This Black Friday, Buy Nothing and Make SMTHNG

Words by Sonia Kovacevic

We live in a world filled with material things – stuff all designed by us, humankind. Our biggest design flaw with this access of goods is the current system of the materials economy: extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal i.e. take, use, discard. As former Greenpeace activist, and creator of “The Story of Stuff,” Annie Leonard states the fundamental problem is that “It is a linear system and we live on a finite planet. You cannot run a linear system on a finite planet indefinitely. Too often the environment is seen as one small piece of the economy. But it’s not just one little thing, it’s what every single thing in our life depends upon.”

To challenge the current system of throw-away culture, Greenpeace has partnered with Fashion Revolution, #Breakfreefromplastic, Shareable, the Fab City Global Initiative and Fablabs community, inviting  the public to join a week of action and participate in MAKE SMTHNG week. The initiative kicks off on Black Friday, November 23, and calls on the global maker movement to weave their passion into action, pledging to buy nothing, and replace shopping with creative ideas on how to reuse, upcycle, repair and share existing goods. There are plenty of ways to get involved, from hosting your own event, to joining the online movement on social media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook) with plenty of ready to post material, or sharing your own tutorial!

Although social media has fostered an increase in awareness and activism, it’s accessibility has also been a prime platform for mass marketing and the promotion of consumerism. We have long surpassed the time where goods are purchased primarily to fulfil basic needs. Rather, overconsumption is rampant, with global production doubling in the past 15 years,  exceeding 100 billion garments a year,  a market valued at 3 trillion dollars.  It is becoming less and less convenient to turn a blind eye as we witness the industry’s harm on the environment, contributing to water pollution, deforestation and climate change. Not only does it have detrimental effects on the biosphere, but untreated wastewater and air pollution also affects the health of local communities. Often, these people are also slaves to the dark history of human exploitation and human rights breaches, particularly affecting women and young girls.

With economic growth as a political imperative worldwide, this idea of perpetual growth is a real issue, and we are on the cusp of irreversible effects that are diminishing the prospect of our own survival. Sounds a bit bleak doesn’t it? If you haven’t noticed already, it is almost impossible to go about your daily life without seeing and advertisement of some sort somewhere. Clever and inconspicuous marketing increases social pressure of relentless consumption and comparison, the sociological and psychological consequences being an increase in anxiety and depression in those who have been conditioned with a materialistic outlook on life. Not only does this lead to a confused sense of identity, but further jeopardises the relationships necessary for a healthy society to not only function but flourish.

Which leads me to Black Friday and it’s newly found partner in crime, Cyber Monday.

Black Friday emerged in the 1960s, when accounting records were kept by hand and represented the shift in sales from a loss (red) to black (profits) due to the oncoming holiday season. Interestingly, Black Friday follows Thanksgiving, America’s biggest holiday, which is focused reconnecting and  celebrating time with family, but statistics show that more spending and shopping occurs on Thanksgiving itself. In 2017, $5.03 billion was spent on Thanksgiving Day and $2.87 billion spent on Black Friday, a 17.9% increase from the previous year, with Amazon taking 45.1% of online transactions.

Oh, did I mention there is a website dedicated to the death and injury count for all incidences that occur on Black Friday? Utter madness.

The heavy price discounting and special offers trigger a sense of urgency and exceptional opportunity to consumers, resulting in low cost,  high volume purchases. Obviously, overconsumption leads to waste, and here we are again, at the vortex of our own demise.

There is a huge movement surrounding ‘green’ consumerism, material decoupling and sustainable growth, which to some are considered illusions, designed to justify an economic model that by nature is not geared to protecting the physical limits of the planet. The concept of voting with your  dollar only goes so far when corporations who may be voting against the right causes have a lot more dollars than you. We need to re-engage and vote with our votes to shift the balance of power to those who are concerned about the planet, not just their profits.

With every generation, the baseline of what is considered normalized consumption (or normalized anything for that matter) shifts. In an age where ignorance is neither bliss nor accepted as an excuse, we need to adjust our taste accordingly.

Remember the five R’s – Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle and embed these into your psyche when assessing temptation. Furthermore consider: What purpose does it serve? Where was it made? Who made it? How long will I be able to use it for? Where will it go when I’m done with it?

Black Friday and the start of the holiday season is a great opportunity to take a step back and observe the  hype around ‘stuff’, instead re-focusing your energy on the creativity and resourcefulness we all have inside us. Be inspired to get your friends together for a zero-waste brunch, clothes swap or mending workshop. Start the conversation and get involved in the community of changemakers.

It’s a lot to think about. Breathe, take a breath and remember it all starts with YOU. Make change, MAKE SMTHNG.

To learn more, read Greenpeace’s current report, “Destination Zero – seven years of Detoxing the Clothing Industry” about the progress of the Detox campaign, and “Fashion at the crossroads” about slowing and closing the loop of the textile industry.

#MakeChangeNow #BuyNothing #MakeSMTHG