purchases In 2020, more than 35% of consumers would have purchased counterfeits thinking they were buying genuine products
A counterfeit handbag. Illustrative photo — A. Gelebart/20 Minutes
Illegal and “dangerous” for health and the environment, counterfeits flourish on the web at home. on the occasion of Black Friday, which has already started in certain shops, alerted the Union of Manufacturers (Unifab) on Monday, an association committed to the fight against the trade in these products. “Attractive offers and extraordinary promotions are a godsend for unscrupulous sellers who do not hesitate to ask. abusing consumers by selling them counterfeits,” Unifab, which brings together more than 200 companies in France.
These counterfeit items are “synonymous with health hazards. and safety, the environment, as well as the economy,” the statement continued. Generally not recyclable, counterfeits have a “disastrous” bound to their transport from the countries of production – in particular China – and to; the “multiplication of journeys to cover their tracks”. “Their manufacture is at the origin of massive spills of toxic products in nature, ” adds the association.
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Young victims of counterfeiting
The trade in counterfeits benefits people. “crime; organized and mafia networks” and causes, according to Unifab, the loss of 6.7 billion euros per year in direct sales in France. This represents “1.34 billion euros in lost taxes and 38,000 jobs lost every year” “At the time when” 80% of young Europeans feel concerned about the preservation of the planet (according to a study carried out by the ObSoCo institute for Greenpeace France in February 2022, Editor’s note ), buying counterfeit products amounts to endorse what is condemned and jeopardizes the common efforts we must make to protect the environment,” said Christian Peugeot, president of Unifab, quoted at in the press release.
In France, in 2020, 37 % of consumers have bought counterfeits while thinking of acquiring authentic products, according to Unifab. This proportion reaches 43% among 15-24 year olds. An American tradition that takes root in France, Black Friday leads to a peak in consumption each year during the last weekend of November with promotions extending at least until the following Monday, called “Cyber Monday”. In France, 70% of people who have already performed of internet shoppers intend to participate in Black Friday this year, according to a survey by the Toluna Harris Interactive Institute, conducted by in partnership with the Federation of e-commerce and retail distance (Fevad).