United By Blue Calls for Conservation Action on Blue Friday, a Sustainable Black Friday Alternative

November 7, 2018

The waterway conservation brand will be collecting data from the nationwide DIY cleanup initiative and sharing it with researchers, nonprofits, and government agencies

PHILADELPHIA, PA (WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2018) – For the third year in a row, United By Blue (UBB), the sustainable outdoor apparel and lifestyle brand that removes a pound of trash from the world’s oceans and waterways for every product sold, urges consumers to re-evaluate their plans the day after Thanksgiving and participate in a Blue Friday DIY cleanup. The third-annual Blue Friday takes place on Friday, November 23rd, in communities across the globe. Blue Friday encourages friends, family, and community members to spend an hour of their time outside picking up trash and join the Bluemovement community.

“Blue Friday was started to encourage and empower people to host a cleanup on their own — all it takes is a pair of gloves, a trash and recycling bag, and a bit of planning,” says Kelly Offner, United By Blue’s Head of Cleanups.

For the first time, and for every year hereafter, United By Blue will be collecting and sharing data from the Blue Friday initiative with the science community. The data collected will include cleanup location, quantities of various items collected (plastic straws, plastic bags, plastic bottles, and plastic cutlery), and the most interesting items found. 

“After collecting feedback from partner organizations and scientists working on marine debris research, we believe it’s important to monitor specific data points from all Blue Friday cleanups,” says Offner. “That data will be shared with the science community, United By Blue customers, our volunteers, and our partners to shed light on the volume of plastic entering waterways, and to hopefully inform future ocean protection policies and consumer packaging laws.”

United By Blue pulled their first pound of trash in 2010, the week they sold their first t-shirt. Since then, they have pulled 1,456,264 lbs of trash across 250 company organized and hosted cleanups spanning 48 states.

You can learn more about Blue Friday and how to get involved online at unitedbyblue.com/bluefriday. Physical Blue Friday kits include a pair of gloves, two large bags (one for recycling, one for the trash), and an exclusive enamel waves pin. Physical kits ($5 shipped) and digital kits (free) include a data collection card and how-to guide and are available online at unitedbyblue.com/bfkit and in United By Blue’s retail locations in Philadelphia and Manhattan. Blue Friday participants have until November 30th to submit their collected data. 

DIGITAL ASSETS: 
Blue Friday Page | Blue Friday Kit (physical: $5 shipped | digital: free)*
*includes Data Collection Card & How-To Guide
Data Collection Card | How-To Guide
Hi-res imagery (2017 photos, bluemovement kit, general cleanup photos)
Blue Friday FAQs

ABOUT UNITED BY BLUE:
United By Blue is a sustainable outdoor apparel and accessories brand started in 2010 driven by the belief that every living creature is united by the blue of our world’s oceans and waterways, and we all share the responsibility to protect them. Our pledge unites our beliefs with our business: For every product sold, we remove one pound of trash from the oceans and waterways through company-organized cleanups. All apparel and accessories are responsibly made using sustainable materials such as organic cotton, recycled polyester, hemp, and bison fiber. United By Blue products can be found in nearly 1000 outlets globally and in our stores in Philadelphia and Manhattan.