This year is time for change. We have all seen and heard the news from the world's leaders and scientists at the COP26 summit in Glasgow.

And we all have our part to play in helping reduce emissions when we shop more consciously. Time to think before we buy and make some positive choices when making festive purchases this year.

Make a pledge to spend your hard-earned money only with planet-positive businesses throughout the festive shopping period. Hettie is committed to making quality products that stand the test of time.

Start planning a little bit earlier too . Being mindful takes time and thought and rushing leads to quick fixes that are a burden on our planet.

It’s estimated that 114,000 tonnes of plastic packaging will be thrown away and not recycled in the UK - so look for plastic free options if you can. Gifts for kids are often full of plastic so maybe look for natural, organic and eco-friendly ideas this year.⁠

⁠And wrapping paper ! We all know how it is admired and looks pretty for a few seconds and then just ripped apart and put straight into a bin bag.

It is definitely a single use item and worth exploring other options

The cost of Black Friday and people buying frantically is huge.

Take a look at these statistics about the impact of Black Friday on the environment, and on us human beings:

• Black Friday increases air pollution, with an additional 82,000 diesel delivery vans estimated to be out on the UK roads alone to fulfil orders, with plastic toys and short- living electronic goods among the most popular purchases.
• Black Friday-fuelled Christmas shopping also contributes to the vast amount of waste discarded at this time of year.
• 429,000 metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions were churned out by Black Friday deliveries in the UK last year.
• Consumers in the US spent 121% more on Black Friday purchases in 2018, compared to every other day of the year. At the same time, 48 million Americans were still paying credit card debt from the previous year’s holiday shopping
• 80% of Black Friday-purchased electronic goods, clothes and plastic packaging will end up in landfill, incineration or low-quality recycling after a very short life. 50m tonnes of e-waste is generated each year. Only 20% of it is recycled.