Ever wonder what’s behind those jaw-dropping Black Friday deals? The flashy discounts and clever slogans sound like a dream for our wallet, but they come with hidden costs that our planet can’t afford. Let’s take a closer look and translate what these deals really mean.
1. “Up to 70% Off Everything!”
Reality check: Black Friday isn’t just about discounts; it’s about making room for more inventory in an endless cycle of overproduction. This push for fast fashion and cheap gadgets feeds into unsustainable consumption patterns. Do we really need to upgrade our phones annually or buy into trends with 24 fashion collections a year?
The numbers tell a sobering story. In 2021, Europe generated 12.6 million tonnes of textile waste and 4.9 million tonnes of e-waste, according to Eurostat. Even worse, overflowing inventories and constant supply has meant a lot goes straight from factory to the dumpsite, unused. In 2022, tonnes of electronics with estimated untapped values of 3.7 billion Euros were destroyed in Europe due to overstocking, returns, early obsolescence, or cosmetic imperfections – thus wasting the resources and energy that went into their production.
Policy antidote: EU policy makers must ban the practice of destroying unsold electronic appliances and devices, the same way it is illegal to destroy unsold textiles. More importantly, we need careful monitoring to ensure compliance.
2. “Special Deal! Only on Black Friday”
Reality check: Limited-time offer drives a sense of urgency and scarcity, triggering purchases out of the fear that we will miss out on a bargain instead of taking the time to rationally consider a product. When in fact, this often leaves us with items we rarely use, a shrunken budget and a planet burdened by their creation. The only saving? Companies’ profit margins.
In our current economic system, the golden goal of GDP growth is literally defined by ever-growing consumption, which fuels an endless exploitation of resources from raw materials, production and transportation, all resulting in more waste, environmental destruction and inequality. In fact, if the global population would adopt an average European lifestyle, we would need 2.8 Earths to supply the resources. What’s worse, it has been proven that all of this excessive consumption does not even make people happier.
Policy antidote: Companies must be held accountable for the entire lifecycle of their goods through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), which can help shift the narrative from “sell more” to “sell better products.” Besides, EU Environmental ministers have acknowledged that the EU’s consumption level is unsustainable and urged the European Commission to assess the establishment of an EU long-term objective for sustainable resource use, as well as an overarching legal framework. Such a framework can build on the experiences of EU Member States that have already adopted resource reduction targets, such as Austria, Belgium, Finland, Spain, and the Netherlands.
3. ” Black Friday Bundle Deal”
Reality check: Bundle deals like “Buy 3 Get 1 Free” are particularly popular with clothing sales, encouraging impulsive purchases of items you don’t need, which in turn justify more overproduction. With 73% of all textiles currently ending up in landfill or incineration, the industry is far from ‘sustainable’ and ‘circular’, despite growing claims made in brands’ marketing.
Even more concerning, fast fashion textiles are often polyester-heavy to keep the production cost low – a material which contain harmful ‘forever chemicals’ like PFAS which persist in the environment and threaten human health. Worse, these products often aren’t designed for longevity, ensuring they’ll end up in landfills sooner rather than later.
Policy antidote: Set specific material and consumption footprint reduction targets for the textile sector and other resource intensive ones to reduce pressure on our planet’s limited resources, while ensuring a just transition for textile workers and ensuring no region is left behind. Additionally, policymakers must strictly enforce the EU’s new Ecodesign law, requiring products, including textiles, to be circular, durable, and low-carbon. These laws must be extended to online platforms such as Amazon and Temu, which are still exempt, allowing too many toxic, low-quality, irreparable products to reach consumers via online channels despite attempts to make products better and safer.
Want to get fluent in the language of overconsumption?
A powerful new documentary, Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy, delves into the murky world of fast fashion, throwaway tech, early obsolescence, manipulative marketing and greenwashing. These stories are not unique to Black Friday: in fact, they happen 365 days a year. The movie exposes shocking practices like destroying unsold goods and dumping waste overseas – all fueling overproduction, hyper consumerism and a lack of corporate responsibility.
Let’s learn to read and resist the seductive language of overconsumption. The “savings” we’re promised today come at a steep cost to our shared future. As individuals, we can counter this by shopping second-hand and EU Ecolabel-certified products, or investing in durable, refurbished, and repairable products. However, we need more and stronger policies to bring about systemic change.
It’s time we break the cycle.
