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A campaign launched by the environment ministry advocating against shopping has sparked outrage within the French retail sector, creating a divide in President Emmanuel Macron’s administration.
The campaign, featuring TV commercials advising citizens to hold onto their existing clothes rather than purchasing new ones, aims to combat what Christophe Béchu, the environment minister, calls “unsustainable over-consumption.”
Béchu proposes transforming Black Friday into a Green Friday, focusing on alternatives to buying new goods. However, his initiative has stirred anger among some cabinet members, notably Bruno Le Maire, the economy minister, who grapples with rising unemployment and the challenge of reducing living costs.
This controversy highlights Macron’s struggle to reconcile reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55 per cent by 2030 with his commitment to achieving full employment by 2027.
The no-shopping campaign, initiated by the French Government’s Agency for Ecological Transition under the environment ministry, uses humorous TV ads featuring ‘un-salespeople’ advising against purchasing to conserve the planet’s resources.
The agency aims to prompt individuals to question their buying decisions, asking, “Do I truly need this new polo neck when I already own similar ones in good condition?” or “Is it necessary to replace my old smartphone?”
Béchu stressed the necessity of transitioning to more restrained consumption habits for France to meet its environmental goals and foster a circular economy.
He criticised Black Friday, denouncing its model of unsustainable overconsumption detrimental to both the planet and economic sovereignty, particularly due to the importation of most goods sold on that day.
The Confederation of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses condemned the campaign, labelling it a “significant blow” to shopkeepers dealing with inflation and concerns over a slowdown in economic activity. France’s retail sector employs 3.4 million people.
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