5 Reasons to not Participate in Black Friday This Year and Beyond
As you may know, if you haven’t been living under a rock for the past 70 plus years, the day after American Thanksgiving marks the start of the holiday shopping season. In the past years, massive discounts and online shopping sales have become the norm, and everyone is encouraged to “take advantage” of this day’s sales. In the past couple of years, it’s sadly becoming a thing in other countries worldwide, even countries that don’t celebrate or know about Thanksgiving. Just a day with crazy discounts and marketing tricks. If you don’t know much about the subject, if you’re considering participating in it and have doubts, or if you just need a reminder of how harmful this “holiday” is for people and the planet, here are some powerful reasons why not to participate in this consumption and hyper discount festival:
1. Because garment workers across Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and even cities like Los Angeles – 45,000 garment workers in this city according to the Garment Worker Center– are still working through the covid19 crisis without the necessary safety measures or equipment and not getting paid enough. Sometimes not even getting paid.
2. Because, honestly, you don’t need more stuff. Compared to 15 years ago, the average person buys 60% more items now, according to The State of Reuse Report. 30 percent of people report getting rid of their clothing in less than 2 years, and 76 percent will get rid of an item in 5 years or less.
3. Because waste is not going anywhere. According to Fashion Revolution studies published in our first fanzine Loved Clothes Last, in North America, 10.5 million tons of clothing’s sent to landfill every year. Picture the Empire Estate Building. Now multiply it 30 times. Clothing production has more than doubled from 2000, exceeding 100 billion in garments in 2014. 80 percent of those are not recycled, and sit in landfills or are incinerated. Do you want to keep contributing to that?
4. Because the environmental impact of this way of production is absolutely unsustainable for people and the planet. The cities where these garments are made, like Erode, in India, have the highest rates of cancer, infertility, polluted rivers, corroded agricultural land, according to multiple studies we gathered on our fanzine Fashion, Environment, Change. You can be part of the change.
5. Because the thirst for fast fashion has nothing but increased in the last months, even or because of the health and financial crisis. According to a study by Retailtimes.com, in the UK, search engine queries for ‘cheap clothes’ increased by 46.3% between March and June 2020. And it’s not just about families facing financial hardship, it’s also the so called ¨Retail Therapy¨. Don’t buy into that. Before buying, ask yourself why do you feel compelled to buy new clothes, ask yourself how many times and with what other items you already have are you going to wear it.
Find more info on our Black Friday approach and data here and become part of the revolution.
