According to recent research, approximately 71% of us are making the jump to adapt to a more eco-conscious lifestyle, wherever possible. 

So, you may be wondering, are there ways you to celebrate the festive more sustainably? 

Well, we’re here to tell you that it’s entirely possible.  

At eCO2 Greetings, we’re passionate about helping people to become environmentally friendly. 

Take our eCard services as a great example of this! 

If you’re interested in discovering easy ways to have an environmentally-friendly Christmas this year, keep reading…

Use recycled wrapping paper

You may believe wrapping paper is recyclable, given it’s made from paper. However, in most cases, it isn’t! 

This is because Christmas wrapping paper is made to feature fun, festive-themed designs, which tend to use glitter and dyed non-paper additives. This makes the paper itself non-recyclable. So, if you have a fair few presents to wrap this year, ensure you purchase eco-friendly wrapping paper instead. 

Send a Christmas eCard 

Christmas eCards are (by far) the most popular eco-friendly alternative. Here are just a few ways in which eCards take the lead when it comes to being a more sustainable way of sharing the festive season with others:

• eCards help to prevent deforestation. 
• Paper cards have a much bigger carbon footprint than eCards. 
• eCards do not have the same indirect impact on the environment as traditional cards do (e.g. transportation of mail, production and pollution). 

Eco-friendly considerations aside, eCards have plenty of other worthwhile advantages that’ll definitely help to take some of the organisational pressures that come with Christmas off your shoulders. 

For example, you won’t have to worry about the recipient’s card getting lost in the post, they’re much more cost-effective – and you’ll be able to personalise them to your heart’s content! 

For more information on our eco-friendly Christmas eCard services, click here.

Reduce your Christmas food waste 

It’s no secret that we all love a good old-fashioned feast on Christmas day! And, most of the time, we all have eyes bigger than our bellies. 

So, this year, if you’re truly wanting to have a more eco-friendly Christmas – ensure you take into consideration what you believe will actually be enough when you go out for Christmas dinner shopping, as opposed to overdoing it.  

Alternatively, if you’re genuinely unsure of how much you’ll need to feed your loved ones (or just feel better grabbing a few extras just in case), look up a local foodbank that’s accepting donations over the festive season. This way, you’ll be able to rest assured that the food you have purchased for Christmas dinner won’t go to waste. 

Choose eco-friendly Christmas decorations

Those super fun, sparkly reindeer and elf cut-outs, tinsel and glitter hats will likely not have a very positive impact on the ever-growing landfill problem.  

So, if you’re interested in discovering several eco-friendly alternatives to regular Christmas decorations, see below: 

• LED Christmas lights will save you energy. 
• Use recyclable ornaments for your Christmas tree, or invest in reusable additions. 
• Christmas-themed origami garlands. 
• Purchase plastic-free Christmas crackers from your local store. 
• Invest in locally-made Christmas decorations. 
• Turn the lights off! Use more candles instead to create a nice (and more eco-friendly!) ambience. 
• Create your own Christmas wreath. 

Look for eco-friendly companies 

When you’re purchasing presents for loved ones, do you check to see what the company’s stances are on the environment? Or, what steps they are taking to produce their offering more sustainably? 

We can almost certainly guarantee that whatever type of gift you have in mind for a loved one, there will be an eco-conscious alternative out there to invest in instead. 

Why? Because, nowadays, there are so many incredible businesses out there that are making conscious efforts to improve their sustainability practices and policies. 

For example, here at eCO2 Greetings, many of our customers are businesses that have chosen to take an environmentally-friendly approach to their corporate Christmas greeting cards this year. This small (yet mighty!) step in the right direction will reduce their carbon footprint and reduce harmful waste tremendously.

Ditch the stocking fillers 

The easiest way to have a more eco-friendly Christmas is to simply become a more eco-conscious consumer. Do you find yourself purchasing lots of random (or novelty) presents for loved ones that will just end up going in a draw to gather dust? 

Let’s face it, we’ve all received presents that we have never used. So, our advice would be to consider quality over quantity this year before you venture out Christmas shopping. 

Consider Christmas tree alternatives

Do you opt for a real tree every year? Or do you prefer the idea of an artificial tree? Both can be eco-friendly options, and we’ll explain how below. 

Surprisingly, a plastic Christmas tree could be more environmentally-friendly than purchasing a real one – but only if you plan on keeping it for a good while. 

So, if you invest in an artificial Christmas tree that can be stored away, and you know it will last for years to come, we’d recommend this alternative. 

If you don’t plan on buying an artificial Christmas tree to reuse over the years, there are ways in which you can have a more sustainable Christmas whilst still purchasing a real tree. All you’ll need to do is make sure you’re purchasing from a provider that has sustainable practices in place. 

For example, The Nature Conservancy work closely with providers across the states, who plant (on average) three trees for every tree that’s cut down for Christmas production. 

This has also been confirmed by the National Christmas Tree Association, which has expressed its appreciation for reforestation schemes such as these ones. So, if your heart’s set on sticking to a real Christmas tree – just be sure to recycle it after the holiday season is done!

Browse our fantastic range of Christmas eCards

Discover more from the eCO2 Greetings blog…
Which Countries Celebrate Christmas? | The Best Alternative Messages to Write in Christmas Cards | Protecting Employee Mental Wellbeing at Christmas

Eco 2 Greetings is here to help your business with our selection of high-quality eco-friendly eCards – you can quickly design your own with a choice of templates available, choose from our range of Premium eCards which will include animation, or get something extra special with our completely bespoke eCard service!