The Issues with Black Friday You Need to Know About

By Nandini Shah

We’ve finally reached that time of the year when the sun begins to set at 4pm, the lights and decorations on the street turn more festive, and we are bombarded with promotional emails with the best deals for Black Friday. There’s nothing quite like indulging in retail therapy to get through the gloom of winter and the onslaught of assignments at this time of the semester. In between lectures, I’ve often found myself guiltily skimming through Elle’s Black Friday guide deals with a cup of hot chocolate. Despite filling my cart with several ‘unmissable deals’ knowing how exploitative the fast fashion industry is, the temptation fades, and I end up re-evaluating and deleting most of the items.  

The Black Friday sales typically start 2-3 weeks before Black Friday, falling on 29th November this year, and end on Cyber Monday. During these days, you can find discounts on almost anything you have your eye on, from beauty products and clothing to homeware and tech devices. Despite the allure of getting luxury products at slashed prices, we need to consider the environmental impact of this sales extravaganza. Although many brands try to put an ethical spin on Black Friday, but such overconsumption can never be sustainable. Brands capitalise on this ‘hyper discount culture,’ overproducing stock to target customers from each demographic, particularly GenZ. Green Alliance reported that 80% of purchases from Black Friday sales end up in landfill sites after a few uses and are not even recycled correctly. In 2021, only the product deliveries in the UK generated greenhouse gas equivalent to 435 return flights between London and New York. Each year, CNBC reports that holiday shoppers are expected to spend more, so it’s no surprise that this event’s carbon footprint will continue to grow.  

Black Friday Chaos

You can take action against Black Friday through inaction. The biggest shift you can make to your consuming habits is not to buy anything at all. However, many students look forward to Black Friday sales eagerly, because it’s the only time we can purchase high-quality items without breaking a bank. For instance, I ordered a green wool coat last year, that continues to be a staple for chilly winter nights because I checked its composition before buying. If you do need to purchase certain wardrobe essentials, ensure that the items will be used long term. You can always shop from local fashion brands and charities, but if you wish to shop online, you should make sure the brand has a positive impact on the environment. You can check out actual ethical brands by downloading the GoodOnYou app, which rates major fashion brands on their sustainability. If we all take a step back from mindless shopping and assess our consuming habits, we’ll realise that too many of the ‘must haves’ products aren’t worth the money and the environmental cost.