Every year, as November comes to an end, the same frenzy takes over: Black Friday floods our screens and our streets, pushing us to fill our carts with so-called “exceptional deals.” But more and more consumers and brands are taking a step back. In 2025, talking about alternatives to Black Friday is no longer a niche activist slogan — it’s a concrete reality, driven by international movements, local initiatives, and brands redefining their own way of acting.
This article highlights the major collectives leading this resistance, the individual initiatives reinventing the day, and the economic models proving that another way of consuming is possible — sometimes by buying less, sometimes by not spending anything at all.
Major structured movements: the Black Friday alternatives shaping 2025
Alternatives to Black Friday can no longer be reduced to two or three loosely known activist groups on Instagram. We are now seeing international initiatives, coordinated campaigns, and hundreds of committed brands. In short: a different path is emerging.
Green Friday — exposing misleading marketing
Founded by Altermundi & Envie, Green Friday is a direct response to the Black Friday spiral. The goal isn’t to shame those who enjoy discounts, but to highlight what these promotions really imply behind the scenes.
The movement’s message is clear:
- aggressive promotions encourage overconsumption;
- many of the products purchased quickly end up in the trash;
- low-cost production takes a heavy toll on the environment and on working conditions.
In response, Green Friday offers another way: buy less, but buy better.
Concretely, the movement encourages people to:
- repair what they already own,
- resell or donate unused items,
- choose second-hand,
- support brands committed to sustainability.
Its core message: “the real cost of fake deals.” In other words: a bargain is only a bargain if it respects the product, the people who made it, and the planet.
Learn more: https://greenfriday.fr/
Make Friday Green Again — the flagship “consume less, consume better” movement
Launched in France by Faguo, Make Friday Green Again aims to remind us that the most effective act against overconsumption is sometimes… to buy nothing at all. Instead, the movement offers a different routine:
- sort through your wardrobe,
- repair what can be repaired,
- resell,
- swap,
- or donate.
Anything but frantically clicking “add to cart.” It has become one of the most iconic Black Friday alternatives: a collective call to slow down.
Learn more: https://www.makefridaygreenagain.com/
Blue Friday — a Friday dedicated to protecting the ocean
Born in Belgium, Blue Friday brings together brands that forgo discounts and instead donate part of their sales to environmental NGOs. The 2025 project, organized with Ocean Legacy, is incredibly concrete: every 4 dollars donated funds the removal of one pound of marine waste from the Pacific.
A few figures already collected:
- 21,000 kg of debris removed from coastlines,
- $127,000 in funds raised,
Several international partners support the movement, including Mustang Survival, Pacific Sands Beach Resort, and Colorush.
This year again, Bluebuck is taking part in the initiative: we donate 10% of all revenue generated on Black Friday to fund marine clean-up projects.
Learn more: https://www.blue-friday.ca/
Les Jours Tricolores — making Made in France more accessible
Launched by several Made in France advocates, this operation offers a single promo code: LESJOURSTRICOLORES, valid across nearly 200 French brands. The idea isn’t to cut prices so much that they lose meaning, but to make French-made products more accessible during a period flooded with aggressive discounts.
A way to prove that alternative Black Friday approaches can exist without sacrificing product quality or origin.
Learn more: https://www.marques-de-france.fr/les-jours-tricolores/
Black for Good — turning purchases into solidarity
Created by Typology, this movement replaces discounts with donations to charities. In 2024:
- 42 participating brands,
- €69,000 raised,
- 37 supported organisations.
Cabaïa, Jules & Jenn, Vestiaire Collective and even Yves Rocher have taken part. It’s a Black Friday alternative where you can shop without guilt: the brand handles the solidarity effort, and you simply avoid getting pulled into yet another “limited deal”.
Learn more: https://www.blackforgood.org/
Circular Monday — the circular economy against throwaway culture
Born in Sweden, Circular Monday promotes second-hand, repair, rental, and recycling.
The movement:
- maintains a giant database of circular businesses,
- encourages repairing rather than buying,
- organises a dedicated day: the Monday before Black Friday.
Learn more: https://www.circularmonday.com/
Giving Tuesday — the global movement of generosity
Taking part in Giving Tuesday is surprisingly simple. The movement provides resources to help anyone — individuals, schools, companies, communities — take meaningful action:
- financial donation,
- donating time,
- one-off volunteering,
- skill sharing,
- or donating useful items.
Every country has its own version (#MardiJeDonne, #GivingTuesdayUK, #UnDiaParaDarMX…), with ideas and inspiring examples to help launch campaigns, even small ones. The goal isn’t to do a lot — it’s to build collective momentum, amplified through hashtags and grassroots actions happening across nearly 100 countries.
Learn more: https://www.givingtuesday.org/
- USA: https://www.givingtuesday.org/united-states/
- UK: https://www.givingtuesday.org.uk/
- FR: https://givingtuesday.fr/
- DE: https://givingtuesday.de/
Fair Friday — rounding up to support good causes
In Switzerland, Fair Friday encourages shops to implement round-up donations at checkout to support Caritas or other humanitarian organisations.
A small action repeated thousands of times becomes a Black Friday alternative that makes less noise — but a lot more impact.
Learn more: https://www.fair-friday.ch/
Share Friday — giving instead of buying
Here, buying isn’t even part of the equation. Share Friday encourages people to give: objects, time, skills, services… in short, anything that can circulate without going through an online checkout.
Learn more: https://sharefriday.fr/
Individual initiatives: Black Friday alternatives led by inspiring brands
After the major collective movements, many brands express their values in their own way. The idea is simple: there isn’t just one “right” way to do things, but countless ways to act according to one’s identity, means and convictions.
Friday Ride (TOMO Clothing) — flexible discounts and automatic donations
TOMO Clothing has created a surprisingly clever system: customers choose their own discount, anywhere between 10% and 28%. The difference? Donated to the Secours Populaire charity.
A balanced approach that blends freedom, transparency, and solidarity — a way to rethink Black Friday without abandoning the spirit of generosity.
Lucy & Yak — solidarity through creativity
Since 2018, the British clothing brand Lucy & Yak has donated a significant part of its profits to the Fior Di Loto Foundation. In 2024, they even released overalls illustrated by the children supported by the organisation. Their commitment isn’t told — it’s worn.
DECIEM — embracing “Slowvember”
The parent company of The Ordinary prefers offering Slowvember: 23% off for an entire month, and closing all stores and websites on Black Friday itself.
The idea: “encouraging more mindful purchasing by giving customers time to shop without the pressure of traditional Black Friday sales.” A slow, thoughtful Black Friday.
Picture Organic Clothing / REI / dryrobe® / Early Rider — shutting down on the big day
Some brands go even further: on Black Friday, it becomes impossible to buy anything from them. Each one uses this “commercial silence” to send a meaningful message:
- Picture Organic Clothing: the website closes for the day, with a clear invitation to get outside instead of filling your cart. Their motto: escape rather than consume.
- dryrobe®: a similar approach through the #GetOutside movement, encouraging people to step outside — literally — instead of scrolling through discounts.
- Early Rider: turns Black Friday into “Black Rideday”, a day dedicated to going for a bike ride with children rather than buying a new bike.
- REI: the brand closes all its stores and gives employees a day off so they too can enjoy the outdoors — a strong commitment placing well-being above commercial performance.
The shared message: swap impulsive buying for activities that reconnect you — with nature, yourself, or your family.
Refusing discounts all year long: the most consistent approach
While anti–Black Friday actions help raise awareness, some brands take things further by rejecting the entire logic of promotions — not once a year, but all year. The idea: fair prices at all times, without artificial markdowns or mountains of stock to clear.
This is the case for Lush, which almost never runs sales, except for a few seasonal leftovers (Christmas, Halloween). It’s less of a marketing stunt and more of a long-term philosophy.
Patagonia — pioneers worth mentioning
It’s impossible not to mention Patagonia. Why? Because it is one of the first companies to openly reject the Black Friday frenzy:
- In 2011, with the “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign in The New York Times,
- In 2016, with 100% for the Planet, donating all Black Friday profits (around $10 million) to environmental organisations,
- In 2019, with Gift of Giving: doubling all donations made through its Action Works platform between Black Friday and December 31,
- In 2022, by hosting in-store repair workshops to extend the life of products instead of encouraging new purchases,
- In 2023, by hijacking “limited-time deal” language on social media to prompt urgent action for Alaska rather than consumption.
And since then? For Patagonia, Black Friday is no longer even a topic. Their actions go far beyond a single day: the entire company is structured so every decision serves its environmental mission. Thanks to a unique governance model, every profit, choice, and product launch aligns with ecological goals.
Black Friday is no longer a box to tick: the brand rejects the very principle of artificial sales, ensuring every action supports the environmental mission year-round, not just in November.
The Bluebuck approach
At Bluebuck, the approach is just as consistent. Yes, we offer a Black Friday alternative — Blue Friday, where we donate 10% of the day’s revenue to an environmental charity. But beyond this one-day initiative, our stance remains the same all year long.
“Slow fashion” isn’t a trendy slogan — it’s how we actually operate.
- Three collections in ten years, because releasing new products just for the sake of novelty makes no sense.
- Controlled production, deliberately limited to avoid overproduction.
- Durable, responsible materials.
- Since 2021, we’ve been part of 1% for the Planet, donating 1% of our total annual revenue to an environmental organisation of our choice.
- And most importantly: no sales, ever. Our prices are set fairly from the start — not inflated so they can be slashed later.
To sum up: joining Black Friday differently is good; building a business model that doesn’t depend on it at all is even better.
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Black Friday alternatives are gaining momentum, reshaping the landscape of year-end consumption. Collective movements structure the resistance. Individual initiatives add creativity and fresh ideas. And in the middle, brands like Bluebuck show that commerce can thrive without feeding the frenzy — all year long.
In 2025, the goal isn’t to buy more. It’s to buy right. And sometimes… not to buy at all.