduce your grocery bills by finding out how to avoid food waste. The average household throws out approximately $2,200 worth of food each year. Food thrown into your garbage bin ends up in landfill, and breaks down in a way that can create greenhouse gasses.

2. Use reusable cups such as keep cups

Australians consume more than 50,000 cups of coffee every half hour, and an estimated 3 billion takeaway hot drink cups every year. Sadly these cups, which are made from virgin materials rather than recycled paper, cannot be put in your kerbside or workplace recycling bins. Take a cup with you or have your drink to stay.

3. Say no to straws and plastic bags

Australians use around 10 million plastic bags every day, contributing to an estimated 8 million tonnes of plastic dumped into the ocean every year. Plastic straws are also to blame, and are one of the most common items found on beach shores all over the world. All of this plastic fills our landfill, harms our wildlife, and can take lifetimes to break down. Just say no to plastic bags & straws.

4. Walk, bike and use public transport whenever possible

Walking and cycling is good for your health and the health of the environment. Think about walking or cycling to work, to make exercise and reducing carbon emissions part of your day. If neither of these are an option, think about taking public transport or carpooling. While you’re at it, avoid air travel as much as possible and carbon offset your flights.

5. Go paper free

Reduce the paper clutter in your home and save some trees by going paper free. Almost everything from your phone bill to your credit card statement can be viewed online. Contact your banks, utility providers and other service providers to go paperless. And while you’re at it, switch to recycled toilet paper.