A movement that calls itself Green Friday wants to offer an alternative to what it deems “inciting and deceptive” Black Friday deals by encouraging people to go for “more sustainable, local and solidary” consumption.
The 2020 edition of "Black Friday,” a day of trade promotions imported from the United States on the day after Thanksgiving, could once again beat online sales records due to the lockdown imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Black Friday is first and foremost synonymous with good deals for consumers. But in the eyes of the Resources federation, which represents social economy enterprises active in waste reduction, it is above all a call to over-consumption.
The organisation has therefore decided to take the "Green Friday" movement, initiated in France in 2017, which is opposed to "Black Friday", to Belgium. It wants to raise consumer awareness in Wallonia and Brussels to promote responsible consumption.
Shops that subscribe to the movement offer their products at the same price as all year round, with no reduction for the occasion. "The right price for our planet, our society and our economy," the organisation said.
"Our objective is to make consumers aware of the economic, social and environmental impact of their purchases".
The movement has received support from Céline Tellier, Walloon Minister for the Environment.
Last year, the number of electronic transactions broke the ceiling on "Black Friday" with 10,432,103 payments in shops and online, according to figures from the payment company Worldline. Internet commerce benefited particularly from this, with an 87% increase in transactions compared to a normal Friday.
Despite the Covid-19 crisis and the closure of many shops, the consumerist wave is expected to hit Belgium again this Friday. According to the online trade organisation BeCommerce, the number of purchases on the internet could increase by 8 to 10% compared to last year.
The Brussels Times
