Black Friday purchases predicted to increase by seven percent

Black Friday purchases are estimated to increase by at least seven percent this year compared to 2019, according to new research. The survey of 2,011 UK consumers conducted by price comparison website Money.co.uk found that purchases by consumers will reach 6 billion pounds on Black Friday this year and that those sales could be responsible for 22,080,000,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Photo credit: Money.co.uk Royal Mail recognised as most carbon-conscious delivery company The ‘Dirty Delivery Report’ also found that Royal Mail was the most carbon-conscious delivery company as it has a network of 90,000 ‘feet on the street’ postal workers, has reduced its carbon emissions by 29 percent since 2005 and has invested in 295 electric vehicles. Delivery company Hermes is expected to produce the most carbon dioxide emissions (58,313 tonnes) from its Black Friday deliveries, while Amazon could process 5.1 million Black Friday sales this year which would result in 18,854 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Majority of UK consumers opt for least sustainable delivery option Just one in ten consumers factor carbon-friendly delivery when choosing where to do their online shopping. 72 percent of respondents admitted to preferring retailers who provide free delivery and 35 percent of consumers stated that they opt for next day delivery, the least carbon-efficient option. 20 percent of those surveyed said that they declined to pay extra to compensate for the carbon generation caused by their purchases, compared to 17 percent who would pay two pounds to do so. The survey revealed that 16 percent of 16-24-year-olds said they would choose a green delivery option, compared to eight percent of 55-year-olds and older. Salman Haqqi, a personal finance expert at money.co.uk, said in a statement: “With almost a third of consumers stating that they would be more likely to shop with a retailer if they offered a green or eco-friendly option, it is clear there is some appetite for more environmentally conscious delivery methods. “Despite this, our research found that 20 percent of shoppers did not want to pay to offset the environmental impact of their online purchases, and a further 42 percent admitted to not feeling any environmental guilt when purchasing items online. “Although there is clear interest from consumers to reduce their carbon footprint when shopping online, it appears speed and reliability are two qualities British consumers are more keen for delivery companies to possess.” Photo credit: Unsplash
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