November’s Black Friday deals mark the height of retail frenzy, as droves of shoppers flock to stores and indulge in the sales. To avoid overcrowded shopping centres, customers can also conveniently shop online from the comfort of their own homes. From an economic standpoint, Black Friday is a well-received tradition for companies. But a boycott movement is emerging. 

France’s parliament is debating banning Black Friday on the grounds that it is harmful to the planet and promotes artificial overconsumption. Over 200 brands formed a collective agreement ‘Make Friday Green Again’ in France to call out consumers’ alarming shopping addictions and the role companies have in exploiting this behaviour to increase their profits. In Canada, demonstrators in Montreal and Toronto convened downtown to rally against Black Friday, with posters and chants denouncing global consumerism: “You can’t enjoy a half-price big screen 4K TV when your entire home is underwater. ” Likewise, activists across the U.S. and cities in Europe took part in a Black Friday Strike on November 29 to advocate for a change from the business-as-usual model. These demonstrations have been especially aggressive towards online retail companies such as Amazon. Environment Minister Elizabeth Borne, spoke with French TV show BFM Business about the movement and stated that “we cannot both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and call for a consumer frenzy. Above all, we must consume better.” Conversely, Canadian Conservative MP Eric Woerth, President of Parliament’s Finance Commission, questioned the extreme decision to ban Black Friday, stating that “people have the right to launch advertising campaigns to consume and people have the right to consume, as long as it’s responsible consumption.” This debate therefore asks whether the innate desire for convenience is a fundamental issue for rising waste pollution or not. Can we mitigate these environmental costs before the damage is irreversible?

Last year in the U.S. alone, $6.2 billion in sales were attributed to Black Friday, and Cyber Monday was the largest shopping day of all time, amounting to $7.9 billion in total revenue. This is a 25 per cent increase from the previous year according to Adobe Analytics Retailers. Furthermore, in 2018 retailers were responsible for more than 900,000 tonnes of plastic waste according to Environmental Investigation Agency by Greenpeace. This year, the U.S. postal system expects 800 million packages delivered between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, resulting in a huge influx of pollution from transportation and excessive plastic waste. 

The fashion industry and retail brands have been under scrutiny for years by enticing youth to shop, which has fueled throwaway culture. However, companies are adapting towards sustainable practices and targeting eco-friendly consumers. Large retail companies have brought forward positive environmental solutions to combat rising consumer demands. 

Patagonia uses their Action Works Initiative to donate their company’s sales to fund grassroot organizations that work to protect the environment. For Black Friday, they encourage customers to donate to these environmental non-profit organizations, promising to match the donations. CEO Rose Marcario stated on LinkedIn that “Black Friday is often a day when we go out and buy things we don’t really need and give them to people who don’t really want them.” These types of initiatives show companies are committed to addressing the global climate crisis and recognize the impact large corporations have on the environment as well as their role in giving back.

Our consumption culture is evident beyond retail shopping’s contribution to rising waste mismanagement, as countries and companies are already adopting legislation to move to a plastic-free environment. The European Parliament has committed to eliminating single-use plastics by 2021, while Canada, the United Kingdom and other countries are following suit to adopt better environmental legislation, recognizing the urgency of this situation. Many activists argue that plastic recycling systems are inoperative and that banning single-use plastics is not enough; we have to move more dramatically towards a zero-waste economy.

However, in order to appropriately safeguard the environment, we first have to initiate a culture-changing strategy. The global climate movement is a positive demonstration of this shift in societal thinking. It is important for all individuals to recognize their consumption habits, not just by understanding their personal contributions to an event like Black Friday, but also the challenge of applying an environmentally-conscious mindset to their everyday choices.