Christmas is a magical time filled with twinkling lights, festive treats, and enough wrapping paper to cover the North Pole. So, why not deck the halls with eco-friendly cheer this year as we consider how to make Christmas more sustainable?
Choose a sustainable tree
Who doesn’t love a sparkling Christmas tree? Eight million are bought in the UK every year, generating 12,000 tonnes of waste. You may think an artificial tree is a greener choice, yet according to the Carbon Trust, a fake tree must be used around 20 times (so every year for 20 years) for it to be better for the environment. Plus, if that isn’t enough to make you take a festive pause, around 14% of people also throw their artificial trees in the bin every year!
To make your Christmas greener, opt for a tree certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). This shows it has been grown in woodland and managed more sustainably. Also, check out local farms that practice sustainable harvesting. These eco-friendly farms plant 1 to 3 new seedlings for every tree they cut, ensuring a healthy growth cycle.
Another option is to rent a potted Christmas tree. Companies such as Green Elf Trees let you rent a tree for the season and collect it after you're done! They then replant all rented trees back in the wild to live and grow for years to come. You get pictures and updates of where the tree is replanted, and the tree comes in a 10-litre pot.
If you can’t find a Christmas tree rental company that covers your area, Patch has traditional pot-grown Christmas trees in different shapes and sizes. Order now, decorate later, and keep for next year.
Opt for eco-friendly decorations
The UK also throws away approximately 500 tonnes of Christmas lights each year and bins the equivalent of 108 million rolls of wrapping paper. To save the waste and the £150 the average person spends on festive extras, get creative with your holiday décor! Use natural materials like pinecones, dried oranges, and cinnamon sticks to make your house look and smell good.
LED fairy lights are also energy-efficient, using significantly less electricity than traditional bulbs. Plus, as they produce no heat, they’re very eco-friendly.
When wrapping all those gifts, brown paper, ribbon, and even fabric are greener ways to package presents. By comparison, traditional Christmas wrapping paper is often dyed, laminated, and/or contains glitter and plastics, which means it cannot be recycled.
Give thoughtful and sustainable gifts
Forty-two million unwanted presents are thrown away each year (most end up in landfill), and of all purchases made in the UK for Christmas, only 1% will still be used six months after the big day. If that’s not a reason to save money and think more about what you buy, we don’t know what it is.
Luckily GoHenry Gen Alpha kids are already highly aware of and concerned with environmental and ethical issues. Our data shows that over half (52%) say they prefer to save up for more expensive, sustainable products that are better for the environment, and 34% would buy secondhand items rather than new ones.
Platforms like Depop and Vinted (in the Top 10 most popular shops for Gen Alpha girls) help facilitate this trend, so if you’re the primary Christmas shopper, check out these marketplaces as they sell more than just clothes.
Don't waste festive food
The amount of food wasted at Christmas is significant, with the UK alone throwing away an estimated 7 million tonnes of food. This includes:
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As many as 4.2 million Christmas dinners
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263,000 turkeys
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7.5 million mince pies
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740,000 portions of Christmas pudding
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17.2 million Brussels sprouts
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11.9 million carrots
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11.3 million roast potatoes
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125,000 tonnes of plastic food wrapping
Source: GWP Group
To avoid food waste, prevent overbuying by considering what’s binned in your house every year. If it’s sprouts and mince pies, don’t buy them. If it’s excess turkey and potatoes, buy less. The BBC's Christmas portion planner can help your family determine how much to buy for Christmas dinner and the rest of the festive season. Be sure to freeze leftovers or recycle your food waste. Recycling Christmas food waste into energy could power an average UK home for around 57 years.
Another option is to give away your excess food waste. The award-winning Olio app, is a community app designed to give away free and excess food and household goods to avoid waste. It does this by connecting you locally with others who wish to pick up those items.
Volunteer and give back
Why not consider volunteering or donating to local charities? Activities like these help spread awareness about sustainability during the festive season. Donating doesn’t have to be just about money, it can be time or old toys, games, and clothes. This helps to recycle items (most of which also end up in landfills) and help those in need.
Many organisations like food banks and shelters need extra hands during the holidays to serve meals or distribute food. Some communities organise tree-planting events around the holidays. This can be a great way to give back while promoting sustainability.
Above all, shop local. According to Shop Local UK, when shopping locally, you travel less distance, significantly reducing the amount of air pollution and traffic congestion – all of which benefits your local environment. Also, the more locally sourced produce equals fewer transport miles, drastically reducing the CO2 emissions in this country. Unnecessary food transportation contributes over 35% of the UK's CO2 output.
If you do want to donate, every little bit always helps. Take a note from the books of GoHenry kids, who have generously donated just over £90,000 to the NSPCC so far in 2024. If your kids also want to give, they can do this through the giving feature on the GoHenry app.
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