Don’t call yourself an environmentalist if you’re indulging in the Black Friday sales
You know hyperconsumerism is killing our planet
Diyora ShadijanovaListen to me very carefully. There are people who use Black Friday for genuine deals on things they couldn't afford in their day to day life. I am not talking about them. I'm talking about those who use Black Friday as an excuse to senselessly buy loads of things from unethical brands. If you didn't need those six jackets from Pretty Little Thing and random bits of tech from Amazon last week, why would you need them now?
Black Friday undoubtedly encourages an unsustainable type of lifestyle. One where we buy, buy, buy, without any consequences. Days like Black Friday temporarily blind us to resources used to create products, the energy used for their production and the waste they create. According to Greenpeace, people spent £1.49 billion on Black Friday deals in Britain last year.
Between 60 to 80 per cent of the impacts on out planet come from household consumption. No wonder Extinction Rebellion and Greenpeace have launched campaigns against Black Friday. Extinction Rebellion pledged to "Block Friday" in order to disrupt Friday's online sales. While Greenpeace have launched the hashtag #BuyNothingDay.
And France's parliament is going to debate on whether to ban Black Friday on the grounds it promotes overconsumption. The amendment was called by Delphine Batho, who is France's former environment minister and a member of the Green party. She wants Black Friday advertising to be considered as an "aggressive" commercial practice, which is currently punishable by a maximum sentence of two years in prison and €300,000 fine.
So please, if you want to live more sustainable and save our burning planet. Start small. Don't buy everything under the sun on Black Friday. You probably don't need most of the things you have bought. You're just letting the advertisement get to you.
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