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Black Friday is a day of business, a gauge of the state of the economy, but for many it is also the cause of harmful trends such as overconsumption and predatory treatment of natural resources. The alternative view is shared by a Belgian fashion chain that closed all its stores in the midst of a shopping spree. Instead of discounts, customers are being offered free repairs and refreshments on their worn clothes, BNT reports.
“Green” instead of “Black Friday” announced a Belgian fashion brand and closed all 13 outlets in the country. The online shop is also not working. Instead, 100 of the chain’s employees, led by the CEO, gathered at the Ghent office to repair around 600 items of clothing delivered free by consumers. The company rejects the “buy as much as possible, as cheap as possible” philosophy.
“It doesn’t fit the sustainable philosophy we share, and instead of Black Friday, we’re participating in Green Friday. We’re extending the life of all the clothes that are delivered to us,” explains manager Patrick Destrumo.
Another fashion chain also took part in the initiative, which closed all its stores in Belgium, Holland and Germany for one day. Employees have volunteered to clean and beautify preserves and parks in their towns. Circular economy specialists note that the time has come for people to rethink their consumption behavior.
“We believe that the circular economy should become the norm. This includes longer lasting products, products that can be repaired and recycled,” says Tycho van Hauwert, circular economy expert:
Some users just don’t believe in Black Friday.
“We come from the Netherlands. I used to find lower prices there under the Black Friday labels. So, I don’t believe it,” says pensioner Bart Vanderelsken:
The closed shops in Ghent surprised some shoppers at the height of the Black Friday shopping frenzy, but many are backing the move and ready to come back again.
