Sustainable Christmas Packaging Ideas: 5 ways to make your festivities forest friendly
1. Use responsibly sourced and recyclable wrapping paper, gift bags and gift tags
That shiny, glittery wrapping paper may look pretty but it’s not environmentally friendly, it can’t be recycled and glitter is a microplastic. So your sustainable gifts are not sustainable Christmas presents / sustainable Christmas decorations anymore. Opt for plastic-free gift wraps, bags and tags, which are recycled and recyclable.
Springpack has a vast range of wrapping paper alternatives including Kraft union paper, self seal paper wrap and you can use environmentally friendly self seal / self adhesive paper tape to bring it all together. Bespoke branded and printed versions of these environmentally friendly eco packaging solutions are also available.
2. Send responsible Season’s greetings
It is estimated that UK consumers send 1 billion Christmas cards each year. Choose FSC-certified sustainable eco friendly Christmas cards when you shop to ensure that your season’s greetings come from a responsible source and do not contribute to deforestation. To help spread even more Christmas cheer, you can buy FSC-certified charity Christmas cards to raise funds for good causes.
As with gift wrap, avoid any Christmas cards containing glitter or other unrecyclable decorations. Lots of cards now come without wrapping to help further reduce waste.
3. Use eco-friendly Christmas Boxes
Every year, UK citizens spend £700 million on unwanted gifts so take some time to think about what your friends and family really want. For a greener Christmas, look for gifts made from sustainable materials with minimal packaging (and make sure any packaging is recyclable – and preferably FSC certified!) and remember that it is ok to re-gift!
When sending your gifts why not use Springpacks eco friendly recyclable returnable postal boxes. They can easy house all your sustainable Christmas ideas and once delivered can easily be re-used again with the second eco-friendly self adhesive strip. If you are looking for something smaller then why not try our paper mailing bags
4. Choose environmentally conscious Christmas Crackers
About 40 million Christmas crackers are anticipated to be thrown away on Christmas day. The sparkly crackers, the small gifts, the shiny ribbons and the snap usually can’t be recycled. If you want your Christmas dinner to start with a bang, choose plastic-free crackers that are recycled and/or recyclable.
If you enjoy some Christmas crafts activities, instead of buying Christmas crackers, you could make your own ones using FSC–certified paper and card or using fabric and a loo roll tube! A quick search online will bring up many tutorials to show you how to do this.
5. Use Environmentally Friendly Protective Packaging
Many Christmas decorations and gifts are delicate and breakable. The last thing you need it for your custom hand made decorations being smashed on arrival.
Springpack has you covered. Our extensive range of paper void fill, when scrunched is the perfect alternative to plastic foam, fully recyclable and re-usable. However, even if you are set on using more traditional protective packaging, our SimplyECO range of bubble wrap contains 30% recycled plastic and again is fully reusable.
Always Re-Use and Recycle
Remember to reuse and recycle what you can to prolong the life of forest trees for as long as possible after the big day is over, and if you haven’t eagerly torn into your gifts and the wrapping paper is still in one piece, you can easily re-use next year.
If you’re able to re-use your wrapping paper, make sure you delete any plastic tape and ribbons and run a “scrunch test” to see if it’s recyclable; if it is not, click here to check your local authorities’ guidelines..
Only 25% of Christmas cards are recycled. When removing decorations, remember to recycle cards. That being said, take out any non-recyclable parts first. If you’re feeling creative, you can even use them as gift tags for the following year!
Springpack is FSC verified and you can download our chain of custody certificate here
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