The challenge of Black Friday: between massive sales and sustainability

[Dimaeiya333]

Black Friday has long been synonymous with mass-market marketing campaigns and impulse buying, putting relentless pressure on consumers to buy more products. This has begun to have a direct impact on the environment, raising serious questions about the true ecological cost of this shopping day.

According to the Greenpeace organization , Black Friday symbolizes the ultimate exponent of consumer culture. This phenomenon has its roots in cities, where 55% of the world's population currently resides, a percentage that could reach almost 70% by 2050. Urban consumption is, in fact, responsible for 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In 2019 alone , 53.6 million tons of electronic waste were generated globally and only 17.4% of this was collected and recycled. In Spain, specifically, around 888 million kilos of electronic waste were generated , that is, 19 kilos per person.

In that same year, the production, packaging and transport of products purchased in Madrid alone on Black Friday accounted for 1.7% of the city's annual emissions, with 81.11% of these emissions caused by the manufacturing and marketing of the products. This impact is equivalent to the carbon stored in 211 hectares of temperate forest or the deforestation of 4 m² of forest for every inhabitant on the planet.

Fast fashion remains the biggest concern. According to UN data, making a single pair of jeans requires 7,500 litres of water, equivalent to a person’s consumption for seven years. Fast fashion consumes around 8 million cubic metres of water and is responsible for 20% of industrial water pollution. Since 2000, clothing production has doubled, but its use has fallen by 36%. Approximately 80% of products purchased on Black Friday are used only once or twice, and 73% of them end up incinerated or in landfills.

Despite these figures, the situation does not seem to be turning back. Since 2015, Black Friday sales have increased by 10-20% each year. In Spain, by 2024, online sales during Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday are expected to grow by 24% and 18% respectively.

Responsible Influence

Responsible influence
At Kolsquare, we are deeply convinced of the power of influencer marketing to positively change our society. Yes, responsible influence is possible! Innovative and relevant ideas should be spread there.

Join the movement


Green Friday, an alternative for the most responsible brands
Green Friday is a concept that has begun to gain traction with the growing concern about the environmental impact of consumerism in the world and the need to adopt more responsible practices in the field of comm vp r&d email database erce. It emerges as an alternative to the traditional Black Friday , promoting a more sustainable and conscious approach to shopping.

Green Friday is also related to " Buy Nothing Day" , a movement that invites people to refrain from shopping the day after Thanksgiving. This date was established in 1992 as a way to protest against rampant consumerism and encourage a more sustainable lifestyle.

You might be interested in: Responsible influencer marketing: #influenceforgood

In Spain, the Green Friday movement, launched in 2016 by sustainability consultant María Negro and her agency El Hervidero de Ideas, gave way to the #ConsumeconCOCO initiative , a meeting space for sustainable brands and committed consumers, united by the goal of generating a positive impact on the world.


This day is not about avoiding sales, but about finding more ethical and conscious ways of doing business. In this scenario, influencer marketing becomes a powerful strategy for those brands that want to transmit these values ​​and raise awareness through more responsible consumption.