As the holiday season approaches and gift shopping begins, the environment flinches in the expectation of the inevitable waste of this otherwise joyous time of the year. However, people worldwide are slowly changing their gift-giving ways. Sustainable gift-wrapping is a small but impactful way to move to the eco-friendly celebration. And as a bonus, it may help you save money too, because expensive gift wrapping is the number one of the most unnecessary pricey things that can be removed from gift-giving.
It is estimated that Americans alone spend $2.6 billion on wrapping paper a year. Given that a basic roll of wrapping paper cost between $2 and $10, that’s a lot of shiny single-use paper, and most of it ends up in landfills. Unfortunately, overall, that’s where it belongs because a majority of the wrapping paper is not recyclable. Because there is so much confusion on what paper is recyclable and what is not, paper mills aren’t willing to take the wrapping paper in fear of contamination. That means even if you’re using recyclable wrapping paper, it might still end up in a dump truck on its way to a landfill.
The good news is that no one has to give up wrapping entirely! By thinking outside of the box and spending a little extra time planning, you can find all sorts of wrapping materials, and a lot of them you may already have, so there is no need to spend extra money. Check out our how-to guide on eco-friendly wrapping.

Save brown bags and packing paper to wrap your gifts, and decorate them using hemp twine. You may also add a decorative piece such as candy cane, bells, dry fruit... see what you have laying around the home and let your imagination run wild.

Reuse the paper you already have — old maps, newspapers, children’s artwork, and magazines. Look around your home, think of the paper products you would commonly recycle, and try re-purposing them as gift wrap instead.

Get creative with fabrics! Look around for the scarves, bandanas, napkins, tea towels, and other fabrics, or buy some in a second-hand store. You could also use scraps of fabric that you may have from an old sewing project or discarded clothing.

Reinvent the good old gift bag! Instead, use a reusable tote for the larger gifts. You can just buy the cute ones in the store or check out Etsy for the unique and personalized ones. For the smaller and oddly shaped items, use canva pouches. Pro-tip: Sweater sleeves make great gift bags for wine bottles.

Save these eco-friendly gift-wrapping ideas for occasions all year round
Once you see how it is super easy to make your holiday celebrations more eco-friendly, you will make it a habit for all gift-giving events.
On the path of becoming more sustainable, every small step counts.

If you are looking for the sustainable and practical gifts (or gift boxes) check out our Birch Bark Tins - the coolest eco-jars ever!

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