Bright Friday (an alternative to wasteful Black Friday)
Bright Friday is a campaign run by Hubbub, to encourage people to use ‘Black Friday’ as a day to reflect on wasteful fast fashion. The clothing industry creates a colossal amount of waste, with most major brands having new seasonal pieces, rather than classic staples.
Even M & S (likely the most ethical of the high street fashion brands) has faced criticism, for its ‘take-back scheme’, where you get discounts on new items, for returning unwanted clothing. So-called ‘shwopping’ is kind of greenwash, as it encourages you to buy more clothing than you need.
When AirTags (vets say they should not be used to find lost pets, due to batteries) were attached to some clothing in take-back schemes, a Dutch NGO found that most items were scrapped or burned or even dumped in Mali, rather than ending up in thrift shops.
Black Friday is a worldwide day when big discounts are given. But this can create a kind of ‘consumer frenzy’ that again massively contributes to fashion waste.
Many stores have sale racks packed with clothes that people buy ‘just because they are cheap’. Around 80% of Black Friday fashion purchases end up in landfill.
Instead, take your time to find quality sustainable clothing to mix and match, and you’ll likely also save money in the long-run.
Good on You recommends giving up Black Friday, and swapping to the worldwide Giving Tuesday movement, where people take a day out each year to volunteer to do good in communities.
Some Brands Refuse to Do ‘Black Friday’
Will’s Vegan Shoes (who also makes bags) refuses to participate in Black Friday or any sales. Instead, he makes quality footwear that lasts for years and 365-money-back guarantees, sold in zero waste packaging. His footwear costs more because it’s quality and made fairly, and lasts.
Do Sustainable Fashion Brands Cost More?
There is a misconception that organic sustainable clothing costs more. It does per item, but if you build a capsule wardrobe of a few quality mix-and-match items, it will cost less long-term.
A few items contain recycled polyester or elastane. If bought, launder in a microfibre filter (or just buy the 100% natural fabrics, far simpler!)
Most good eco fashion stores offer regular sale discounts. And garments tend to last longer (as fibres have not been treated by chemicals).
And most truly ethical affordable brands tend to make less profit, in order to do some good. So the higher prices you are paying are usually due to paying farmers well.
Also to avoid fast fashion, it pays to gradually build a capsule wardrobe. So rather than buy 10 different cheap men’s shirts, just invest in a couple of neutral colours.
Then mix and match with a couple of pairs of trousers, a couple of jumpers and a good coat. This together will likely cost less over a year, then buying cheap high-street items anyway.
Why is Organic or Recycled Cotton Better?
Because the cotton industry (the fabric from which most everyday clothes are made) is responsible for most of the world’s pesticide use, and this is bad for the planet, wildlife and farmers.
Although not local, cotton is usually the fabric used for sustainable fashion (there is more locally-grown hemp and linen which is from the flax plant, but crumples easily).
Tencel is also popular, but it’s from flammable eucalyptus trees, and planting en-masse can cause wildfires (Spain and Portugal have already banned new plantations).
Popular ‘eco-fabrics’ not to use for sustainable fashion are recycled polyester or recycled plastic bottles. This is because despite ‘using up waste’, they release microplastics in the washing machine when laundered, which send the plastic straight back out to sea.
