5 Ways to Make Christmas

More Sustainable

With the holiday season right around the corner and Christmas shopping beginning, we at NEMI Teas wanted to share a few tips to help you make your Christmas more sustainable. Here are 5 simple swaps to make your celebrations more environmentally friendly:

1. Cut out the wrapping paper completely:

   Every year at Christmas 227,000 miles of wrapping paper is thrown out.  Wrapping paper is often single use - it can only be recycled if it passes the scrunch test. Simple wrapping paper or Kraft paper can be recycled but foil or glitter-decorated paper cannot and needs to go in the general waste. The average UK household spends £15.80 a year on wrapping paper. A more sustainable option for this year is to invest in reusable fabric gift bags. And if you are especially crafty, these gift bags are simple to make and would be great gifts themselves!
   

2. Invest in a reusable advent calendar:

   A popular tradition, especially for kids, is counting down to Christmas with an advent calendar. Most advent calendars you can buy in the supermarket and they usually have chocolate. The issue with single use advent calendars is the amount of waste at the end of the holiday season. Most single use advent calendars are made out of cardboard, chocolate, single use plastic, and foil. Every year 16.5 million single use advent calendars are bought in the United Kingdom containing single use plastic during the holiday season. Having single use plastic makes them harder if not impossible to recycle. The average advent calendar costs £12.50 but a reusable advent calendar costs £30.  A reusable advent calendar is an investment but after 3 years of use it ends up being worth it financially.  It is a simple way to make your holidays more sustainable.

3. Skip the tree:

   An iconic part of Christmas is the beautiful tree. In past years you would likely go to a Christmas tree farm or select a pre-cut tree to have in your house for a month until it gets thrown out after the holidays. The average Christmas tree costs £50 every year and the carbon footprint of a fake plastic free is 40kg of carbon dioxide. If you are willing to invest in a sustainable option, you can purchase a reusable oak Christmas tree for £209 but if that price is too high then buying a potted Christmas tree is an option as well. If you have the means to have a garden and can keep the tree alive throughout the year then a potted Christmas tree could be a good economic and environmental choice for you. You can continue to have a real tree but also keep reusing the same one every year.
   

4. Transition to reusable decorations:

   If you are purchasing new Christmas decorations this year consider buying low waste ones.  Make sure you buy quality ones so you can continue to use them in future years.  When buying decorations make sure they don’t include single use plastic and are made out of sustainable materials. If you don’t want to purchase decorations, making them is easier than you might think. Recycle materials found around the house like old magazines, cardboard boxes, glass jars, tin cans, and anything else you can find. These materials can be turned into DIY Christmas crackers, cardboard Christmas trees or handmade ornaments. When shopping at Christmas markets this year be sure to ask if what you are purchasing contains plastic or any non-recyclable materials. 
   

5. Buy purposeful and sustainable gifts:

   When you shop for gifts this year make sure you try to choose a sustainable option. Some ideas that are simple swaps from single use products include reusable face clothes, instead of makeup removing wipes , reusable produce bags that help keep fruits fresh for longer, reusable stainless steel straws, wooden toys instead of plastic ones, and of course purposeful gifts that are good both for the planet and the people.