5 Ways to have a more Sustainable Christmas

Contains PR Samples – 5 Ways to have a more Sustainable Christmas

Beings Sustainable is becoming more and more important isn’t it?

Over the last few years I have been doing my part to live a sustainable lifestyle wherever I can by cutting out throw away cups, plastic plates and cutlery, buying less plastic products, shopping second hand where possible and cutting out the use of plastic bags, just to name a few.

Being conscious about the planet and the products we use just makes sense in the long term to stop the likes of landfill being overrun with materials and products that are harmful and reducing plastic and toxic waste into the sea.

Although sustainability means different things to different people, the simplest definition from the Oxford Dictionary is: 

“1. The ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level. 1.1 Avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance.“

With sustainability in mind, let’s take a look at how to be more sustainable this Christmas.

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5 ways to have a more sustainable Christmas

Use Gift Bags

When it comes to wrapping presents, it’s estimated that every year in the UK we throw away enough wrapping paper to circle the globe 9 times!

Now that is a massive amount and it’s not great for the planet.

So, when you are thinking about ways to wrap your gifts, why not go for Gift bags?

Reasons to use gift bags:

• Gift bags are versatile and can be used multiple times
• You can use gift bags that are 100% recyclable
• No need for cellotape

Using sustainable gift bags is a much better choice than using a ton of wrapping paper and cellotape that may not be recyclable.

I personally use gift bags every year and I always re-gift them because it not only saves on spending more money, it’s better for the planet.

But if you are into actually wrapping the gift physically, you could opt for brown paper and string to keep things recyclable.

Using fabric or tissue paper are also great alternatives.

Opt for Recyclable and plastic free Christmas Crackers

Christmas crackers are a staple at Christmas aren’t they?

Every year we look forward to those paper hats and the rubbish jokes, but most are filled with those plastic tat gifts that really aren’t that useful for anyone are they?

So, why not go for crackers that are better for the planet.

Love Tiki

Love Tiki are an independent Scottish company who have Four festive designed Christmas crackers on offer this year that are all made out of Kraft paper and have reusable gifts inside.

They come in a brown paper bag of 12 making them 100% recyclable and Proceeds from sales of charity crackers go to the Trussell Trust.

Each gift inside is reusable and useful which is a huge bonus.

The charity crackers contain Card Tree decorations and the Luxury leaves & berries and Natural forest patterned ones offer a choice of metal cookie cutters, golf tees, egg spoon, bottle opener or wooden pegs.

So, why not reach of these stunning crackers this year instead of those nasty plastic filled ones. Get your crackers at lovetiki.com

Create your own advent calendar 

Advent calendars are super popular during December now aren’t they?

With everyone seemingly bringing out their own, it can be a bit mind numbing choosing one, especially when there are so many that aren’t recyclable and filled with cheap tat that will end up in landfill.

So, why not create your own?

There are lots of ideas on Pinterest on how to DIY your own Christmas Advent Calendar from simple to extravagant. Definitely recommend checking out some ideas on Pinterest.

I love the idea of doing a book Advent Calendar, it would be perfect for book lovers and you could use brown paper bags to store them in. 

Shop Local and Small Businesses

Shopping locally and supporting small businesses helps to form a strong, sustainable economy.

The local shops and small businesses will often source their goods and materials locally which helps to reduce their carbon footprint.

And when you shop with them, you will be getting a gift that is made with love.

You will often get those special, one off items that you wouldn’t get anywhere else as well making them even more special for gifting at Christmas.

Not only is it good to shop small business for gifts, i’s great for the likes of small independent farmers markets, fruit & veg stalls and so on. 

Definitely recommend checking out Etsy for lots of small businesses and cute Christmas buys this year. You might also find the Etsy Gift Guide helpful.

Use Handcrafted Decorations

When it comes to Christmas decorations, opting for handcrafted ones is better for the environment.

Go for decorations made from materials such as wool, hemp, wood etc.

You can get crafty and make some yourself with Christmas Decoration Kits that have laser cut wood shapes such as snowflakes, Santa and more.

I recently bought a kit from Etsy for Little bear and I to create Christmas Tree decorations and it’s perfect!

This year I’ve not bought any decorations that aren’t eco-friendly and I’m starting to go with more handmade items as these will create amazing memories for years to come along with having these decorations year in and year out. 

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