Why Should You Support Sustainable Brands This Black Friday? 7 Reasons

By Ellie, founder of Go For Zero

"Why don't you do 50% off like the big stores?" is a question that pops up every November, usually from someone who loves shopping small but is surrounded by countdown timers. So let's talk about why sustainable brands price the way they do, what a big sale really costs the planet and how to have a more sustainable Black Friday, without filling your cart with things you don't need.

Key Takeaways

• Sustainable brands rarely take 40 or 50% off, because they price fairly every day, not just in November.
• Safer ingredients, ethical suppliers and better packaging cost more to make, and that's a choice worth backing.
• Big sales drive impulse buys, returns and rushed shipping. One thoughtful swap does far more good than a pile of bargains.
• Black Friday is when lots of us start Christmas shopping, so it's a chance to put small, honest Aussie and NZ brands under the tree.
• Every Go For Zero order donates $1 to an Australian charity, so a busy November means more for the charities we support.

Looking for a gift while you're here? One I personally love this year is the Miód Body Love Gift Set, made by Sonya, a natural skincare formulator in Healesville, Victoria. It brings together an organic nourishing body oil, an exfoliating mitt and a palm oil-free coconut soap in a plastic-free gift box, and it's 15% off for Green Friday, bringing it to $42.50.

Miód - Body Love Gift Set

Love the soap and oil. Leaves my skin feeling smooth.

Ros P.

Shop the Body Love Gift Set

What Is a Sustainable or Conscious Brand?

A sustainable, or conscious, brand weighs its impact on people and the planet in every decision, from its ingredients to its packaging.

If you're new to low-tox, low-waste living, here's the simple version. Most mass-market brands are built around making products as cheaply and in as much volume as possible. A conscious brand is the alternative to that. It chooses gentler ingredients, low-waste packaging and suppliers it knows and trusts, even when that costs more.

Why does that matter to you? Because what's in a product, and what it's packed in, doesn't disappear once you've used it. Fewer harsh or unnecessary ingredients means fewer things on your skin and going down the drain, and better packaging means less in your bin at the end.

One thing to watch for: words like "green", "eco friendly" and "sustainable" are easy to print on a label. The ACCC warns that vague claims like these can mislead people into thinking a product causes no harm at all, so it's worth looking past the front of the pack. Conscious brands are for anyone who'd rather buy fewer, better things, whether you're making your first swap or your fiftieth.

What Are the 7 Reasons to Support Sustainable Brands This Black Friday?

They price fairly, make products with care, back local makers and help you swap disposables for things that last.

Here's something we don't talk about enough: running a conscious brand is harder. Every decision, from what goes in the bottle to what it's posted in, takes more time, money and care. That's exactly why your support matters so much, especially when sale season gets loud.

1. They don't cut corners on ingredients or materials

Conscious brands don't reach for cheap synthetic fillers or the lowest-cost manufacturer they can find. They choose gentler ingredients, small-batch production and suppliers they actually know and trust. That higher level of care costs more to produce, and it's a big part of why these products are worth trying. If you're curious, here's how we check every ingredient before we stock a product.

2. Their packaging is made to be reused, refilled, composted or recycled

Bulk-buying cheap plastic packaging is the easy option. The conscious brands we stock go the other way, with reusable, refillable, home-compostable or easily recyclable packaging. It costs more per unit, but it means far less ends up in landfill once you've finished the product. That matters, because UNSW reported that, according to ABS figures, 84 per cent of plastic in Australia is sent straight to landfill.

3. They price fairly all year round

Most conscious brands simply don't have the margins to take 40 or 50% off. And if a brand can discount that much, it's fair to wonder what the everyday price was really based on. Australia's consumer watchdog has raised concerns about exactly this, flagging potentially misleading "was/now" and RRP pricing in Black Friday ads. The conscious brands we stock price fairly every day, because they want you to try their products, not wait for a sale.

4. They're small Aussie and NZ businesses

We proudly support more than 100 small, sustainable businesses, and we only stock Australian and New Zealand owned brands. Many are run by a handful of people with big hearts and even bigger dreams, often juggling making, packing, customer service and school pick-ups in one day. When you buy from them, your money goes to a real local business and a real family, not a shareholder report.

5. One good swap replaces a pile of disposables

A shampoo bar, a refillable bottle or a set of reusable wipes can replace a lot of single-use plastic over a year, and the same thinking works for the gifts we give. Take perfume. A lot of perfume relies on synthetic fragrance, which is a hard no for us. Our own Viva La Body natural perfumes use essential oils and shea butter instead, in a pocket-sized, home-compostable tube that slips straight into a Christmas stocking. They're 25% off for Green Friday, which brings the Flower perfume to $22.46.

Viva La Body - Flower Natural Perfume

Lovely scent. So nice to have a fragrance without the nasties. Just love their products.

Amanda B.

Shop Natural Perfume

6. Your money backs the system you'd rather see

Every purchase is a small vote for fair wages, small-batch production and making only what's needed. The more of us who back that, the more normal (and affordable) it becomes.

7. A thoughtful gift can be someone's first swap

November is when lots of us start Christmas shopping. Gifting something beautiful, useful and low-waste is a lovely way to introduce someone to a swap they might never have tried on their own. We see it all the time: one gift turns into a refill, then a second swap, then a whole new habit.

Need a little inspiration? Our Conscious Christmas Gift Guide is full of thoughtful, low-waste gifts from small Aussie and NZ brands. For something properly Christmassy, the Eco Modern Essentials Aussie Christmas Essential Oil Trio bottles up an Aussie summer Christmas in three blends: Aussie Christmas, Beachside and Campfire. A few drops in a diffuser while you wrap presents is a lovely, natural alternative to synthetic room sprays, and it's 25% off at $45.

Eco Modern Essentials - Aussie Christmas Essential Oil Trio

Shop the Christmas Oil Trio

What Does a Big Sale Really Cost the Planet?

A big sale can mean more impulse buys, more returns, more rushed deliveries and more short-lived products heading to landfill.

Black Friday is now one of Australia's biggest shopping moments. Aussies are forecast to spend a record $7.2 billion over the Black Friday to Cyber Monday weekend, from 27 to 30 November. Countdown timers and "limited stock" banners push us to buy quickly, and the ACCC found around half of the 50 retailers it reviewed during last year's Black Friday sales made concerning claims, including potentially misleading countdown timers.

Plenty of rushed purchases end up unused or sent back. In the US, retailers surveyed by the National Retail Federation expect around 17% of holiday sales to be returned, and every return means more packaging and more trucks on the road.

Speed has a footprint too. A researcher at MIT's Center for Transportation and Logistics told the Associated Press that, for the same demand, fast shipping increases emissions by 10 to 12%, because vans leave half full and make extra trips to hit tight delivery windows.

Then there's what the products are made of. Synthetic textiles are estimated to be behind 16 to 35% of the microplastics released into the ocean worldwide, and most of that shedding happens in the first few washes. That's why short-lived fast fashion bought on a whim does so much damage.

How Can You Shop Black Friday More Mindfully?

Buy what you'll really use, choose swaps that replace something disposable and pick standard shipping when you can.

These little habits make the biggest difference.

1. Ask yourself one question first

Before you add anything to your cart, ask: will I actually use this? If the answer's yes, and it replaces something disposable, that's a great swap. If you're not sure, pop it on a wishlist and come back in a few days.

2. Read past the headline discount

Big "up to" numbers can hide a lot of fine print. The ACCC encourages shoppers to be wary of broad discount claims and to check for any disclaimers or conditions, so a quick look before you buy is worth it.

3. Choose standard shipping

Waiting an extra one to two days for delivery can cut delivery emissions by 36%, according to the same MIT researcher. Bundling everything into one order helps too.

4. Gift something useful

If you're Christmas shopping, choose something they'll use every day. It might just spark someone's first swap.

Impulse Buy or Thoughtful Swap: What's the Difference?

An impulse buy is driven by the countdown timer, while a thoughtful swap replaces something you use every day and lasts.

Why Does Go For Zero Join Black Friday at All?

We join Black Friday to put small, honest, sustainable brands in front of people who are already shopping for Christmas.

November is loud. With so many brands competing for attention, we want sustainable, honest brands to be seen too. I'd much rather people try something that lasts than go for the cheapest Friday deal.

It's also when most of us are shopping for Christmas, and I'd love to see more of these brands under the Christmas tree. We feel really passionate about that. So instead of sitting Black Friday out, we use it to make choosing a sustainable brand a little more affordable, with Green Friday offers of 10 to 30% off products that last and do good for your skin, your family and the planet.

That includes 25% off Viva La Body, our own brand. I used its natural deodorant for years, and when its founders decided to close, I couldn't let it disappear, so we rescued it.

It's also one of the best months of the year for giving back. We donate $1 from every order to an Australian charity through i=Change, so the more orders we get in November, the more we can give to Aussie charities. And every order still ships 100% plastic-free.

How Do We Choose the Brands We Stock?

Every brand we stock has passed our five tests, covering packaging, ownership, ingredients, transparency and whether it actually works.

Not every "eco" brand makes it onto our shelves. Before we stock anything, it has to pass our five tests.

First, the packaging has to avoid single-use plastic, so it's reusable, refillable, home-compostable or easily recyclable. Second, the brand has to be Australian or New Zealand owned. Third, we check every ingredient against our standards, which is why you won't find synthetic fragrance on our shelves. Fourth, the brand has to be transparent, and our suppliers can receive over 100 questions from us. And fifth, we test it ourselves. If we wouldn't use it at home, we don't want to sell it to you.

That's what makes Green Friday different for us. Every product in the offer has already been through all of that, so you're not trading your values for a discount.

Let's Make This Black Friday Count

Shopping with your values doesn't mean skipping the sales. A few thoughtful swaps from brands that do things properly can turn a high-pressure weekend into something good for your home, your community and the planet.

Thank you so much for supporting small, honest brands. It means the world to them, and to us.

What's one swap you're planning to make (or gift) this year? Tell us in the comments below, we read every one.

If you have any questions about Green Friday or finding a conscious gift, we're always happy to help at askusanything@goforzero.com.au.

With Love,
Ellie x

Ready to Learn More?

If you'd like to keep exploring, these are good next reads:

💚 How Go For Zero Started: The Baby Oil Label That Changed Everything - The story behind why we read every label so closely.

💰 7 Easy Ways to Make Low-Waste Living More Affordable - Simple ways to make sustainable choices fit your budget.

🌏 B Corp Certification: The Gold Standard for Ethical Business - What being a Certified B Corp means and why it matters to us.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I support sustainable brands on Black Friday?

Supporting sustainable brands keeps honest, planet-friendly alternatives on the shelf. They use safer ingredients, ethical suppliers and low-waste packaging, and many are small Aussie and NZ businesses. Buying from them puts your money behind fair, small-batch production instead of overproduction.

Why don't sustainable brands offer 50% off on Black Friday?

Most sustainable brands can't offer 50% off because they already price fairly all year. Better ingredients, fair wages and low-waste packaging cost more, so their margins are slim. Deep discounts usually aren't possible without cutting corners.

When is Black Friday 2026 in Australia?

Black Friday 2026 falls on Friday 27 November, and Cyber Monday is on Monday 30 November. Many retailers start their sales earlier in the month, so it's worth checking prices before the weekend.

Are Black Friday deals genuine in Australia?

Not always. The ACCC found around half of the 50 retailers it reviewed during the 2025 Black Friday sales made concerning claims, including potentially misleading countdown timers and 'was/now' pricing. Checking prices before the sales start makes it easier to spot a genuine saving.

Is Black Friday bad for the environment?

Black Friday can be bad for the environment when it drives impulse buys, returns, rushed shipping and extra packaging. In the US, retailers expect around 17% of holiday sales to be returned, and synthetic clothing bought on a whim adds to microplastic pollution. Buying fewer, longer-lasting things helps the most.

Is fast shipping bad for the environment?

It can be. An MIT researcher told the Associated Press that, for the same demand, fast shipping increases emissions by 10 to 12%, while waiting an extra one to two days can cut delivery emissions by 36%. Choosing standard shipping and bundling orders both help.

What is Green Friday?

Green Friday is a more conscious alternative to traditional Black Friday. Instead of encouraging impulse buys, it focuses on thoughtful swaps that replace disposable everyday items with long-lasting, low-waste alternatives from sustainable brands. At Go For Zero, it's also our way of shining a spotlight on small Aussie and NZ makers.

What are good sustainable Christmas gifts in Australia?

The best sustainable Christmas gifts are useful, low-waste and made to last, like natural body care sets, natural perfumes and essential oil blends. Choosing small Aussie and NZ brands keeps your money local too. Our Conscious Christmas Gift Guide is a good place to start.

Does Go For Zero donate to charity?

Yes. Go For Zero donates $1 from every order to an Australian charity through i=Change, so every purchase gives back. We're also a Certified B Corp and ship every order 100% plastic-free.

How can I shop more sustainably during Black Friday sales?

Only buy things you'll use often, and prioritise swaps that replace single-use items. Wishlist items for a few days before buying, read past the headline discount, choose standard shipping over express and support small sustainable brands.