Black Friday's Dark Side: The Hidden Cost of Deals
- savydibre
- Dec 1, 2024
- 3 min read
Hi everyone! I am back and ready to talk about the chaos known as Black Friday. You may be thinking, “Oh, I love Black Friday deals,” but after discussing the unsustainable practices that ensure you get those deals, I don’t think you will like it just as much.
First, let’s discuss the statistics. Every year, 80% of goods bought on Black Friday end up in landfills, making it one of the highest waste days. This year’s Black Friday is supposed to produce 429,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions from product deliveries alone. Isn’t that just absurd?! In 2023, it was said that US consumers spent 9 billion dollars on black Friday. This is over a 20% increase from 2019, just in four years. According to Deloitte, many more shoppers are seeking discounts this year due to the cost of living crisis.
Now, let’s delve into the real problem with Black Friday. You can watch this video to understand more about the dangers of Black Friday, but I will also discuss them. This day is such an issue for numerous reasons, mainly delivery. Online shopping, as seen through Cyber Monday, has been detrimental due to the amount of resources consumed and emissions produced per delivery. Deliveries are a central issue because of the amount of greenhouse gases they produce. Greenhouse gas emissions are harmful because they trap the sun’s heat in our atmosphere. Temperature also has a positive relationship with carbon emissions, which are related to greenhouse gases.
Overconsumption is the issue at hand, leading to other problems such as deliveries, waste, etc. We just love to buy things! We buy, buy, buy until we can’t anymore. We waste materials, cause an extreme amount of greenhouse gas emissions, and then do it all over again. Year after year, Black Friday is celebrated by clicking tons of buy, buy, buy buttons on your computer or going to your local mall to splurge on deals. Regardless, we are leaving the mall with products in a bag or having them delivered in a pretty cardboard box. We are always wasting.
Simply put, this is the primary source of climate change, and the fashion industry plays a massive part in it. Besides just the delivery, what if the consumer doesn’t like the product? Well, they send it back. This leads to another delivery and more emissions produced. If that same consumer wants the product they bought, but maybe in a different size, than that is another delivery. That would be three deliveries just for one product for one consumer. Imagine how many times this happens. Imagine how many deliveries that is. I would say a decent amount of them. However, deliveries aren’t the only significant factor that leads to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.
The amount of waste from Black Friday is also significant. Everything we buy is packaged. We purchase not only the product but also the packaging. Cardboard boxes, plastic bags, bubble wrap, and more are wasted. Think about all of the packaging parts that come with each product. That is a lot of waste. The waste also generates greenhouse gas emissions and leads to more pollution.
Now that we know all the issues with Black Friday, how do we fix them? Green Friday is a movement to boycott Black Friday and promote more sustainable practices. Blue Friday is another eco-friendly alternative. Brands that partner with the Blue Friday initiative demonstrate their commitment by donating a portion of their sales to ocean conservation efforts. This raises awareness and money to support plastic waste clean-up initiatives. Some brands that stand against Black Friday are The Ordinary, Patagonia, and Freitag.
To close, Black Friday is ultimately a lose lose situation for our planet. However, if you do participate in Black Friday, be sure to take the appropriate steps in order to maintain the most sustainable shopping day. This includes shopping in person instead of online to avoid deliveries. Bringing your own reusable bag to put purchases in, instead of causing waste by using plastic, cardboard, or other bags. Be mindful about what you are purchasing. Lastly, carpool to your local mall with a friend! Let’s save the planet from as much carbon emissions as possible!
Stay curious! Signing off with a smile.
-Savannah
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