How to be sustainable during Christmas

Image: Courtesy of Shutterstock.
By Hoiisa’s editor
Do the holidays get in the way of your eco-friendly intentions? The festive season can be a time of excess and tremendous waste, but you can take conscious steps to make your holidays a little greener than usual, and all you need is a little patience and a dash of holiday spirit! In particular, gift-giving can be incredibly wasteful, so we’re sharing where the Hoiisa team is shopping to make our December as green as can be.
Our top eco-friendly gifts to give:
- Eco-art prints by @Formabyolya
- Biodegradable phone case by @Popsicasebcn
- Vintage, reused clothing by @Retold_vintage
- Second hand luxury items @Therealreal
- A reusable cup by @Stojo
- Natural beauty products from @Hoiisalifestyle
- An online workshop @Sixtysocialseconds
- Donate to an organization you love. We’re partial to @Efa_morocco
- Gift an experience – a treatment, a lunch, a workout… @Barreeffectdxb
Image: Courtesy of Shutterstock.
And if your gift requires wrapping, why not go green with it too!
We love using old newspapers, ribbons, recycled kraft paper from the supermarket, or old gift bags. And we add special touches with rosemary leaves, dry oranges, cinnamon sticks, leaves, pine cones, and winterberries. Finally, it all comes together with biodegradable tape.
Happy holidays!
Facts:
Consumers in the UK will use 227,000 miles of wrapping paper each year – over 83km2 of this will end up in our bins.
Source: GWP
Almost two in 10 Brits say they think about the environmental impact when choosing gifts and more people are choosing to give fewer presents or make their own. But a survey for packaging maker Raja found almost half say they would buy the perfect gift regardless of the impact on the planet.
Although eco-awareness is on the rise, half of people would buy the ideal gift no matter the cost to the planet.
Source: World Economic Forum