A North Wales charity is calling on people to consider ditching Black Friday and instead support a more sustainable and affordable Christmas, by making it Buy Nothing New Day.

In recent years, the UK retail industry has adopted the American tradition of holding ‘Black Friday’ on the last Friday in November, the day after the Thanksgiving. Black Friday is a day where shoppers are enticed by the prospect of discounts and bargains in the run-up to Christmas.

In contrast to making impulse purchases, Buy Nothing New Day aims to raise awareness of consumerism and encourages customers to shop more ethically, using their spending power to have a positive impact.

Refurbs is the ideal retailer to turn to, to support Buy Nothing New Day. Refurbs in Wrexham has recently launched an affordable, high quality pre-loved baby and children's collection of toys, clothes and accessories.

Refurbs outlets in Wrexham and Flint also offer a wide range of high-quality household furniture and appliances.

Why not think about ‘upcycling’ a piece of furniture as a gift? Make that gift even more special by adding your own unique touch through upcycling.

Refurbs' top tips for a sustainable Christmas.

• Take a moment to think if the present is necessary - or even wanted - by the intended recipient.

• Give sustainable, eco-friendly gifts. A reusable water bottle is not just sustainable but stylish too. A vintage piece of jewellery would make a very memorable present for someone special or upcycle a gift for example tailoring a pair of thrifted jeans.

• Check your wrapping paper - does your wrapping paper contains glitter, dye, plastic or foil? If so, it can't be recycled.

• Get creative with recycled brown paper. You can pick up rolls of brown craft wrapping paper online, which can be customised with twine, fabric or Christmas stamps to make it your own.

• Re-use shopping bags as gift paper, several high street retailers launched sustainable gift wrap shopping bags.

• Don't forget about sticky tape either, swap for colourful washi tape which is biodegradable.

• New gifts packaging - check whether its packaging and the gift itself are easily recyclable. Popular materials in this category are glass and tin, which are both infinitely recyclable

According to the GWP group approximately £42 million of unwanted Christmas presents are thrown out and go to landfill each year and an extra 30% of rubbish is produced and discarded throughout the festive period when compared with the rest of the year.

So, this Friday, Refurbs are encouraging us to think twice about buying impulse gifts and items and show support for a more sustainable and affordable Christmas.

They want to make people aware of the benefits of buying pre-loved items and of reusing and recycling to help reduce pollution and protect the environment.

To find out more about Refurbs visit www.refurbs.org.uk or email info@refurbs.org.uk .