Blue Friday is a Black Friday alternative that brings brands and consumers together to support ocean conservation. Each year, Mustang Survival participates by donating a portion of its Black Friday sales to marine debris removal projects along British Columbia's coastlines. Through these collective efforts, Blue Friday has helped remove thousands of pounds of marine debris, protecting coastal ecosystems and wildlife from plastic pollution.
Our 2026 Beneficiary: Redd Fish Restoration Society
This year, Blue Friday will support Redd Fish Restoration Society, a British Columbia-based charity dedicated to restoring coastal ecosystems and rebuilding wild salmon populations. For more than 30 years, Redd Fish has worked alongside First Nations in Clayoquot, Nootka and Barkley Sound, combining scientific research, Indigenous ecological knowledge and hands-on restoration to help protect coastal environments.
Photo: Graeme Owsianski | Redd Fish Restoration
Be Part of Blue Friday
Thank you for everyone who has participated in Blue Friday over the years. Blue Friday's impact grows with every participating brand and customer. If you're an organization or brand interested in joining the initiative, connect with the Blue Friday team to explore opportunities to collaborate and support coastal conservation.
Sign up to stay informed about Blue Friday 2026 and opportunities to get involved.
Why We Chose Blue Friday Over Black Friday
For the last three years, we've opted out of the norm and chosen Blue Friday—a coordinated effort between brands and consumers to make a measurable impact on ocean conservation—over Black Friday. While still offering traditional Black Friday deals, we’ve also donated a portion of all sale proceeds to shoreline and ocean cleanup projects in British Columbia.
Blue Friday By the Numbers
Together through the Blue Friday initiative, we’ve made a measurable impact on ocean cleanup—removing over 51,540 lbs of marine debris to date.
2025: Removed 25,391lbs of plastic pollution across three coastal areas of BC
2024: Removed 2,447 lbs of recyclable plastics and 1,367 lbs of landfill waste—including a full-size freezer.
2023: Removed 5,700 lbs of marine debris from shorelines and waterways.
To date: 51,540 lbs of debris cleared from coastlines through the collective effort.
2026's Cleanup Efforts: From the Sunshine Coast to Northern Vancouver Island
Thanks to funds raised through Blue Friday in 2025, Ocean Legacy carried out cleanup efforts across three areas of British Columbia: Texada Island, the Lower Sunshine Coast, and Northern Vancouver Island. Together, the projects covered 13.85 kilometres of coastline and removed 25,391 lbs of plastic pollution from the environment, exceeding the original cleanup goal by 9,826 lbs.
Texada Island
On Texada Island, crews cleaned more than 7.5 kilometres of the northeastern shoreline, collecting 3,655 lbs of material. Much of what they found was foam pollution, including large pieces of flotation foam.
Lower Sunshine Coast
On the Lower Sunshine Coast, a cleanup coordinated with the shíshálh Nation removed 16,332 lbs of marine debris from 2.85 kilometres of shoreline. Much of the material was wood and foam from abandoned docks. Collected materials were sent for sorting and appropriate recycling or disposal based on material type and volume.
Alert Bay and Forward Bay
Further north, cleanup efforts took place across two remote sites in the Johnstone Strait. The project included a community volunteer day in Alert Bay, collaboration with Indigenous community members, and helicopter-access cleanup efforts in Forward Bay. Together, crews cleared 3.5 kilometres of shoreline and removed another 5,404 lbs of marine debris.
More Than 25,000 lbs of Plastic Pollution Removed
Across all three areas, Ocean Legacy removed 25,391 lbs of plastic pollution from 13.85 kilometres of British Columbia's coastline, surpassing the original 15,566 lb cleanup goal by approximately 9,826 lbs. Materials collected in Northern Vancouver Island were transported to the Ocean Plastic Depot at the 7 Mile Landfill & Recycling Center for sorting, storage, and disposal.
2025's Cleanup Efforts: Vancouver Island's North Coast Trail
With funding provided through the 2024 Blue Friday partners, Living Oceans—a leader in the effort to protect Canada's oceans—sent out three six-person teams to Vancouver Island's North Coast Trail. Working further east than they had previously, the teams went to Laura Creek, Shuttleworth Bight, and Nahwitti River; all areas that hikers have reported as being loaded with debris.
Industrial Plastic and a Full-Size Freezer
The team at Laura Creek filled 18 lift bags and roped up a large piece of industrial plastic. At Shuttleworth, volunteers collected 14 bags of debris and roped up a full-size freezer that was spilling foam insulation all over the beach. Furthest east, the crew at Nahwitti River worked the hardest to gather the lightest load. They filled seven bags while hiking long distances over extremely challenging terrain. They also gathered debris from the Zim Kingston, a container ship that lost 109 containers overboard while drifting at La Perouse Bank on October 21, 2021.
3814 lbs Marine Debris Removed
In a single day of lift operations, Living Oceans cleared the debris from all three beaches but still faced the task of sorting and consolidating. When everything was complete, the three teams recycled 2,447 lbs of plastics and disposed of 1,367 lbs of landfill waste from 18 kilometres of foreshore, protecting the estuaries of several fish-bearing creeks and rivers.
- Foam fishing net float commonly found on the BC coast
2024's Cleanup Efforts: The Scott Islands
Thanks to funds raised by the Blue Friday initiative in 2023, Living Oceans Society, a leader in the effort to protect Canada's oceans, launched its largest ocean cleanup effort yet to tackle the mountain of plastic polluting the shores of a critical seabird habitat—the Scott Islands. By choosing this Black Friday alternative, supporters helped fund teams that removed thousands of pounds of marine debris from these remote shores.
A Vital Seabird Habitat
Located in Canada's westernmost waters, the Scott Islands are home to millions of seabirds and the world's largest sea lion rookery. Rich upwelling currents draw abundant marine life, but these same currents also bring in a constant influx of marine plastics, turning foreshores and near-shore waters into a perilous trap for wildlife. Fishing ropes and nets pose entanglement hazards, while seabirds and fish often mistake small plastic pieces for food, leading to painful deaths—especially when adult birds unknowingly feed brightly coloured plastics to their chicks. Shoreline cleanup projects and ocean conservation efforts, supported by initiatives like Blue Friday, have made clearing this type of plastic pollution a top priority for years
Mustang Survival's Support
"With Mustang's help, we were able to send out two full teams of six in June, tackling four of the most heavily impacted beaches on the south and west shores of Cox Island," says Karen from Living Oceans. "With boat support, we were able to move crews past forbidding, rocky headlands to access more areas than ever before. We recovered over 30 cubic metres of debris, including fishing gear, floats, rope, net, foam packaging material, largely from the containership spills, and foam flotation—docks, smaller floats of every size and description."
- Beverage container from overseas are also common finds
5,700 lbs of Marine Debris Removed
In 2023, our contributions removed 5,700 lbs of marine debris and distributed it to recyclers, re-users, and landfills. Unfortunately, much of it was old and degraded, meaning only a small portion could be recycled compared to previous years. However, this also means the debris removed was at the greatest risk of breaking down into harmful microplastics, which would have posed an even greater threat to wildlife.
Continued Ocean Conservation
This monumental effort over the last two years underscores the urgent need for continued action to protect our oceans and wildlife from the relentless tide of plastic pollution. In that time, the Blue Friday initiative has grown substantially, demonstrating the power of purpose-driven shopping over traditional Black Friday consumerism. Together, we can continue to turn the tide and make a lasting impact on the health of our planet's oceans, ensuring they remain safe havens for wildlife and clean, thriving spaces for all to enjoy responsibly.
Discover how Mustang Survival is supporting Redd Fish Restoration Society through Blue Friday 2026, sign up for campaign updates, and learn how you can help restore BC’s coastal ecosystems.