Eco-friendly gift wrapping ideas
Are you fed up of the amount of gift wrap that gets discarded every year? Picture what’s discarded in your household also being discarded in most other homes around the country… in fact… the world! That is a LOT of gift wrap.
The mix of materials made to create most gift wrap means that they can’t be recycled and this has a huge impact on the climate crisis. Reducing, reusing or recycling gift wrap doesn’t mean it can’t look great too. I’ve put together a few of my favourite eco-friendly ways to beautifully wrap gifts, without causing such a huge impact on our planet.
Reduce
There are some great and pretty ways that we can reduce the need for gift wrap. Do the adults you give gifts to really need to unwrap their gifts (if they do, there are further options below) or would a reusable gift bag or gift box suffice? There are some great ways to make gift bags look amazing, such as biodegradable glitter, tying on slices of dried citrus fruit, cinnamon sticks, etc. And best of all, all of this can be reused, saving money as well as the planet! I bought gift bags for my husband, mum, dad and sister a few years ago and we continue to use the same bags every year.
Reuse
Of course, some people just love the act of opening gifts individually and we’ve got you covered on that front too!
First up, is the loveliest reusable gift wrap by Wrag Wrap. Beautiful, reversible gift wrap that can be used again and again. I have a different design for each of my children so they recognise which gifts are for them every year. It feels great to not have to chuck a load of paper that’s been enjoyed for aprox. 5 seconds into the bin!
If you have a little more time, I couldn’t write about eco-friendly gift wrapping without mentioning Furoshiki, the art of Japanese gift wrapping where a square piece of cloth or fabric is used for gift wrapping in an elegant and decorative design. There are some lovely Furoshiki tutorials on YouTube. I’m going to give this a go with my Wrag Wraps this year! This year PriPri have launched some beautiful Furoshiki options made out of upcycled Saris.
Recycle
Re-wrapped have an amazing collection of wrapping papers that are produced using 100% recycled unbleached paper and environmentally friendly vegetable based inks, meaning that they can all be recycled again (though they are so pretty, using them again would definitely be the goal!)
Alternatively, if you have the time, creating your own means that they will get completely one of a kind wrapping paper which you can feel totally smug about! You can get rolls of Kraft recyclable paper in most stationery shops these days, and it is so easy to jazz up and make your own. A little twine and some festive foliage or a cinnamon stick can make it look beautifully festive and it’s so easy create!
You don't have to go sparkle free to be eco-friendly, if it’s sparkle you’re after, then Eco Glitter Fun have guilt free sparkles! Their glitter is biodegradable and is packaged in glass bottles with aluminium lids – reusable or recyclable.
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If you do end up with looking for not so eco wrapping paper, there are a few things to look out for:
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Look for the recycle symbol
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Use bio-degradable paper tape. Many washi tapes are also recyclable
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Remove sellotape and labels before putting the paper in the recycling bin
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Avoid wrapping paper that's wrapped in plastic film