Walking through the Kalverstraat in Amsterdam during the Black Friday period it reminded me of Istiklal street in Istanbul. Rows of shops and restaurants, crowded, slow pace, bumping into pedestrians – for me an unpleasant experience and the prompt to write this article.
Black Friday has roots in the United States dating back to the 1960s to describe the day after Thanksgiving. On this Friday huge crowds of people would go out shopping, leading to chaos and traffic accidents. We now have a Black Friday phenomena that has taken the world by storm.
Retailers across the globe are cashing in on Black Friday. Stores reduce prices, or make you believe they do. Often on luxury items and gadgets, to lure shoppers and see their profits grow.
Consumers are gripped by these so called bargains and go on a shopping frenzy because it’s ‘cheap’. Many never stop to think if they really need the goods they buy; how and where they were manufactured, and what the impact is on the environment. There have been accounts of shoppers literally fighting over products. For some it may be the only time they can purchase high value goods for many it’s more of a habit.
Cyber Monday follows Black Friday when consumers from the comfort of their home purchase online. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are multiple multi-billion events.
Do we really need all this stuff?
People love a bargain – but we rarely ask if we really need all this stuff and what it means for our planet. We know that a large proportion of Christmas gifts end up in cupboards, land fill or charity shops. George Monbiot’s article The Gift of Death is an inspiring read and should feature in the school curriculum as should The Story of Stuff. The Story started as a short film looking at the lifecycle of stuff and has become a global movement.
Pointless pathological consumption in our society is rampant and unsustainable. Wealth is measured by the car we drive and the latest gadget we possess. Somewhere along the line of becoming prosperous economies we have sacrificed our precious planet and in doing so our own well being and community spirit.
We breathe toxic air, swim in seas of plastic, eat contaminated food and battle freak weather as a result of human accelerated climate change. The climate emergency is gaining widespread attention but as Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg remarked at the COP 25: “not enough is being done and a year of school strikes has achieved nothing”.
Sustainable solutions and initiatives
Thankfully there is a growing movement of conscious individuals, collectives and organisations who are starting to realise that current levels of over consumption and unsustainable polluting production is disastrous. Consumption at current levels cannot continue if we and future generations want to live healthy, safe and full lives.
The Circular Economy is a systemic approach to economic development which promotes manufacture by eliminating waste and using the same resources over and over again. This school of thought is making great strides and there are now university degrees in the subject.
We need to rethink ownership of goods and sharing of goods. Why do I and all my neighbours own a lawnmower each, a washing machine each, a power drill each and so on. Why not share in joint ownership of sustainably manufactured products and so eliminate waste and precious resources – and save money. The Sharing Economy promotes this type of thinking. Sharing platforms like Airbnb and car sharing schemes are booming.
Instead of buying new consider Second Hand – there are plenty of second hand (online) stores and Freecycle networks out there.
Minimalism is a movement that’s on the rise. It’s not for everyone but it’s food for thought. The idea is that you live with fewer possessions – only those you really need and that serve your purpose. For many it has been life changing and fulfilling.
Be the change you want to see in the world
(quote attributed to Mahatma Gandhi)
Next Black Friday – and as a matter of course – try not to get lured into the spending spree – sit back and think what you really need and why. You may find you don’t really need any more stuff. Martin Lewis has a great mantra: If you are skint ask yourself do I need it, can I afford it? If you aren’t skint ask yourself will I use it, is it worth it?
We can make a difference but we need to wholeheartedly support the notion that over consumption of unsustainable manufactured goods cannot go on this way. As well as a danger to our planet there are also multiple issues around appalling labour conditions in some countries that produce these goods – more about this in a future post.
Let’s not buy (more) – let’s not destroy (more) but let’s make this planet pure again. (Now here’s a slogan a political party in the UK might win an election with).