BLACK FRIDAY AND CYBER MONDAY RECAP

By: Lillian Fakih

We just passed that time of year again: the holidays are ahead,  businesses have been flooding our mailboxes with promotional emails and social media was in a craze over one thing- Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Growing up, I remember being excited to go to the mall on Black Friday to get all things clothing, shoes, and rather unnecessary items that seemed needed at the time due to the fact that they were discounted at a large rate; as I got older, the hype around going to the mall died down and there was one thing on my mind around Thanksgiving weekend besides the mac n cheese and sweet potato casserole and that was online shopping on Cyber Monday. Having the accessibility of simply putting items in my cart and checking out at discounted prices was something that excited me, until I began understanding the negative implications of my purchases. The fashion industry and especially fast fashion has made its lasting impact polluting and exploiting the planet and with Black Friday and Cyber Monday just passing, we are likely to see the implications of this past weekends’ shopping eventually. According to EcoCart, Black Friday 2020 was the most polluting holiday yet, as consumers spent $9 billion shopping online—up 21.6% on the previous year. Because so many transactions are made, more emissions are created, more waste is generated, and more trucks are dispatched to meet the demand. The weekend also has a massive social impact which includes production at a large scale often coming with outsourcing labor to nations where brands get away with paying pennies, depriving workers of access to a living wage and safe working conditions, and trapping them in an inhumane cycle of poverty. Not to mention, the extra profit generated by the sale of even cheaper goods during Black Friday doesn’t end up in the workers’ wallets.Overall, the bottom line indicates that Balck Friday and Cyber Monday always do more harm than good. However, some brands have done their due diligence to make it more sustainable and make the shopping experience more meaningful this past weekend. To highlight a few; Dedicated did not run any sale on Black Friday, but instead ran its Plant Friday campaign, planting a tree for every order made between 26-28 November. Also, Flamingos’ Life, a Spanish plant-based shoemaker, faced Black Friday overconsumption by closing its online store on Black Friday. In a globalized world, the brand is joining forces with other ethical brands committed to the salvation of the planet to create a bigger impact and spread the message around the world. I encourage brands to follow in the footsteps of these brands and push consumers to think critically about the things they purchase moving forward into the holiday season!