On Black Friday, Sustainable Shopping Matters
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Hamburg, 2025-11-26. With Black Friday just around the corner, the world is caught in the grip of a shopping fever. As people get ready to go clothes shopping, new surveys confirm that most consider sustainability important. Textiles made with sustainably produced cotton will also be available on Black Friday under, for example, the label “Cotton made in Africa©”.
Every year, EU citizens buy an average of 26 kilograms of textiles per capita. [1] Clothing is one of the most popular categories on Black Friday. [2] For the majority of consumers, sustainability has become a factor in purchasing decisions [3]; half go so far as to refuse to buy products that are not sustainable, according to a survey. [4]
“The Black Friday shopping phenomenon does not have to be in conflict with sustainability,” says Tina Stridde, the managing director of the Aid by Trade Foundation, explaining, “After all, sustainably produced clothing—bearing the ‘Cotton made in Africa’ label, for instance—can be found at Black Friday prices these days as well.”
Of all textiles purchased online, 44 percent are made from sustainable materials. [5] In addition to protecting water, soil, and the climate, the sustainability standard Cotton made in Africa© (CmiA) places great emphasis on social principles in cotton cultivation. In practice, this means that women are empowered, human rights are respected, child labour is excluded, and smallholder communities in Africa receive support.
Checking to see if there is a CmiA seal on the tag can make it easier to decide whether to snap up a great deal—and make shopping more sustainable. Beyond ensuring a better future for our planet, sustainable textiles elevate wardrobes and bring joy long after Black Friday is over. Every single piece of sustainable clothing is a step in the right direction for the textile industry.
The sustainability transformation will succeed if companies and consumers commit to making a difference together. “Black Friday can be a catalyst for this change if we see it as an opportunity to pursue social working conditions, a transparent supply chain, an intact environment, and wise resource management,” says Tina Stridde, concluding, “Every purchase counts.”
[1] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2023-0176_DE.html
[2] https://www.bcg.com/publications/2025/consumers-are-rewriting-rules-year-end-sales
[3] https://www.idealo.de/dam/jcr:984ecb4d-dbc4-4e24-b526-436ad327b859/idealo_Black-Friday-2025-Umfrage_Whitepaper.pdf Survey in Germany
[4] https://www.idealo.de/dam/jcr:984ecb4d-dbc4-4e24-b526-436ad327b859/idealo_Black-Friday-2025-Umfrage_Whitepaper.pdf Survey in Germany
[5] https://www.dhl.com/content/dam/dhl/local/global/dhl-ecommerce/documents/pdf/g0-dhl-e-commerce-trends-report-2025.pdf
Press Contact
Christina Ben Bella, e-mail: christina.benbella@abt-foundation.org Holger Diedrich, e-mail: holger.diedrich@abt-foundation.org
Aid by Trade Foundation | Gurlittstraße 14 | 20099 Hamburg | Germany
About Cotton made in Africa
The Cotton made in Africa initiative® (CmiA) was founded in 2005 under the umbrella of the Hamburg-based Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF). CmiA is an internationally recognised standard for sustainably produced cotton from Africa, connecting African small-scale farmers with trading companies and fashion brands throughout the global textile value chain. The initiative’s objective is to employ trade, rather than donations, to protect the environment and to improve the living conditions of small-scale farmers and their families. Apart from the farming families, people working in ginneries also benefit from improved working conditions. Additional projects addressing schooling, health, environmental protection, and women’s empowerment contribute to better living conditions in farming communities as well. Learn more at: cottonmadeinafrica.org/en
About the Aid by Trade Foundation
Founded by the entrepreneur Prof. Dr Michael Otto in 2005, the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) is an internationally renowned non-profit organisation that works throughout the world to promote sustainable raw materials. Its work makes a decisive and measurable contribution to improving the living conditions of people and animals while protecting the environment. With its verified raw materials Cotton made in Africa® (CmiA), Cotton made in Africa Organic (CmiA Organic), Regenerative Cotton Standard® (RCS) and The Good Cashmere Standard® (GCS), the foundation is putting its goals into practice. In view of the increasing challenges posed to small farmers and textile companies by the consequences of climate change and market shifts, the standards are of fundamental importance for their resilience and sustainability. The foundation works in close cooperation with industry experts and with specialists in animal and nature protection. More information at: www.aidbytrade.org
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