Blue Friday: A Fresh Black Alternative for Ocean-Minded Brands 🌊
- Pledger
- Sep 23
- 5 min read
Black Friday Alternative for Ethical & Purpose-led eCommerce Brands that 💙 the Ocean 🌊
At Virtue, we love this time of the year — it’s busy, impactful, and full of possibility. That’s why we’re excited to champion Blue Friday as an ethical, ocean-loving alternative to traditional Black Friday Strategies — a campaign that puts ocean health, marine conservation, and sustainable practices front and center during the BFCM season.
TL;DR/Summary: Black Friday drives huge sales (~£7.1B in the UK 2024) but creates massive waste and environmental harm. Green Friday flips the script—supporting ethical brands, reducing waste, and funding causes like tree planting and conservation. Brands like AYM, REI, and Ritual show it wins customer loyalty while making a real impact.
Black Friday: The Status Quo
Black Friday has become a global phenomenon — originally American, but now embraced by brands and shoppers around the world. While few people are lining up at 5 a.m. for a TV anymore, the weekend still drives huge spikes in sales. But along with the revenue comes a heavy environmental cost: waste, overconsumption, and damage to ecosystems.
Black Friday and The Cost to Our Oceans
Beneath the buzz of sales lies a darker story for our marine ecosystems. Consider:
Many fast fashion pieces and electronics use unsustainable materials and polluting production processes.
Plastic packaging and microplastics from discarded goods often end up in oceans.
Supply chains and shipping generate carbon and chemical runoff that impacts corals, marine life, and coastal habitats.
If we keep treating oceans as a dumping ground, Blue Friday aims to shift that narrative.
What Is Blue Friday?
Blue Friday is a purpose-driven alternative to Black Friday that focuses on ocean conservation, sustainable and low-impact materials, marine-focused causes, and giving back to sea ecosystems.
Instead of blindly offering steep discounts, brands can:
Donate a portion of sales to marine charities (coral restoration, ocean cleanup, sustainable fisheries)
Offer products made from sea-safe or recycled materials
Use packaging that’s plastic-free or marine compostable
Commit to reducing shipping emissions, carbon offsetting, or slower shipping
Run educational campaigns to raise awareness of ocean issues
Blue Friday lets brands align with customers who care deeply about water, marine life, and coastal communities.
See also Give Back Friday, Green Friday, #optoutside
Looking for more planet-friendly ideas for Black Friday? Check out these articles
Brands Leading the Way (Blue Friday in Action)
Here are some creative and inspirational examples of how brands could embrace Blue Friday:
OceanWear: For every purchase this Friday, they donate 5% to a coral reef restoration project and highlight clothing made from ocean-plastic yarns.
WaveCups: They introduce reusable sea-safe drinkware and commit to donating 10% of profits to marine cleanup.
Seashell Skincare: On Blue Friday, they launch a campaign where every order plants kelp forests or supports sustainable seaweed farms.
Surf & Save: A brand might pause all discounting and run a “Spend a Day at the Beach” campaign, encouraging customers to get outside and care about the ocean, while donating a share of sales to marine research.
Check out some other causes to donate to
How to Run a Blue Friday Campaign (for Your Brand)
There are many great causes that you can support on Green Friday. On Virtue, you can directly contribute to great environment causes through our verified Virtue Impact Partners.
Pick an ocean cause that aligns. Choose from coral reefs, plastic removal, sustainable fishing, marine protected areas, or sea turtle conservation.
Decide your giving method: Donate a fixed percentage of sales, dedicate certain products to giving, or allow customers to add a marine donation at checkout.
Use sustainable materials & packaging. Avoid plastics, promote compostable or reusable packaging, and feature marine-safe substrates.
Offset shipping & emissions. Choose slower shipping, consolidate orders, or invest in carbon offsets tied to ocean restoration.
Educate and share impact. Use content, visuals, and storytelling to explain why Blue Friday matters — show customers the difference they make.
Promote thoughtfully promoting overconsumption—Emphasise values, stories, and education over urgency and FOMO.
Measure & report your impact. After the campaign, share data: number of donations, area of reef restored, plastic removed, etc. Transparency builds trust.
Why Blue Friday Matters (to Your Brand & the Planet)
Stand out in a crowded field. When everyone’s discounting, few choose to do something different. Blue Friday signals leadership and values.
Build loyalty with conscious consumers. Many shoppers now expect brands to have purpose. Showing genuine environmental impact strengthens bonds.
Reduce environmental harm. Even small shifts — better materials, smarter shipping, targeted donations — add up over time.
Tell a story people want to share. Campaigns rooted in impact are shareable, authentic, and often more meaningful than just deals.
FAQs
What is Blue Friday? Blue Friday is a BFCM alternative that centers ocean health, marine causes, and sustainable practices instead of purely steep discounts.
How is Blue Friday different from Green Friday? While Green Friday broadly focuses on environmental causes (land conservation, planting trees, reducing footprint), Blue Friday zeroes in on marine ecosystems, ocean health, plastics, and coastal communities.
Can small brands run a Blue Friday campaign too ? Absolutely. You don’t need deep pockets — simple actions like donating a small percentage, using better packaging, or partnering with a marine cause can make a difference.
How do I choose a cause? Pick something aligned with your brand identity or customer base. For example, surf brands might support reefs; beauty brands might back microplastic cleanup.
How should I communicate the campaign?Be clear, honest, and educational. Show real impact numbers, explain why you chose your cause, and invite customers to learn and share.
Blue Friday gives brands an opportunity to do BFCM differently — to be bold, meaningful, and tide-turning. When the weekend of deals arrives again, it doesn’t have to be about overconsumption. It can be about healing our oceans, together.
Check out some other causes to donate to
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