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We're in the home stretch of holiday prepping around here. Most of the gifts have been bought. A quarter of them wrapped.
We're trying to take a more eco-friendly approach to wrapping this year, because climate change...
So, today I'll share some of our more sustainable wrapping ideas.
Eco-Friendly Christmas Gift Wrap Ideas
1. Use Recycled Kraft Paper
Many types of wrapping paper (including anything with a shiny/laminated or metallic-looking surface) can't be recycled. When these are accidentally mixed in with recycling, they contaminate it and can prevent other things in that batch from being recycled.
Kraft paper's made of wood pulp with minimal processing and is both biodegradable and recyclable. This is my favorite wrapping medium---it's a blank canvas that you can decorate as much or as little as you'd like.
To make up for the lack of print on the paper, you can fold pleats into it to jazz it up.
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Recycled Kraft Paper - 100 ft ($14.89, Amazon.com).
2. Use Biodegradable Ribbon
Twine (made of cotton or hemp) and paper raffia are completely biodegradable ribbon options. Paper raffia is also recyclable.
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3 Rolls of Paper Raffia Ribbon - 492 ft ($9.49, Amazon.com).
9 Rolls of Twine ($14.99, Amazon.com).
3. Use Natural Garnishes
Each time you use a metallic-looking/plastic composite bow, you're adding to landfill. Oh, and everyone thinks you're a basic bitch...
Sprigs of cedar, pine or eucalyptus leftover from your tree, wreath or garland are a natural (and biodegradable) way to 'spruce' up your wrap game.
4. Reuse Ornaments
Each year there are ornaments that don't make it on the tree. You can give them their chance to shine by using them to decorate gifts. If the recipient lives under the same roof, simply pluck them off before putting the paper in the recycling and use them again next year.
5. Reusable Gift Bags
Your recipient can reuse these for their future wrapping needs or as reusable produce bags, or you can smuggle them back once gifts have been unwrapped...
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12 Reusable Drawstring Gift Bags ($27.99, Amazon.com).
12 Piece Organic Cotton Reusable Drawstring Produce Bags ($18.97, Amazon.com).
6. Reusable Shopping Bags
Just like reusable gift bags, reusable shopping bags bypass the use of wrapping paper while also potentially reducing plastic bag use. See the post below for more on how to wrap a gift in a reusable bag.
7. Wrap A Gift In A Gift
You can use a scarf, tea towel, t-shirt (or any other fabric gift) to wrap another gift. The gift wrap is also a gift. Meta, right? The Japanese call this origami-esque fabric wrapping furoshiki.
Hope you enjoyed this post! Tune in later this week for ideas on where to hang your stockings if you don't have a fireplace and a special holiday giveaway hosted on my Instagram with goodies from some of my favorite small shops.
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