The Environmental Impact of Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Green Is the New Black

Throughout the years, Black Friday has become more of a season than just one day. While many people save up their shopping dollars in preparation for the day, what some don’t realize is the large toll Black Friday and Cyber Monday take on the environment. On Black Friday 2020, Adobe Analytics found consumers spent $6.3 million per minute online. This caused Black Friday 2020 to be the most polluting Black Friday to date.

What is Black Friday?

Black Friday is the name for the Friday following the United States Thanksgiving. It traditionally marks the start of holiday shopping in North America. On Black Friday, many stores offer highly promoted sales at discounted prices. It has since taken popularity in other areas of the world and global retailers have adopted the term and date to advertise their holiday sales.

Why is it called “Black Friday”?

According to Wikipedia, the earliest evidence of the phrase Black Friday originated in Philadelphia, dating back to 1961, where it was used by police to describe the heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic that would occur on the day after Thanksgiving.

What is Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday is a marketing term for e-commerce transactions on the Monday after Thanksgiving in the United States. It was originally created by retailers to encourage people to shop online. It is now often regarded as an extension of Black Friday sales.

Why are Black Friday and Cyber Monday harmful to our environment?

Greenhouse Gases.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday mean more wasteful packaging and more fuel burned. This causes greenhouse gases that pollute our planet. The demand for quick shipping also is adding to the emissions.

Did you know that in general, purchases made online but collected from the store generate lower carbon emissions than regular store shopping? On the other hand, online shopping delivered directly to homes was found to have a higher greenhouse gas footprint than in-store shopping.

Overconsumption.

Much of what consumers purchase on Black Friday are unnecessary luxury goods. Black Friday encourages people to consume regardless of need, and this over-consumption mindset has consequences on the environment and society.

“A huge part of the economy is devoted to trying to drive these things out of people’s heads to make you think that all you want is more commodities, so you should go shopping instead of reading.” – Noam Chomsky

This thirst for more is caused by what Chomsky calls “created wants”, desires for useless objects created by advertisements that make us believe that if we purchase them, they’ll make us better, more admirable, or more successful human beings.

Single-Use Products.

The heavy environmental toll of Black Friday and Cyber Monday also stems from the products that are bought. Many items sought after during Black Friday and Cyber Monday are used for just a season or two and then discarded. In fact, up to 80% of our Black Friday purchases are simply thrown away after just one or even zero uses.

How Do We Escape the Environmental Impacts of Black Friday?

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are merely symptoms of an ailing culture. There are short-term fixes that we as individuals can do to help:

Buy less.
Purchase from local businesses.
Boycott unethical and environmentally destructive companies.
Instead of throwing something out, repair the things that you already have.

Because of the consumer culture in which we live, the above can sometimes be difficult. In addition to these short-term individual-focused actions, what is really needed is greater participation in complex and radical social movements. It is important to research and educate yourself on the many organizations that are challenging both our cultural values and the institutions that facilitate overconsumption and working on long-term systemic changes.

A recent Nielsen study reported that 81% of global respondents feel strongly that companies should help improve the environment. Some brands have actually put their (carbon) footprint down and have decided to either raise their prices or completely shut their doors on Black Friday.