The term “Black Friday” was first used in the 1950s in Philadelphia by their police department to refer to the day after thanksgiving where every year an army-navy football game took place. The day was remembered as a part of history for Philadelphia where herds of tourists and fans would occupy the streets and shoplifters would help themselves to whatever they could find. The term was forgotten until the 1980s when it regained power as retailers used it to their advantage, and changed its meaning to encourage people to buy the excess goods they accumulated, at a cheaper price.
Black Friday has become a fundamental part of over-consumerist culture that encourages people to buy desired goods with no understanding of their longevity. It stems from fast fashion culture with values encouraging the accumulation of high amounts of goods of poor quality that, for the most part, find themselves in a landfill not long after.
Online transactions are said to increase by 14% for this Black Friday which is not bad per se. However, with the prominence of digitalization of shopping, this holiday, once just a one day ordeal, extended to a four-day weekend and created Cyber Monday. To get a lead up, many companies have started their Black Friday sales a week in advance. A trend of online shopping means a rise in transportation, discarded packaging, shipping and returns, which are all detrimental to the environment. A dramatic increase in online shopping has also contributed to the increase of a movement already grounded in over consumption due to the ease of ordering online vs in store. 52% of Canadians now shop online exclusively. In the U.S. in 2021, returns alone from Black Friday produced 15 million tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of the emission of three million cars.
Traditionally, companies taking part in Black Friday usually gave away their excess product for a cheaper price. Now, companies, (particularly in fast fashion) produce excess stock in advance specifically for the Black Friday weekend as a strategy to increase their revenues.
Here at BEDI Studios, we do not celebrate Black Friday because it goes against our core values based on sustainability. We want to enjoy the holidays without over consumption and without the unnecessary clutter left after the holidays. To facilitate this happening, we invite you to come and Silent Friday with us. We want our community to take some time for themselves and find some calm in one of the busiest times of the year. Perhaps even go off grid for 24 hours.
Some of our customers have asked if we will be having specials for the holidays. We are a brand that follows a circular economy model and we’ve always strived to give our community the most value, at margins that make sense for us and our partners. BEDI Studios will not go on sale during this time of year, or ever for that matter. We believe in the value of our products, therefore we make sure that they last a lifetime and encourage others to do the same to reduce the amount of clothing making its way to landfill. Fast fashion goods occupy 80% of landfills, with the balance being incinerated. This is in addition to the fact that find 80% of household plastics and textiles including packaging are landfilled or incinerated.
Join us this week as logging off on the busiest shopping day of the year will have a direct positive impact on the Circular Economy.