Black Friday is frying the planet, join Make SMTHNG Week instead: Greenpeace

Greenpeace and partners offer alternative to major international moments of consumerism

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Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become major international moments for consumerism so, to offer an alternative, Greenpeace and partners are launching MAKE SMTHNG Week (November 23 – December 2). With more than 300 events in 40 countries, MAKE SMTHNG Week asks people to #BuyNothing and #MakeSmthng instead.

We are already drowning in stuff – stuffed wardrobes, garages, and kitchens – yet we keep on shopping for more fashion, gadgets, food, single-use plastic, toys, and cars. Our throwaway lifestyles are fuelling climate change, pollution and the destruction of habitats and irreplaceable natural wonders. MAKE SMTHNG Week offers a fun and creative way out of this wasteful consumerism,” said Robin Perkins, Make SMTHNG campaigner at Greenpeace.

“By sharing, caring for, and repairing things we can make more of what we already own and give our planet a break,” he added.

Greenpeace, its global partners — Fashion Revolution, #BreakFreeFromPlastic, Shareable, Arts Thread, the Fab Labs Network and the Fab City Global Initiative, will bring together hundreds of designers, artists and makers to lead workshops where people can learn creative techniques of reuse, repairing, fashion upcycling and DIY.

Events include making sustainable Christmas presents, living a plastic-free life, community repair cafes, books and clothes swaps, and zero waste cooking — in 32 countries from Qatar to Peru, Canada, India, Germany, Italy, UK, South Africa and Spain.

On August 1st this year, humanity used up more natural resources than the planet is able to reproduce in a year. The over-consumption of convenience products like fast-fashion, single use paper and plastics, gadgets or toys designed not to last and industrially-produced food, is pushing our planet to its limits.

“Large corporations continue to put profit first while they reduce the quality, repairability and versatility of their products. Through omnipresent advertising we are told, again and again, to buy more and more stuff we don’t need. Companies won’t change unless we show them we want something different. Together we have to build something that will make this outdated, wasteful model obsolete,” added Perkins.

ENDS

Photos and videos can be accessed here.

Notes:

About MAKE SMTHNG week: Website; Resources to get involved; Press Kit; Instagram

#DisruptBlackFriday #BuyNothing #MakeSmthng

Contacts:

Lu Yen Roloff, Comms & Digital Engagement Lead, Germany: lroloff@greenpeace.org, +49 151 10028267

Greenpeace International Press Desk: pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)

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