Retailers have criticised a campaign by a government-funded group that discourages people from shopping in January.
Keep NI Beautiful, an environmental campaign group almost exclusively funded by councils and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, launched the ‘Buy Nothing New Month’ campaign on social media earlier this week.
The initiative, which mirrors a campaign launched by Keep Britain Tidy, urges people to cut down on shopping next month, traditionally one of the quietest times of the year for retailers.
“There is no better time than January to reflect on how all those unnecessary purchases we make can end up clogging landfills, choking our environment and tugging on our purse strings,” the registered charity says.
“Pause the purchasing for a month - instead try borrowing, buying pre-loved or renting – this challenge is all about being mindful of what we waste and bolstering our bank balances to boot.”
But Retail NI chief executive Glyn Roberts called for the campaign to be “binned”.
“Given the huge economic pressures on local retailers this campaign is a complete non-starter and beggars belief how this could even be considered,” he told The Irish News.
“Many people will have Christmas gift money and vouchers to spend in January – for many retailers this is a much needed source of income in the early months of the New Year.”
Mr Roberts said his members were supportive of environmental initiatives but that he had deep reservations about ‘Buy Nothing New Month’.
“Retail NI has always had a strong message promoting re-cycling but this campaign needs to binned,” he said.
Keep NI Beautiful said the campaign is intended to “encourage people to consider adopting the principles of a circular economy to minimise waste and maintain the value of products and materials we already have”.
“The concept of Buy Nothing New Month is about moving beyond recycling, to reducing the amount of waste we create,” a spokesperson said.
“We encourage environmentally-friendly alternatives to increased consumption such as shopping pre-loved, borrowing or renting, and or repairing items.”
Keep NI Beautiful faced criticism last year after a meadow in Magheralin in Co Down was destroyed at the height of summer to make way for a £100,000 ‘Jubilee Garden’ sponsored by the charity.