“We need to stop buying things we don’t need and transition to a circular economy now,” says Alexandra Davidsson, Co-founder of Circular Monday.

Originally founded in Sweden in 2017, Circular Monday was created as a counteraction to Black Friday, offering an alternative to the rampant overconsumption of newly produced, often unsustainable products. Today, Circular Monday has evolved into a global movement, making it easier than ever for consumers to access sustainable goods and services.

Since last year the campaign has gone from spanning 30 to 40 countries at present, inclusind Romania, a testament to the increasing global shift toward sustainable and circular shopping alternatives.

Circular Monday can be the solution to global overconsumption

“40-70 percent of global carbon emissions comes from unsustainable production and consumption . Black Friday represents outdated consumer habits, and Circular Monday is offering a solution by promoting sustainable, circular alternatives,” says Alexandra Davidsson.

Black Friday can be a moment characterized by impulse shopping, as we are tempted to buy things that we may not actually need, just because they are labeled as having the lowest price in the year, even though that may not always be the case.

Alex Laibăr, Executive Director at Circular Economy Coalition - CERC and Spokesperson for Circular Monday in Romania, said that we are "bombarded" by the marketing teams of the companies wanting us to buy more and more products, with ever more complicated strategies that have even more profound effects on our lives.

"Nowadays, needs are being created so subtly that we start to believe that we truly need that product. I think the easiest thing we can do is ask ourselves this key question: "do I really need this now?", and to answer honestly. Even if the answer is positive, we should wait 24 hours before making a purchasing decision. The answer may not be the same anymore."

Recent developments in the circular economy reinforce the need for initiatives like Circular Monday. Financial institutions like the European Investment Bank (EIB) are stepping up their support for circular business models, recognizing their role in reducing emissions and fostering sustainable growth.

In 2024, the EIB increased financing for projects aimed at promoting reuse, recycling and reduced waste, aligning with the goals of Circular Monday. This institutional backing highlights how systemic financial support is growing alongside consumer movements, both working towards a circular future.

With climate change and overconsumption becoming urgent global challenges, Circular Monday offers a practical and accessible way for consumers to take meaningful action. The second-hand and vintage markets are thriving, with the global second-hand market now valued at over €128 billion, enjoying double-digit annual growth.

The EIB's focus on the circular economy further highlights the importance of sustainable shopping and shows that circularity is no longer just a trend—it’s a necessary transformation.

“It’s incredible to see the rapid growth of the second-hand and vintage sectors globally. The luxury second-hand market alone is now valued at €35 billion, with an annual growth rate of 15.50 percent . But what’s even more inspiring is how this growth is increasingly backed by financial institutions like the European Investment Bank (EIB), which actively supports circular projects aimed at reducing waste and cutting emissions.” says Elin Bergman, COO of Cradlenet and one of the spokespersons of #CircularMonday.

The Global Impact Circular Monday had so far

Since its global expansion in 2019, Circular Monday has been embraced worldwide, from Italy to USA. As the EIB continues to finance circular projects and cities, Circular Monday stands as a consumer-driven response to the need for a circular economy. The movement is growing in tandem with financial institutions, which are actively backing circularity as a solution to reduce waste, cut emissions, and foster sustainability.

"The impact of Circular Monday is organic, growing from one year to another, through the companies that join the platform to offer their sustainable products or services or through the involvement of tens of local and international influencers. There are tens of millions of interactions between them and there is a public on all continents, but there are practical consequences, as well, by promoting circular goods and services. Being a voluntary movement, so far it has served its purpose to make local circular alternatives known to the world, each country having its own initiative, but also communicating the objectives they are meeting along the way", Alex added.

This year’s campaign will take place on November 25th, after Black Friday, as a timely reminder of the environmental cost of unchecked consumerism and the need to transition to a circular economy.

What we can do as consumers for Circular Monday

The concept of the Circular Handshake was born at the 2023 Future of Commerce event in Marbella, Spain, where leaders of 100 companies gathered to discuss the future of the sector and the imperative transition to circular business practices.

The idea of a Circular Handshake is an agreement between companies containing significant and measurable steps to take towards circular business models for companies that want to be sustainability and circular frontrunners. The Circular Handshake contains ambitions goals both short term and long term.

What can we as consumers do? Quite a lot. We can prevent the exaggerated consumption, whether we are talking about food, energy, clothes or electronics, for example, and by preventing waste, to protect the planet, as well as to save some money for when we might need it later on.

Furthermore, "by prolonging, through repair or reuse, the lifespan of our products, we prevent the rapid accumulation of waste and the extraction of new raw materials from nature", Alex explains. "Also, by renting some of the objects we might only need occasionally (a special outfit, a photo camera or a power drill) we avoid falling in the trap of overconsumption and realizing, sometimes to our own disbelief, that we have too much stuff in our homes. Small gestures matter when they are multiplied millions of times", the representative of Circular Monday in Romania said.