While many companies are gearing up for their Black Friday promotions, in some cases offering no discounts, Rossignol is launching a “White Friday” promotion for the week starting on Nov. 28, pledging to donate 10 percent of all its global sales online and at its own stores during the period to Protect Our Winters (POW), the snow sports industry’s leading voice in the fight against climate change.
A new British retailer of outdoor clothing, Latitude, is similarly running a “White Friday” promotion during the same days, pledging to donate £5 from every purchase to POW.
Meanwhile, arguing that discounts inspire needless purchases and fill up landfills, more and more outdoor brands are trying to steer Black Friday away from commerce and toward environmentalism. Fjällräven, for example, will be giving away 1,500 annual passes to U.S. National Parks, and Isbjörn of Sweden will for the first time begin renting its products online, to promote the re-use of garments and lower the price barrier to high-quality skiwear.
The North Face, which joined the European Outdoor Conservation Association (Eoca) earlier this year, said it will donate one euro for each purchase made during the Black Friday weekend in three countries – Germany, Italy and the U.K. – to its own “Explore Fund,” which promotes diversity for the enjoyment of nature among young people all over Europe. The fund currently concentrates on action in those three countries, but it will be rolled out across Europe.
Since 2016, Haglöfs of Sweden has been calling Black Friday “Green Friday.” It will be temporarily doubling prices at its brand stores in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Åre, Helsinki and Oslo and donating the proceeds to Naturskyddsföreningen, the Swedish conservation society. Its web shop will be offline worldwide.
Patagonia will be doubling all donations (of up to $10,000) made on the Patagonia Action Works platform from Nov. 29 to Dec. 31, capping its total donations at $10 million. Consumers’ donations needn’t be paired with a purchase and can also be made to environmental NGOs.
In France, meanwhile, Green Friday, an initiative born two years ago, has become a movement where some 400 companies in all sectors are pledging to donate 10 percent of the revenues from the sale of their products tomorrow to associations that promote eco-responsible consumption, rather than offering discounts.
