Black Friday: the shopping frenzy the planet dreads
Every year, the fourth Friday of November triggers a wave of impulse buying, express deliveries, and electronic waste in France. Black Friday, imported from the United States, has become in less than a decade the biggest commercial event of the year in France — ahead of even the winter sales. But behind the enticing promotions lies an environmental footprint that brands would rather not display.
The numbers that send a chill down your spine
In France, Black Friday 2024 generated:
- More than 300 million parcels shipped during Black Friday week (Colissimo/Fevad).
- An 18% increase in online sales compared to a normal week.
- An estimated return rate of 25-30% of ordered items — tens of millions of parcels sent back, often destroyed rather than resold.
- An estimated 40% increase in delivery CO₂ emissions for the week, according to a Carbone 4 study.
Globally, Black Friday and Cyber Monday generate, according to several estimates, between 350,000 and 500,000 additional tonnes of CO₂ in Europe alone, primarily linked to logistics and returns.
The returns problem
Free returns have become an e-commerce standard, but their environmental cost is exorbitant. A returned parcel often travels more kilometers than the initial delivery, passes through multiple sorting warehouses, and in 30 to 50% of cases depending on the retailer, ends up destroyed rather than resold — particularly in the fashion sector. In France, the 2020 anti-waste law prohibits the destruction of unsold non-food goods, but enforcement remains partial.
The carbon impact, category by category
Logistics and transport
Express delivery is the most carbon-intensive. A parcel delivered within 24 hours has a carbon footprint 2 to 4 times higher than a standard 5-day delivery, because it requires additional delivery vans that are often less full. Route densification, which is both economically and ecologically optimal, is sacrificed for speed.
Packaging
Black Friday rhymes with over-packaging. Studies show that one-third of parcel volume is made up of air and padding materials — often single-use plastic. France has mandated the elimination of single-use plastics in packaging by 2025, but the transition is still incomplete.
Electronic waste
Electronics is the flagship category of Black Friday. Yet every smartphone, tablet, or laptop sold displaces a functional device toward the trash or a drawer. France generates approximately 1.7 million tonnes of electronic waste per year — a figure that peaks in December, two months after Black Friday.
Overconsumption: the real systemic problem
Beyond logistics, Black Friday raises a more fundamental question: that of overconsumption. Promotional offers create an artificial sense of urgency that drives people to buy products they did not need. Behavioral economics studies show that:
- 70% of Black Friday purchases are unplanned.
- 45% of buyers regret at least one Black Friday purchase within the following month.
- The "bargain" feeling leads to spending 30% more than the initial budget.
"Black Friday is not a day of great deals. It is a day of bad decisions well organized by marketing."
— Tim Jackson, economist, author of Prosperity without Growth
Green Friday: the growing counter-movement
Facing the Black Friday machine, a counter-movement is organizing. Born in France in 2020 at the initiative of the Energy Transition Network association (Rac France), Green Friday brings together companies that refuse to participate in Black Friday and commit to donating 10% of their day's revenue to environmental organizations.
In 2024, more than 1,200 retailers joined the movement, including sustainable fashion brands, organic grocery stores, independent bookshops, and artisans. The message is simple: repair, buy second-hand, cut back, or if you buy new, do so from committed retailers.
Other emerging alternatives
- Buy Nothing Day: born in the United States, this movement invites people to buy nothing on Black Friday — a symbolic but powerful act of resistance.
- Make Friday Green Again: a French platform that lists companies committed to responsible consumption.
- Second-hand sales: Vinted, Leboncoin, and Back Market see traffic spikes during Black Friday, a sign that awareness of second-hand options is growing.
5 concrete alternatives to Black Friday
If you want to make the most of the late November period without joining the consumerist frenzy, here are concrete alternatives:
- Make a list of real needs before November, and buy only what is on it — looking for second-hand options first if possible.
- Opt for intangible gifts: experiences, subscriptions, donations to charities — zero packaging, zero delivery.
- Choose second-hand platforms: Back Market for refurbished electronics, Vinted for fashion, Leboncoin for everything else.
- Wait for the official sales: Black Friday prices are often equivalent to the January sales, without the artificial time pressure.
- Offset your purchases: if you buy anyway, calculate the carbon footprint of your purchases and offset through a certified project.
Regulation is tightening
The European Union is working on regulating aggressive promotions and advertising that encourages overconsumption. Several Nordic countries have already taken action: in Belgium and the Netherlands, government awareness campaigns counterbalance Black Friday advertising. In France, Parliament has debated regulating or banning Black Friday several times, without reaching a conclusion to date.
To understand how to adopt more responsible consumption throughout the year — and not just in November — our guide responsible consumption: where to start walks you through step by step.
And if you want to measure the carbon impact of your online purchases over an entire year, our analysis of the carbon footprint of online shopping provides concrete numbers and levers for action.
Black Friday will pass. Awareness stays.