Around the globe, nothing spells sales season like ‘Black Friday’ sales that see retailers slash prices like never before, just in time for people to clear wishlisted carts and stock up on gifts before the holidays.
But, while most go gaga over these special discounted rates, a tea entrepreneur from Assam’s Sivasagar district is distraught at mindless spending that normalises wasteful expenditure, impulsive shopping, and disposability.
To counter this trend, he has launched a campaign called the ‘Anti-Black Friday Sale’, in which he has increased prices of Woolah Tea’s products.
Upamanyu Borkakoty, founder of Woolah Tea, which is known for its patented bagless tea technology, has initiated the ‘Anti-Black Friday Sale – For the Planet’ as a deliberate stance against the culture of over-consumption.
“‘Black Friday’ has become one of the world’s most aggressive symbols of consumption. Each year, prices fall, urgency rises and millions buy things they don’t need, simply because they are cheaper for a moment,” he said, adding that what remains afterward is waste – unused products, discarded packaging and an economy built on disposability.
Asserting that his brand is “focused on creating authentic and pure tea, collaborating with a community of organic farmers, enterprising rural women and planet-positive practices,” Borkakoty said they chose a sustainability-led path.
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“If the question every ‘Black Friday’ sale asks is: “How cheap can something be?”, Woolah Tea proposes a different one: “What is the real cost of cheap?” said Vishal Bijlani, head of marketing of Woolah Tea, owned by Sivasagar-based TTLT India Private Ltd.
“Through the ‘Anti Black Friday Sale’ campaign, Woolah rejects a system that rewards excessive purchasing and disposability. The message is simple – If you need something, buy thoughtfully. If you don’t, don’t buy at all,” he added.
The brand has also opened a public sign-up pledge for individuals who defy over-consumption, Amrita Acharjya, brand and communications manager.
“The pledge is not about buying. It is about shifting perspective, from extraction to stewardship. The ‘Anti-Black Friday Sale’ is a refusal to normalise a culture that treats the planet as an endless resource. In essence, this ‘Black Friday’, we aren’t lowering prices, we are raising accountability,” Borkakoty said about the movement which he says is rooted in responsibility rather than excess.
The campaign also includes the launch of ‘10,000 Trees Project’, in collaboration with Jadav Payeng, known as the ‘Forest Man of India’.
Aiming to grow 10,000 native saplings, Borkakoty said Payeng’s work stands as living proof that “restoration doesn’t need noise, it needs commitment”.
“Over decades, he has grown an entire forest, tree by tree. His philosophy aligns deeply with the spirit of this campaign and Woolah’s core belief – regeneration is slow by design,” he said.
For Chandrawali, a college teacher who shops online for most of her needs, such a campaign can help generate awareness on “mindful spending” among younger consumers.
“On many occasions, I have ended up buying stuff I could have done without. In such a scenario, a campaign to urge consumers to go for mindful spending is more than welcome,” Chandrawali added.
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