Gifting
What Is The Problem?
December is a month of family, friends and celebrations, but with the commercialisation of Christmas Day with all its feasting and perfectly wrapped, a huge waste problem has been created.
In the UK, around 114,000 tonnes of plastic packaging, 227,000 miles of wrapping paper, 1 billion Christmas cards and 160,000 tonnes of Christmas trees will be binned over the festive season.
A survey in 2016 said that Britons receive around 81 million unwanted gifts annually. One in ten of these gifts head straight to landfill sites. In 2019 another survey found this had become worse with one in five gifts destined for landfill. Alongside this some Christmas cards and wrapping paper contains non-paper additives such as gold or silver shapes, glitter or plastics which makes them non-recyclable.
Babies and toddlers often find more joy and entertainment from the packaging than from the present. Older children have been found to lose interest in presents if they are overwhelmed by choice. And even adults will be guilted into keeping presents from friends and relatives even if they don’t want or particularly like the gift. No one, no matter the age group, needs a lot of gifts around Christmas time.
It is not only the presents and cards which have a negative impact. We purchase 80% more food around Christmas time than we do during the rest of the year. This creates around 250,000 tonnes of food waste each Christmas. The equivalent of 2 million turkeys and 5 million Christmas puddings end up in the bin. When there are 381 million people in the world who are going hungry there must be something we can do.
In London 750,000 LED light bulbs are used for outdoor lighting at Christmas. NASA explained that the excessive use of lighting makes parts of the Earth 50% brighter during the weeks between American Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. The light pollution plays havoc on nocturnal wildlife and it can also affect human health, changing the amount of melatonin produced, causing insomnia, headaches and anxiety. Powering Christmas lights also wastes energy, increasing their environmental impact.
We all strive to have the “perfect Christmas” but we are doing something wrong by creating so much waste and environmental damage. This year let us all aim for a “green Christmas”.
Our Tip
Wrapping presents neatly and using minimal tape means you can save wrapping paper and reuse it next year.
How You Can Help
Wrapping Paper
Wrapping paper is a big part of gifting presents but there are many ways you can reduce your packaging waste. Wrapping presents neatly and using minimal tape means you can save wrapping paper and reuse it next year. You can also repurpose wrapping paper by making cards, gift tags, decorations and crackers to reduce your waste.
If you are buying new wrapping paper make sure you purchase eco friendly or recyclable paper. Some papers contain plastic or glitter which makes paper non recyclable. You can buy wrapping paper that is made from post-consumer waste, glitter free, use vegetable-based inks, plastic-free, made locally and made using green energy.
You can also use other materials such as fabric offcuts that can be reused year after year.
Give experiences instead of things
In the UK it is said that we receive around 81 million unwanted presents each year. With around £42 million worth of those presents given at Christmas and ending up in landfill.
So, instead of giving ‘things’, why not think about giving experiences instead. Memories are said to ‘last a lifetime’, so why not create some lovely memories with your family and friends in 2022 by giving an experience.
Donate
With so many people and projects around the world in need of support, why not help make a difference this Christmas by making a donation to a cause your recipient feels passionately about.
Many charities now offer the option to buy a ‘virtual gift’, where you donate the monetary value of a particular item and the charity will then buy that particular item, or put the money towards their work in general. It is a great way of sharing what your donation could achieve with the person receiving the gift.
As a charity ourselves, we are always grateful for donations to support our work. If you have enjoyed reading our Environmental Calendar this year and would like to help support our work you can make a donation here.
Sustainable Gifts
If buying gifts there are several ways to look out for more sustainable gifts. Firstly look out for B Corporation (otherwise known as B Lab or B Corp) which is a certification of “social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability” for for-profit companies. To be granted and maintain certification, companies must receive a minimum score of 80 from an assessment of "social and environmental performance" and must recertify every 3 years.
You can also look out for gifts made from natural products with minimal waste, or even buy presents which are made from waste products.
Our Tip
When buying Christmas cards or wrapping paper, make sure they are made from recycled materials and are recyclable.
Our Top Gift Ideas
6 in 1 Solar Recycler
Eco-friendly kit to build six moving models using household recyclable items.
Powered by natural sunlight, the models are easy to make up and build using old recycled items with the various kit parts, including a solar panel, motor and instructions. Have fun recycling a drinking can to create an impressive Walking Robot with googly eyes or make a twin-can Street Roller. Reuse empty water bottles to build a Bottle Yacht, Drumming Robot and Flying Bird or recycle those old CDs to make the cool-looking CD racer.
Seedball
Just sprinkle theses balls of wildflower seeds on the ground during autumn and spring to enjoy beautiful blooms of British wildflowers in the summertime.
A great way to support the Bees, Butterflies and other insects in your garden.
Plant A Tree
Help grow The National Forest by dedicating a tree as a gift.
Each sapling is helping to create woodland habitats that will benefit people and wildlife for years to come. Choose from a range of trees including Oak, Lime, Hazel and Wild Cherry.
Luxury Accessories From Recycled Materials
Elvis & Kresse have been rescuing raw materials, transforming them into luxury lifestyle accessories, and donating 50% of profits back to charities.
They have prevented over 300 tonnes of old fire hose from being dumped in landfill and also work with Burberry to recraft leather cut-offs into new luxury items.
Beach Clean Products
A range of products made from recycled EVA plastics (like flip flops) + eco friendly cork. Including table mats, coasters, tea lights, notebooks and wallets.
Gifts From Charity shops
Charity shops are full of great used and new gift ideas.
Not only are you helping reduce items that go in to landfill, but the money raised from the sale is also helping a good cause.
If you live in the UK, then click the link to search what charity shops are near you.
Orange & Cinnamon Goat’s Milk Soap
A hand-made natural soap using the milk from goats on a traditional New Forest smallholding.
This is a sweet and spicy soap with anti-viral properties that is excellent for helping to keep colds and flu at bay!
Gift Membership To Enjoy The Outdoors
A yearly membership to a charity that looks after outdoor spaces makes a great gift while supporting a good cause.
There are many options to choose from including the National Trust, English Heritage, RSPB, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and a whole range of local organisations in every region.
Our Tip
With so many people and projects around the world in need of support, why not help make a difference this Christmas by making a donation to a cause your recipient feels passionately about.
Useful Symbols
RSPO - Certified Sustainable Palm Oil
When it’s not possible to find a palm oil free alternative, then opt to purchase products that use sustainable palm oil. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is an organisation that worked with the WWF to help protect fragile ecosystems and local communities who rely on the natural forests. So, look out for the RSPO label!
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain Of Custody Certification
The Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world's forests.
The FSC label provides the link between responsible production and consumption and thereby enables the consumer to make socially and environmentally responsible purchasing decisions.
ECOCERT
A non-governmental certified programme that evaluates the organic contents of products.
Leaping Bunny
No animal testing performed by the manufacturer as certified by the coaltion for consumer information on cosmetics.
Useful Links & Further Information
Click the title below for further information.
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If you are looking for a place to buy eco friendly, sustainable products, then My Little Eco Shop is a great choice. Start replacing plastic & environment damaging products with kinder & smarter options for our planet!
You can get 15% off your order by using the code TAKE15
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As a consumer, you should be able to choose for yourself whether you want a product with or without plastic. With the Beat the Microbead app it’s now easy to check your cosmetics for microplastics.
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If you are looking to buy some gifts from a local charity shop this year, then visit this helpful website to search what charity shops are near you.