Ottilie discusses the impact of ‘Black Friday’ in both increasing consumer sales, environmental impact, and causing general havoc around the globe. Thousands of stores all over the UK, and the world participate in this global reduction of price – but where did it come from and why should we boycott it?
‘Unsustainable consumption is devastating our planet’
consumer.org
Black Friday falls on November 26th this year. Historically a colloquial term for the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, every year the famous sales weekend sees a significant amount of shoppers attempt to find the best deals.
Why did Black Friday start in the UK?
In 2010 the online retail giant Amazon introduced the concept into the UK, promoting a range of discounts and deals to consumers. This year UK shoppers are expected to spend a total of 9bn this year, a record high.
Along with the UK, Black Friday has now emerged in other countries including Brazil, India, France, Norway, Romania and Germany.
What is Cyber Monday?
The development of technology and online shopping has led to the creation of cyber-Monday, which falls on November 29th this year. The sales follow on from Black Friday with exclusive internet-only deals and discounts.
On the surface both of these concepts are a brilliant way to save money, especially for students, but in light of COP26 how ethically and morally right is it for us to continue to endorse this weekend? Firstly, the unstainable consumption that Black Friday promotes puts a huge strain on our resources, the result on which is devastating for our planet. Electronics and clothing are the most popular purchased items on Black Friday and according to 2019 Green Alliance report, 80% of these including the plastic packaging they are wrapped up in will end up in landfill, incineration, or at best, low-quality recycling. In 2019 the British Black Friday home deliveries was set to churn out 429,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of 435 return flights from London to New York.
As far back as 2019 more than 300 clothing brands asked shoppers not to buy anything in the Black Friday sales because of environmental reasons. With the Make Friday Green Again collective stressing this ‘overproduction’ contributes to climate change as the discounted deals encourage people to purchase things they don’t need.
An undercover investigation by the ITN in Scotland in June, found that Amazon had a policy of routinely destroying millions of pounds worth of either returned or unsold items every year, often in their original packaging.
https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/retailers/boycott-black-friday-cyber-monday-2021
Black Friday allows bigger company’s to profit at the expense of smaller companies. The companies which profit the most from slashed prices are giant corporations- ones which often have poor tax conduct.
Amazon.
In September 2021 Amazon revealed its tax figures for the previous year. The findings revealed that despite revenue increasing by £1.9 billion since 2019, in paid just £3.8 million more in corporation tax. In 2017, almost 75% of Amazon’s UK sales were registered through the Luxembourg subsidiary. And a report by Unite the Unions in August 2021 found that in 2019 Amazon may have shifted up to £8.2 billion from the UK to Luxembourg.
The severity of the problem is highlighted by movement MakeAmazonPay, a global coalition launched by November 2020 to demand that the company address its workers, environmental and political abuses. The movement has brought together unions, campaigners, and civil society organisations, including Ethical Consumer.
This year’s Black Friday will see protests, strikes and solidary actions across Amazon’s transcendental supply chain.
Ethical consumers, ‘hey @amazon we’re boycotting you this Black Friday to highlight your unethical and exploitative business practices, in solidarity with activists and works across the global’.
How to protest against Black Friday
Firstly, boycott simply do not buy anything from the sales. Secondly, join the Buy Nothing Day in which on the Friday and over the course of the weekend you try to buy nothing at all.
You can also take action against Amazon by boycotting the company itself using this guide to learn to shop without Amazon.
United action can and will force change, but it takes the individual decision to stand up against this morally and ethically wrong weekend to bring about the desired change.