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Published 24 Nov 2023

Our No Buy Green Friday is BACK and greener than ever!

Running from Friday 24th November until Sunday 26th November.

 

No Buy Green Friday graphic


For those of you that don’t know what No Buy Green Friday is, let us explain...

We don’t, and never will participate in Black Friday. Instead, we have created our own No Buy Green Friday. The reason for this is simple. Black Friday has a huge environmental impact (and not a positive one!). We want to remind our customers that, despite all the marketing hysteria, it is important to consume mindfully, not unnecessarily across the weekend – and always. We will also be doing our bit to try and offset some of the extra CO2 generated from Black Friday sales.

Read on to find out what we are doing differently and how you, as a consumer, can turn your Black Friday, GREEN!

 

 

Why we are saying NO to Black Friday

Can you get great deals on Black Friday? Absolutely. But does the marketing of these deals get you to buy something that you don't REALLY need? Most likely.

Black Friday might just run for a day (or a week for some brands), but the environmental damage lasts a whole lot longer...

  • A quarter of Brits surveyed said they regretted their Christmas Black Friday buys.
  • 80% of products bought on Black Friday end up in landfill, are incinerated, or at best are recycled poorly.
  • Only 29% of electronic waste caused by Black Friday is recycled.
  • During last year’s Black Friday week, it was estimated that 1.2 million tons of CO2 was released due to trucks transporting goods around Europe. That’s 94% higher than an average week.
  • This year’s (2023) Black Friday in the UK is expected to produce 429,000 metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from product deliveries alone – that’s the same as 435 return flights from London to New York!

What are we doing differently?

After the huge amounts of positive feedback last year, we will be our running campaign 'No Buy Green Friday' again from Friday 24th November until 11:59pm on Sunday 26th November.

With sustainability at the forefront of everything we do, here is what we are choosing to do this Black Friday...

No discounts.
No discounts for Black Friday


We don't want to contribute to mass consumerism. Discounts can often lead consumers to make unnecessary purchases which has negative impacts on the planet. Our prices will remain the same this weekend. We understand that life is expensive at the moment and the cost of living crisis is still very present, but we have kept most of our prices stable despite increased costs. This is because we want you as consumers to always be able to make sustainable, despite the rise in the cost of living. Whether that is by making your home more energy efficient with one of our Chimney Sheep® draught excluders or by choosing one of our eco-friendly alternatives to an everyday product you already use, our main priority is helping you to make long-term sustainable and affordable changes to help the planet.

 

Planting more trees.
One tree planted for every order on Black Friday


Through our Community Interest Company, Buy Land Plant Trees, we already put 20% of our profits into planting trees in Cumbria. To try and do our bit for the planet during the Black Friday weekend, we are going to be planting an extra tree for every order made with us over the weekend. Of course, this isn't a solution to Black Friday and will only offset a teenie tiny fraction of the CO2 produced during this mass consumer event but it's a start. Please don't see this as a reason to purchase from us for the sake of it. Read on and we'll explain...

 

Only buy from us if you NEED to.
Shop mindfully


We get that there actually might be something you need to buy from us (or another company) this weekend. It could be a Chimney Sheep® you've been meaning to buy for ages or it could be a Christmas gift that you wanted to get for a loved one from our eco-friendly gift range. All we encourage is that you consume mindfully. Not unnecessarily. If you don't need it, don't buy it. Simple! We hope that you use this mindset across the whole weekend and beyond. And if you do really need it (and we appreciate that you do need to buy things!), buy sustainably where you can and buy things that last. Not things for landfill.

Sally Phillips

Inventor of Chimney Sheep

black friday
green home
sustainability
trees
PlanetCare Microfibre Filter Starter Kit

PlanetCare Microfibre Filter Starter Kit

55.00 GBP

How does it work?

This ingenious washing machine microfibre filter kit uses cartridges to physically catch and retain the fibres that come loose when you wash your laundry. Each cartridge will last around 15-20 loads of laundry and is easily replaceable in just a couple of minutes.

No chemicals are used in the construction or the functioning of the filter. Fibre retention is based solely on physical retention with the help of clever patent-pending technology.

You can also send the used cartridges back to us and we'll forward them on to PlanetCare. They will ensure that they are reused or recycled.  This ‘closed loop’ system ensures that there is minimum wastage throughout the whole process.

Something to think about:

Doing the laundry can have a huge environmental impact, whether that be using tonnes of energy running the washing machine and tumble drier - or the pollutants that are released from the products you use. Using a microfiber filter is just one way of reducing that impact. Why not make a few more changes - we've tonnes of handy tips in our blog.

 

What's in the box?

You'll get everything you need to fit your PlanetCare washing machine filter with these handy starter kits, meaning you can get it in place and start catching microfibers straight away.

The Mini Starter Kit includes:

  • 1 housing top with a cup, 1 holder, 4 screws, 1 tube (1.5m), 1 silicone lubricant, 1 counter, and 3 filter replacement cartridges.
  •  3 cartridges. These can last up to 60 washes.

The XL Starter Kit includes:

  • 1 housing top with a cup, 1 holder, 4 screws, 1 tube (1.5m), 1 silicone lubricant, 1 counter, and 3 filter replacement cartridges.
  • 13 cartridges. These can last up to 260 washes.
    Note: All the filter cartridges are 100% recycled and refurbished for use again and again via a closed-loop service.

       

      Is it easy to install?

      The microfiber filter is very easy to install. In fact, for most washing machines this process takes less than 10 minutes. The filters are compatible with all types of washing machines.

      There's actually a handy how-to video and a useful installation guide  you can take a peek at if you need a little bit more guidance.

      It’s a good idea to position it high enough above the floor/surface so the cover can be removed to change the filter and position the device so that it is easy to screw the cover back after each filter change.

      Please note: you will need 13 cm on the side of the washing machine and approx. 60 cm in height clearance so that you will be able to easily unscrew the housing and change the filter comfortably.

      The filter must be placed outside the washing machine on the drain hose. It should not be raised above the height of the drain hose exiting the washing machine. The hose length should be held to a minimum. Raising the filter and a long drain hose will both reduce the efficiency of pumping and filtering and should be avoided.

       

      What are the dimensions of the filter housing?

      The filter housing alone, without any attachments, measures the following:

      • height 325 mm, width (hose attachment direction) 122 mm, and depth 130 mm.

       

      Is the microfiber filter easy to use?

      For the first load, just make sure the filter cover is replaced correctly and screwed tight before using the washing machine. Try a short wash and make sure all connections and covers are fixed and watertight.

      It’s also a good idea to hold the top of the device when replacing the filter cover to avoid putting pressure on the bracket fixings when unscrewing the cover.

      After that, you do not need to do anything until the cartridge is full.

      >Easy!

       

      How does the closed-loop system work?

      When your cartridge is full you can send it back to us directly, simply go onto the delivery website Parcel2Go and produce a label to send the cartridges to us, don't forget to include your order details as we'll refund you the postage cost. We then send these off to PlanetCare who disassemble the cartridge and remove the fibres and filtering medium.  This is done in a controlled environment, ensuring that caught fibres do not pollute water or the environment.

       

      What does Planetcare do with the fibres?

      >At the moment PlanetCare is safely storing the used filtered materials. Once they have sufficient quantity, they will reuse/recycle it all. At the moment they are planning to reuse the materials by converting them into insulation mats. But, they're always on the lookout for viable solutions and will choose the best available option to reuse/ recycle the fibres.

      The waste will never be burned or sent to a landfill!

      The remainder of the cartridge is cleaned, and fitted with a new filtering medium ready to be used again.

      Read More