What is Circular Monday?
It all started in 2017 when 25-year-old Malmö resident Henning Gillberg thought there had been too much focus on gorging on sales during Black Friday. He wondered why more people weren’t talking about more sustainable alternatives when we shop? The answer was White Monday, which later became Circular Monday – a kind of counter-reaction to all new purchases – and falls on the Monday before Black Friday. During Circular Monday, the focus is on circular consumption and businesses are encouraged to only have offers related to second hand, repair, recycling and rental. All items sold must be repairable or made from 100% recycled materials. This special day, which started in Sweden, has now spread to 23 countries and currently has over 500 participating companies and organizations – so-called “buddies”.
Black Friday but the other way around?
It’s quite easy to think of Circular Monday as the white piece of the yin-and-yang symbol against the black of Black Friday, but the point is not actually to miss out or refrain from shopping. You can give up shopping altogether on ‘A day without shopping’ if you want, which is another themed day that falls on the last Saturday of November every year. Circular Monday is instead a call to try to consume smarter and shop with as little impact on the planet as possible.
Trading in circles
As the name suggests, Circular Monday aims to make our consumption more circular rather than linear. We buy, use, wear out, repair, lend, get back, reuse, sell and so on, and finally recycle. Hopefully, this will save the planet from having to produce many extra items unnecessarily. It may sound tricky or a bit difficult at first, but it’s really just about knowing the options available when the need to buy strikes.
Here are three ways to live more circularly:
- Renting and sharing – R.I.P. the video stores, but there are still companies that rent cars, tools and even clothes for weddings and Halloween, to name a few examples.
- Repair, renovate or upcycle – Repairing something broken, either by yourself or with the help of a professional, or refurbishing it to a brand new condition. Or even making something new and a bit better out of something that already exists, known as upcycling, creative reuse.
- Recycle and reuse – everything from our soda cans to apartments is second hand, keep an eye out for other people’s losses that could be your gains. And of course, recycle everything in the end!
Good economy or good conscience?
Low prices are all well and good, but no one could have failed to notice how important the environment, climate, working conditions and animal welfare have become when we make purchasing decisions. Increasingly, there is talk of finding more sustainable alternatives and making choices that do not negatively impact the world around us. Thanks to the internet, the old linear consumption of buy-and-sell has given us the opportunity to easily find new homes for things we no longer need. This is what we love about Tradera – by buying and selling old things, we can both keep our finances healthy and do so with a clear conscience.
Tradera and circularity
Tradera has been behind Circular Monday Since the beginning, sustainability has been at the heart of our vision. Shopping should be fun, but it’s even better if it’s done in a wise and sustainable way that is gentle on the planet and everyone who lives on it. Therefore, it is not only important for us to buy and sell in that spirit, but also to inspire and encourage others with the same goal.
