a collective leads an action to show “the dark side of Black Friday”
“The dark side of Black Friday,” read the signs, Saturday 27 November 2021 in Balma. In the aftermath of Black Friday, around thirty activists from the collective ANV COP21 Toulouse gathered in front of the appliance store Darty. Their objective: denounced “the terrible social, ecological and human consequences of the manufacture of our electronic devices”.
A “mountain of electronic waste” dumped in front of the store
The activists of the collective ANV COP21 Toulouse wants to “alert the public and buyers to the disastrous and invisible realities behind the production and purchase of every phone and laptop”. The action therefore consisted in dumping a “mountain of electronic waste” as well as a pool of “fake oil” in front of the chain of household appliances Darty, located in the Balma-Gramont commercial area.
Placards and banners were brandished in front of the store: “The dark side of Black Friday: exploitation, pollution, waste” or “Let’s continue to collect our papers on the ground while the multinationals rot the earth!”.
Black Friday is “the pinnacle of the unnecessary purchase injunction”
“The stake for activists is not to consume better but to put a brake on excessive consumption and these objects”, explains the collective in a press release. Because for the organizers of the action, Black Friday is “the climax of the unnecessary purchase injunction of all kinds of goods and in particular more and more electronic devices such as smartphones, laptops, televisions, … “
“The entire population is encouraged on this day, bordering on harassment by advertising panels, shop windows and large brands to make purchases of products they and they do not need”, specifies the collective. And to continue: “behind the flashy colors, the shiny packaging hides a dark and disturbing reality”.
Ecological and human issues for these activists
Faced with overconsumption linked to Black Friday, the collective highlights the “social consequences”. “The United Nations certified level that 60 to 90% of WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) is trafficked and does not follow the recycling channels regulated worldwide. life ends up in illegal dumps, in China, India or Ghana, where they are burned to recover the gold, pollute the water tables, and are dismantled under dangerous working conditions for the workers “.
“Given these critical issues for humanity, it is no longer acceptable to voluntarily increase our digital footprint just to boost the economy. Because this is ultimately the main reason for the unbridled growth of digital impacts”, to announce Erwan, spokesperson for ANV COP21 Toulouse during the action.