Coming from the opposite side of the hemisphere, Black Friday has been a relatively recent addition to our psyches and our inboxes. The day of mass sales and shopping chaos falls on the fourth Friday of November each year, tying into USA’s Thanksgiving Weekend. Though taking to the pedestrian-filled streets to wait in lines and manically find the best deals (still full from mashed potatoes you’ve eaten your weight in the night before) isn't exactly our idea of R&R, the thrill of scoring a deal (or purchasing a long-lusted-after item that's been sitting in your wish list for months) isn’t lost on us across the pond – though it does err on the anxiety-inducing side of ‘thrilling’.
This year, however, brands have been looking at things a little differently, with some campaigning to boycott the holiday in the name of our current climate crisis. At the forefront of this was Deciem, a beauty company famous for their effective and affordable range of brands and products. At the beginning of November, Deciem announced that not only would it be offering 23 per cent off all sales for the month, but that it would end on the November 29 (Black Friday), and that they would be closing their stores and website in an effort to promote ‘slow shopping’ and awareness around Black Friday’s wasteful consumer culture.
In the midst of global climate strikes, fires blazing across Australia and the Amazon, Venice’s record-breaking floods and a plethora of other climate-related catastrophes over the globe, it’s becoming increasingly hard to turn a blind eye to our ecological crisis. According to the U.N. Environment Programme, the fashion industry produces 20 per cent of global wastewater and 10 per cent of global carbon emissions. With concerns of overconsumption at the centre of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it’s easy to understand why people are taking a stand.
With this in mind, we’re taking a look at brands using this sale season to give back to non-profit organisations that matter.
Galinée
Galinée will be donating 15 per cent of their profits to Think Forward UK, a mentoring association for teenagers in difficulty.
Patagonia
Patagonia donated 100 per cent of all profits from Black Friday sales (a reported $10 million) to various grassroots environmental organisations.
Kindred Black
From November 28 - December 2, Kindred Black are donating 25 per cent of all sales to Environmental Defense, a non-profit environmental advocacy group.
Kindred Black
From November 28 - December 2, Kindred Black are donating 25 per cent of all sales to Environmental Defense, a non-profit environmental advocacy group.
Missoma
Missoma is partnering with environmental charity, Tree Sisters, to plant a tree for every purchase made.
