What if we banned Black Friday to make it a day dedicated to repairs?

Every year, like a well-oiled ritual, Black Friday bursts into our newsletters, the home pages of e-commerce sites, application notifications and even SMS messages. Shamelessly imported from the American consumerist model, Black Friday has also become an institution in France where the buying frenzy takes hold of the crowds. On average, six out of ten French people take advantage of the offers and spend on average €250, according to an Enov study. But behind this orchestrated enthusiasm lies a much less rosy reality: overproduction, waste, exploitation of resources and workers under pressure. What if we decided to break with this infernal mechanism?

Black Friday is the symbol of a booming economy, where the act of buying takes precedence over real need. We rush to acquire the latest electronic gadget or yet another pair of shoes whose necessity is entirely questionable. And these are all objects and products that are often manufactured in opaque conditions on the other side of the world. This overconsumption is not without consequences: waste is piling up, CO2 emissions are increasing, and inequalities are widening. Objects purchased in haste too often end up in waste, fueling a spiral of waste that is unsustainable for the planet. So why not ban Black Friday and replace it with a day dedicated to repairs?

Erase Black Friday from our calendar

Banning Black Friday would be a strong act, a snub to this commercial logic which pushes us to consume ever more, to the detriment of our environment and our well-being. By replacing it with a repair day, we would be choosing sustainability, valuing what we already have. Repairing rather than throwing away means reconnecting with know-how, bringing objects back to life and creating social bonds around participatory workshops.

We could imagine that, in village squares and in urban neighborhoods, these days would be run by volunteers and artisans. People ready to share their skills to repair a temperamental toaster, mend a damaged item of clothing or give a facelift to an old piece of furniture. This approach is part of a circular economy, where each resource is used carefully, where local employment and the transmission of knowledge are promoted. It is peaceful resistance to planned obsolescence and product standardization.

Veja, Vitra, Recyclivre, Repair Café… a “Repair Friday” as an alternative

The French eco-responsible sneaker brand Veja has decided to organize a “Repair Friday” in response to this consumerist mismanagement. “This year, to ‘not celebrate’ Black Friday, Veja invites everyone to its Paris headquarters for a Repair Friday on November 29 and 30 – two days dedicated to repairs”explains the brand in a press release. The operation, offered free of charge, will take place at its Parisian headquarters, located at 146 Rue du Faubourg Poissonnière in the 10th arrondissement of Paris.

But it will not be alone, other brands are joining the initiative: Vitra will offer small repairs on Eames chairs and Cyclocare will carry out rapid diagnostics and on-site repairs on bicycles. Repair Café will focus on repairing small household appliances while Anti_Fashion Project will take care of clothing and textiles and Aurélie Chadaine will take care of leather. Finally, In the City in the Mountains will look at technical shoes.

Rethink our relationship with objects and take care of them

This day of repair would also be an opportunity to rethink our relationship with time and objects. Taking the time to repair means slowing down in a world that moves too fast, it means reclaiming part of our autonomy in the face of the big brands that dictate our desires. It means saying no to fake bargains and refusing objects or clothing that you have no real use for. It is also a concrete ecological approach, reducing our carbon footprint and preserving natural resources.

By making this collective choice, we would send a strong message to industries: that of a society aware of environmental and social issues, wishing to consume differently. Replacing Black Friday with a day dedicated to repairs would be much more than a simple change in the commercial calendar. It would be a civic act, an affirmation of our values ​​in the face of a system that exhausts the planet and alienates individuals. It is an invitation to build together a more sustainable future, where quality takes precedence over quantity, where humans regain their place at the heart of the economy. What if, this year, instead of giving in to the sirens of ephemeral promotions, we chose to repair the world, object by object, gesture by gesture?

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