French
Lawmakers, Activists Want to Ban Black Friday
Olivia RosaneNov. 29, 2019 08:09AM
"Youth
for climate" activists who are blocking the access doors to the Quatre
Temps mall at La Defense business district, west of Paris on Nov. 29, are
pushed by customers who are attempting to enter the mall as activists
demonstrate against Black Friday. PHILIPPE LOPEZ / AFP / Getty Images
Despite its
association with the U.S. holiday Thanksgiving, Black Friday has spread to
shoppers and stores around the world. Now, some French lawmakers are trying to
stop that.
A French
legislative committee passed an amendment Monday that would ban the shopping
day because it encourages "resource waste" and
"overconsumption," The Associated Press reported.
The
amendment specifically targets Black Friday advertising campaigns and would be
added to France's "anti-waste law," according to Euronews.
"'Black
Friday' is a vast glory operation of consumerism imported from the United
States in 2013," the amendment summary begins. It goes on to condemn the
day for its "disastrous environmental record," according to Euronews.
The
amendment was proposed by former French environment minister Delphine Batho and
will be debated by France's lower legislative house next month, The Independent
reported.
Lawmakers
aren't the only ones in the country who oppose the day. Both government
officials and concerned citizens have said that it contributes to the climate
crisis.
Ecological
transition minister Elisabeth Borne said on Thursday that the day caused
"traffic jams, pollution, and gas emissions," according to The
Associated Press.
"We
cannot both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and call for a consumer frenzy.
Above all, we must consume better," she told BFM Business, as The
Independent reported.
Activists
on the ground have also taken action against Black Friday. Members of the
environmental group Amis de la Terre (Friends of the Earth) blocked the
driveway of an Amazon warehouse south of Paris Thursday, The Associated Press
reported. Demonstrators filled the driveway with hay and old refrigerators and
microwaves and carried signs saying "Amazon: For the climate, for jobs,
stop expansion, stop over-production!"
Additional
protests are planned for the day itself under the banner of "Block
Friday."
France's
e-commerce union came out against the proposed ban, according to The
Independent, but not all French businesses support Black Friday.
In fact,
more than 300 mostly-French clothing companies actively called on their
customers to boycott the day this year with a "Make Friday Green
Again" campaign.
Borne said
that the day helped large online retailers more than small businesses.
French
lawmakers also argue that the day misleads customers into thinking that it
offers greater discounts than the two sales periods mandated by French law,
which take place for six weeks in winter and six weeks in summer, according to
Euronews. In fact, the discounts offered on Black Friday are not comparable to
those offered during the traditional sales periods.
"Stop
overconsumption and communications that mislead consumers," French MP
Matthieu Orphelin tweeted after the amendment passed the committee.
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