As we’re heading through November, the anticipation for Black Friday sales grows. This event has spread globally, and dental practices in the UK are also getting in on the act by offering huge discounts, or the equivalent of BOGOF offers on cosmetic treatments. However, amidst the excitement of discounted shopping, it's crucial to consider the environmental impact of this annual event. This blog post aims to shed light on Green Friday, a sustainable alternative to Black Friday, and how it can help us shift towards more mindful, eco-friendly shopping and business habits.
Understanding Black Friday
Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is one of the year's busiest shopping days. It's known for significant discounts, leading to increased consumer spending and, consequently, a surge in sales for retailers. However, this event also promotes overconsumption, resulting in wastage and increased carbon emissions. According to Waste Managed, Black Friday 2023 in the UK was expected to emit 429,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from deliveries alone! More worrying, 80% of products bought on Black Friday are said to end up in landfill, incinerated, or poorly recycled.
The Potential Harm of Black Friday Sales in Dental Practices
Discounting dental services can be a strategy to attract new patients, but it could harm your brand by reducing the perceived quality of the service you provide. I know the value of my dental team's service, and we don't cater to patients seeking discounts. I wouldn't want to be known as the "Discount Dentist".
Financially, offering a discount reduces the profit margin on each sale. For example, if a business has a 30% profit margin and provides a 10% discount, it would need to increase sales volume by 50% to maintain the same level of profitability. More recently, I listened to a talk by Koray Feran, which highlighted how a 10% reduction in fees charged resulted in a net decrease in business profits of over 40% for the treatment.
And, as I mentioned earlier, some practices offer a whopping 30% discount, which is unsustainable.
Additionally, offering discounts selectively can lead to feelings of mistrust among patients. This can lead to dissatisfaction and a sense of unfairness, potentially damaging the trust between the patient and the dental practice. When considering promotional strategies such as Black Friday discounts, it's essential to consider the potential ethical implications and the impact on patient relationships.
The Emergence of Green Friday
Green Friday emerged as an anti-Black Friday movement in 2015, aiming to raise awareness about the negative impacts of society's shopping habits. It counters the "shop-till-you-drop" mentality of Black Friday, encouraging mindful and sustainable purchasing decisions. While Black Friday encourages consumers to buy more for less, often leading to wastage and increased carbon emissions, Green Friday reminds you that you have a choice on how you shop and how you, as dental practice owners, choose to do business.
How to Participate in Green Friday
Dental practices can participate in Green Friday, a day re-focused on sustainability and eco-friendly practices, in several ways:
Education and raising awareness: Dental practices can educate their teams and patients about sustainability.
Promote Eco-Friendly Dental Products: Dental practices can stock and promote eco-friendly dental products such as biodegradable toothbrushes, all-natural toothpaste, and mouthwash. This supports the environment and caters to the increasing number of patients who prefer environmentally conscious brands. In 2024, according to a survey completed by PwC, consumers are willing to spend an average of 9.7% more on sustainably produced or sourced goods, even factoring in inflationary concerns.
Support Environmental Causes: Partner with environmental organisations or charities and donate a percentage of your revenue to support biodiversity, conservation, or other environmental causes. This demonstrates your commitment to environmental stewardship and gives back to the community.
Invest in worthwhile causes: Green Friday is not just about material purchases. It's about giving our time, money, skills, talents, and expertise to anyone who may benefit, such as supporting dental charities or volunteering at local dental clinics.
Conclusion
Green Friday presents an opportunity for businesses, including dental practices, to shift away from marketing strategies exploiting their clientele's impulsive and damaging shopping behaviour towards building deeper relationships that benefit our lives and the planet. As consumers and business owners, we can make a difference through our purchasing and business choices.
Remember, the goal is not to stop shopping entirely but to shop more consciously, considering the environmental impact of our purchases.
At Greener Dentistry Global we won't be offering a Black Friday deal but will use this day to donate to worthwhile causes and promote sustainable practices in dentistry.
Together, we can make a difference in creating a more sustainable future for dentistry and beyond.
References:
- Waste Managed. (2023). Is Black Friday Bad For The Environment? https://www.wastemanaged.co.uk/our-news/retail/black-friday-waste/
- (2024). Consumers willing to pay 9.7% sustainability premium, even as cost-of-living and inflationary concerns weigh: PwC 2024 Voice of the Consumer Survey. https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/news-room/press-releases/2024/pwc-2024-voice-of-consumer-survey.html
Blog by Greener Dentistry Global
Posted by Gemma
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