Eco-gift wrapping tips

© Annie Spratt, Unsplash

We could gift-wrap the island of Jersey with the amount of Christmas paper we chuck each year. An estimated 83 square kilometres of wrapping paper ends up in landfill each year, and around 33 million trees are used for Christmas cards that are destined for the bin.

Make a card a keeper

Christmas cards can be impersonal and are usually chucked in January without a second thought. Be generous by spending time on the message inside. We like to think about the ten ways someone has made our lives better and jot that down. No-one wants to throwaway a little bit of love.

Making your card a keeper doesn’t end with the message. If you have time, making your own card by reusing materials you already have is a creative way to show care. You could use a photo or include clippings from last year’s cards. 

Cut out the waste entirely by using a paperless e-card creator like Greenvelope, which involves none of the chemical-emitting inks that are used in mass printing. Make it personal by uploading a quirky family photo. 

If you are time poor, select cards with the FSC logo – this ensures that the materials are ethical and sustainable. At the very least, don’t buy cards with glitter or shiny foil as these usually can’t be recycled. It is also increasingly more common to see cards without the plastic film packaging, so keep an eye out for this ‘naked’ option, too. 

Get creative with gift wrap

Most gift wrap contains a mix of materials, making it impossible to recycle. Glitter is particularly damaging to the environment – between 80,000 and 219,000 tonnes of microplastics pollute the ocean per year. When buying sparkly things (wrapping paper or otherwise) look for eco-glitter alternatives. These are increasingly easy to find as many larger companies crack down on plastic-laden glittery products. 

“Try the scrunch test with used wrapping paper – if it stays scrunched in a ball, you can recycle it locally.”

You don’t need to spend a lot of money or time looking for plastic-free wrapping paper. Why not get inventive? Try using up materials from around the house like old newspaper, packing paper or used tissue paper. Decorate packages with a sprig of greenery from the garden, pretty ribbons or colourful string. Using a plastic tape to secure your gift wrap will make recycling harder – we like these biodegradable adhesive alternatives from Peace with the Wild who also offer a recyclable wrap handmade from the Lokta Shrub.

© Mel Poole, Unsplash

For a more long-term solution to single-use wrapping, some brands have been inspired by the Japanese art of Furoshiki to create fabric wraps for gifts. A fabric wrap is a gift in itself and can be reused again and again. You can find different sizes and colours of wrap to suit your gift, from Wrapuccino and Wearth. If you’re fond of the familiar rustle of paper wrap, then try Wrag Wrap’s crackle wrap for a unique unwrapping experience.

Any mixed-material wrapping paper that you already have could be reused again if you unwrap carefully. Try the scrunch test with used wrapping paper – if it stays scrunched in a ball, you can recycle it locally. 

Getting creative with your Christmas cards or gift-wrap? We’d love to see them on Instagram @monkeywrenchmag