Our Thoughts on Black Friday

A great American export, ‘Black Friday’ began life as a sale the day after Thanksgiving in the US (which always falls on the fourth Thursday in November). Traditionally, the promise of heavy discounts to kickstart the Christmas shopping season would see eager bargain hunters camped overnight outside department stores and shopping malls across America.

Thanks to the advent of online shopping, the last decade has seen Black Friday sales grow into a global phenomenon and expand, with the addition of ‘Cyber Monday’, from just a weekend to what feels more like a season of flash sales.

Many leading global brands have been swept up by the festivities and got on board with Black Friday and Cyber Monday in one form or another. This year, in the spirit of thoughtful consumerism and environmental responsibility we feel it necessary to make our position clear.

Manufacturing beautiful fitness products from natural materials is the very core of our business. We are proud to source our organic hardwoods from only sustainably harvested trees, grown naturally in the Appalachian Mountains. We can’t ignore the fact that aggressive promotional tactics and flash sales run at odds with our values, risking irresponsible consumption and a negative environmental impact in the short term, and poorer quality products and service in the long term.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are some of the most polluting shopping days of the year. During Black Friday 2020, consumers spent $9 billion (USD) online shopping, up 21.6% year over year, making last year’s event the most polluting ever.

Having been adopted globally, Black Friday’s carbon footprint has also grown accordingly. In the UK alone, Black Friday was directly responsible for 429,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2020—that’s the equivalent of 435 return flights from London to New York.

For 30 years our aim has been to build lasting products that consumers will consider a long-term investment, always at a fair price. Ultimately, we believe the design, reputation and quality of our products mean we do not need to engage in promotional tactics that place unnecessary pressure both on our customers and on our planet.