Throwaway culture must be ditched, says Prince

THE Prince of Wales says Britain must reject throwaway culture, as shoppers were last night urged to boycott Black Friday.

Speaking at an environmental summit, the Prince said the concept of greater convenience had spawned a throwaway society and Britain needed to become better at un-making and remaking clothes. He added attitudes had to change now to save the planet.

“We are the first generation to understand, in full and terrifying scientific detail, that we are destroying our world. And we are the last to be able to do something about it,” he said.

His comments came ahead of today’s Black Friday sales bonanza, widely predicted to be record breaking, as shops and websites launched flash sales in the run-up to Christmas.

Mary Creagh MP, chairman of the environmental audit committee, called for a boycott of the event, saying it was fuelling the sale of cheap and unethically produced clothing, which was harming the environment.

On The Telegraph website she said: “What was once a single day now seems to be taking over November. It’s no longer just a bit of a scrum down the shops to grab the biggest and cheapest flat screen TV, it’s about compulsively clicking online.”

She warned: “Black Friday bargains are not all they are cracked up to be. The frenzy and psychological contricks are fuelling insatiable, unsustainable consumption and waste. We need to rethink our relationship with fashion. Until the fashion industry faces up to the social and environmental consequences of its business model, I will be boycotting Black Friday.”