by Cherie Birkner
Updated 27.11.2020

ARE YOU READY FOR THE SYSTEM TO EVOLVE?

It can get quite dark when you take a look at the numbers of over-consumption on Black Friday and there surrounding events. Black Friday is a ‘tradition’ which originates from America where the day after Thanksgiving people begin their holiday shopping, and retailers make special offers to lure customers into their shops. According to Salesforce in 2019 Black Friday the U.S. alone saw $7.2 billion in digital sales. Which is an increase of 14% to the previous year. Globally sales hit $20 billion. At the same time a study from the Ellen Macarthur Foundation estimates that a truckload of textiles is wasted every second! This does not only produce an extra portion of waste, but also makes business harder for companies with smaller margins (often due to paying more for production), who cannot afford to uphold with the competition by offering big discounts. The good newz: we can do something(s) to evolve the system and make it better :)

1. CIRCULAR MONDAY

Before Black Friday there is Circular Monday, which was founded as a counter program to the linear, wear & tear module. On this day we focus on circularity, such as we can see with brands like Emika Suits who make suits from upcycled fabrics, or platforms like Vinted where people can sell and swap their clothes.

We REUSE, REPAIR, RENT & SHARE.

How to participate:

1. Share a picture with the hashtag #circularmonday on the 23ed of Nov.

2. Don't participate in "Black Friday".

3. Optional: Expose circular try-out offers, such as second-hand, rent & repair.

2. SHARE FACTS

Did you know that 1 in 5 people regret their Black Friday and Cyber Monday purchases? This is what a study from the UK suggests (source: via Fashion Revolution). Arm yourself with some key facts and post some thought provoking statements to go along with it. This year Fashion revolution has put together some facts and figures which they provide open source for you to share.

Find Black Friday graphics from Fashion revolution here!

3. #PLANETNOTFORSALE

Join the #planetnotforsale campaign initiated by Plan A. Together with numerous creatives they will be releasing fake ads for Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday. The goal is to mobilize creative forces against climate change to point out what damaging traditions these days are and suggest other possibilities. Go ahead, get creative and share your own #planetnotforsale campaign or feel free to share the one we created for you <3.

4. DISRUPT BLACK FRIDAY

On Black Friday day shoppers can expect an average discount of 24% and also massive discounts up to 80%. But how can all these companies afford to give such massive discounts? Some say “discount is fraud on customers”, because this is the actual price. This makes Black Friday especially rough for smaller brands which sell for an honest price and cannot afford to make such discounts to uphold with the rest of the market.

Together with Tainá Guedes, founder of Food Art Week, Lydia Maurer, founder of PHYLYDA, Camila Soares, executive media producer, we created a campaign in 2019 on the topic of fashion & food waste. We call all brands to use Black Friday to sell off their old collections, sample pieces or products with small flaws which they are not able to sell otherwise. This way we save fashion from being wasted and brands can still attract customers to their shops without devaluing their current collections, or selling at a price which they cannot afford.

We collaborated with the mindful brands PHYLYDA, Toino Abel, This is Her and Julia Leifert. If you are interested in participating in future campaigns of ours let us know here.

5. RETHINK GIFT SHOPPING

Traditionally Black Friday is thought to hit off the holiday season, and get your Christmas shopping started. Here are some alternative gift ideas we love:

1. Become penpals! In times where we are apart and in front of our screens all day #covid19 an analogue exchange becomes increasingly meaningful. Start of a letter exchange by gifting stamps and envelopes for them to use.

2. Book a creative writing workshop together with Alexandra (Assistant Director of #WATERMATTERZ). C’MON WORKSHOP

3. Pass on your copy of a book that changed your life. Explain how on the inside cover.

4. Pay for a month of clothing Rental service - for example from UNOWN.

5. Make something yourself. For example a self-knit scarf. Check youtube for free tutorials.

6. Click here for more gifts that aren’t things (kinda).

6. MAKE A GOOD FASHION COMMITMENT

The good fashion accelerator and initiative Fashion for Good has just the right template for you! As part of the experience when you visit their space in the heart of Amsterdam you can actively make your own good fashion commitment. Find the free template download on their website, which you can print out to collect commitments of your own – whether with school groups, sustainable fashion events, or something else. Take a photo and tag @fashionforgood - you will also put a smile on their face :)

Our good fashion commitment is to only promote products which are manufactured under fair working conditions.

7. CLEAN UP

Do a five minute clean-up and see how much trash you can save from entering our ecosystem. Extra points for cigarette butts because these are especially toxic for the environment leading to pouted drinking water and a general decrees of life in nature.

For sharing on Instagram use #5minutebeachcleanup and tag @5minutebeachcleanup for a chance to be featured.

8. GIVE BACK

Plant a CO2 compensator in your neighborhood. Whether you start with sowing seeds or go straight for a tree, this is also a fun activity that doesn’t have to cost anything if you use seeds from the vegetables you have been eating. Here’s how to plant a tree from a seed.

OR

Donate to a cause which is dedicated to sustainable development:

• Clean Clothes Campaign - bringing hidden scandals of the fashion industry to light, and supports factory workers in their fight for better labor rights.

• Fashion Revolution - Global campaign for more transparency in the supply chain. Read the interview with Germany’s Fashion Revolution Country Coordinator.

• Drip by Drip - tackling water issues caused by the fashion industry. Read the interview with Drip by Drip Founder.

9. DIGITAL DETOX DAY

According to a 2017 Greenpeace report, if the internet were a country it would rank #3 in the world in terms of electricity consumption. So after reading this post go ahead and treat yourself to a digital detox for the rest of the day. Avoiding screens won’t just do some wellness for your brain, but also keep you away from all those Black Friday temptations you would face when scrolling through Instagram or your Facebook feed. Want to know more about the dangers of being connected through out devices 24/7? Follow the experts on this subject from TOCA.