5 Ways to Plan for an Eco-Friendly Christmas
After this year’s COP26, we are all poignantly aware of how important it is to protect our planet. Which means us all making smart choices to cut down on waste and over consumption. But that’s easier said than done over the festive period. All those rolls of wrapping paper, cards and overindulgent meals add up to a pretty hefty environmental footprint.
But by making a couple of simple changes it is possible to go green at Christmas. Here’s 5 ideas to get you started.
1. Send Eco-friendly Christmas Cards.
The most sustainable option for sending Christmas cards is to bypass the paper altogether and opt for an e-card instead. You can even donate the money you’ll save to a charity close to your heart (if that’s an eco one, even better!)
But if you’re someone who just loves a physical card, make sure you buy ones that have been sustainably sourced or made from recycled paper. You should also avoid ones that use glitter. What looks like harmless sparkle actually contains harmful microplastics that take years to degrade. You can cut down your carbon footprint even further by choosing to hand deliver your cards instead of posting.
2. Invest in Sustainable Advent Calendars and Christmas Crackers.
Advent calendars and Christmas crackers create a lot of waste from their excessive packaging. Not to mention the little plastic rulers and screwdrivers that inevitably go straight in the bin from traditional crackers.
Go for something different this year by investing in sustainable alternatives. Re-usable crackers are often made from linen and allow you to add your own unique gifts. Similarly, re-usable advent calendars are made from fabric or wood and let you put together a personalised selection of treats for the countdown to Christmas. Check out our selection of Christmas stud earrings if you want to swap out the chocolate for something a bit more exciting.
3. Have a Zero-waste Christmas Dinner.
You can still celebrate Christmas without the excess and overindulgence we’ve come to associate with it. Because whilst we’re all guilty of having eyes bigger than our bellies during the festive season, cutting down on food waste is one of the most effective ways you can reduce your environmental impact. The best way to do this is by planning your meals carefully so you don’t end up with too much left over. Shopping for local and organic produce will reduce your carbon footprint even further.
4. Choose an Eco-friendly Tree and Decorations.
Real Christmas trees are much more sustainable than plastic ones. And by choosing one that's local, you’re cutting down on travel emissions too. When decorating, go easy on the lights to cut down your energy usage. LED lights or better still, solar-powered fairy lights, are the greenest option. And once Christmas is over, be sure to recycle your tree into chippings or environmentally friendly animal bedding at your local recycling centre.
5. Choose “Green Gifts.”
From sustainable lunchboxes to candles made from recycled beer bottles, there are tons of eco-friendly gift ideas for you to choose from. But it’s also important to consider what gifts will stand the test of time due to their usability or high quality.
When buying jewellery, stainless steel is a fantastic sustainable alternative to gold or silver as its production is much less harmful to the environment, it’s long-lasting and is fully recyclable. And if you opt for our stainless steel earrings, you can be sure that the packaging has been sourced to be as sustainable as possible too. Our jewellery boxes are made from recycled card whilst the tissue paper and printed card we use in the packaging is also 100% recycled.