Christmas is always an exciting time of the year. It’s a great opportunity to show our loved ones that we care and to pamper them with special presents. It’s also an opportunity to act responsibly towards our planet. You’d probably agree that our consumption patterns around Christmas could become more sustainable.
So, this year, let’s redefine how we show our loved ones that we care and how we pick their presents. Our suggestion for a sustainable Christmas is to start your own zero waste gifts tradition. That way, you keep the fun of gifting but spare our planet the burden of yet more waste.
These days, it’s trendy to talk about sustainability. That’s why you’ll find a lot of suggestions out there for zero waste gifts that are only zero waste on the surface. As soon as you factor in packaging, mode of delivery, and the expected use duration of the gift, it often ends up being pretty wasteful.
Below we’ll give you three ideas for Christmas gifts that are honestly zero-waste. And to make your Christmas truly sustainable, we also have these extra tips:
- Where possible, buy in-store, instead of having items delivered to you.
- Ideally, buy digital items that need no logistics in the physical world at all.
- Minimize gift-wrapping or get creative and reuse materials such as magazines or newspapers.
Ready to pick? Here are our 3 suggestions for zero waste gifts that are plastic-free, harm-free and don’t (necessarily) need wrapping.
Plant gifts for Christmas are a great idea because they symbolise caring, they are fully organic, and they bring more joy with time.
Whoever you choose to gift a plant to will enjoy taking care of it, and will benefit from a more natural environment at home. With our homes often doubling as our offices these days, a plant can be a great and easy way to help someone stay connected with nature.
The best options for plant gifts for Christmas are perennial plants, as they will live for a long time. You can always gift a Christmas tree in a pot but don’t feel restricted just because it’s Christmas. Consider other options, such as plant seeds. For someone with a garden, they can be a great way to enjoy every stage of a natural waste-free experience. To avoid making rookie mistakes, check out these tips for picking
plant gifts for Christmas.
Waste is often unintentionally created by gifting something that will only be used for a short term and then discarded. With this in mind, gifting socks is not such a bad idea. However, for a truly sustainable Christmas, we’d recommend focusing on gifts that can be used for many years.
One example is Christmas ornaments. These can go for decades and generations, and can become an important part of the family history. To make them a bit more personal and align them closer with the sustainable Christmas theme, consider gifting homemade Christmas ornaments created with materials you already have at home.
You don’t need to be crafty to make something impressive for your family. Check out some ideas for
DIY Christmas ornaments, and let the spirits of Christmas and sustainability guide you.
Despite all good intentions in picking a zero waste gift, it’s easy to forget the most obvious part - the packaging and gift wrapping. Most store-bought gifts come in plastic boxes and are wrapped in pretty paper that gets torn and thrown away seconds after gifting.
For a truly sustainable Christmas, focus on plastic-free gifts without packaging. The best ones are digital gift cards.
With a digital gift card, you can gift someone their favourite entertainment and there’s no plastic packaging to worry about. You get your digital gift card code via email and you can directly send it to the person it’s intended to. Choose from a wide variety of gaming and entertainment gift cards offered on Recharge.com.
What about a digital gift for someone who isn’t that tech-savvy, like your grandparents? You can make them happy by sending them
mobile top-up. It works within seconds, they won’t have to do anything, and you’ll show them how important it is for you to stay connected with them.
If digital gift cards are your way to make Christmas sustainable, here’s a special offer!
Order any product on Recharge.com between 20 Dec - 28 Dec and you can win a gift card of your choice worth GBP 400! By purchasing during the promotional period, you automatically enter the competition for the prize. If you’re the winner, we’ll contact you by email.
Sustainability truly is the gift that keeps on giving!
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