Does your eye twitch when you look at the pile of plastic ribbons being thrown in the trash on Christmas morning? Or wonder how the wrapping paper gets so shiny and colorful, who made it and where? I feel uncomfortable.
In fact, much of that shiny stuff can’t be recycled. Glitter and metallic papers contain plastic and should be thrown in the trash. Some municipalities do not accept wrapping paper, and tissue paper cannot be recycled again as it is often made from content that has already been recycled.
But gift wrapping presents the same challenges as dressing well. It’s a way to express ourselves, and in this case, love and care for others. We want it to look sophisticated and beautiful, without any waste, exploitation or environmental impact. It’s not necessarily the easiest thing to pull off.
So I decided to dig deep into this issue, try all the eco-friendly wrapping ideas suggested on the internet, and share what I’ve learned with photos showing the results.
You can also help other readers with their wrapping adventures by giving us your feedback in the favorite comments section.
vintage finds
Do you know those old “antique” (pronounced “junk”) stores that you can find in every town? This place is perfect for affordable and sustainable gift wrapping ideas. All you need to do is find out what will be reflected in your chic gift accessories. Once there, look for:
Ornaments Scarves Tea towels or kitchen towels Decorative brooches Vintage cards Old maps Jars and cookie tins
I stopped by Junk in Brooklyn and scoured jewelry, trinkets, scarves, linens, and more to pick up some pretty wrapped items. The most expensive item was this beautiful map tea towel for $10. I think the recipient will continue to use this. Glass icicles were $0.25 each. The jingle bells, cut from polyester rope to sort, were $3. Everything else is less than $2 and can all be reused for other gifts or hung on the tree. Vintage cards are especially useful as retro-chic tags, and maps are both the perfect weight for wrapping. Additionally, you can choose maps that have special meaning. Now that I have a map of Nevada, I can wrap a small gift for a friend with the Black Rock Desert, home of our favorite festival, Burning Man, on the front.
foreign newspaper
Newspaper is another great material that is often recommended for packaging. The newspapers are printed that morning in the same city and are recyclable, making them more affordable and sustainable than typical wrapping paper. Actually, I only get the New York Times digitally now, but I stopped by a Chinese convenience store in Chinatown and bought the newspaper for the low price of $0.50. The results appear to be secular and neutral in content.
steal christmas tree twigs
In New York City, New York State Christmas trees are sold on every five blocks. I stopped at a store near my apartment and asked the guy if I could get him some small fallen branches. He had no problems at all!
Homemade eggnog decorated with twine and pine twigs. Get my eggnog recipe here.
Let’s save possibilities
There are some things you can use. I receive a lot of cool products in the mail, so I have a lot of them:
tissue paper ribbon dust bag box twine jar
…I have been avidly collecting all year. When you shop with manufacturers of sustainable, ethical, and high-quality products, you’ll be rewarded with gorgeous wrapping materials. I used all of these in the wrapping process. Inside my wrapping you can also see the glitter wrapping paper I bought last year and the washi tape my mom put on my stockings a few years ago. The gift below uses an artisan boutique dust bag and vintage bell.
Tip: Use a curling iron to smooth out any kinky ribbons. Then use the ribbon as intended. In other words, use it to seal packages instead of plastic tape.
chip bag
Actually, I love eating potato chips sometimes, but it just doesn’t make me feel good. Not for health reasons, but because the packaging can never be recycled. However, the silver interior makes the packaging reusable and perfect for gift wrapping. It’s a little wrinkled though.
Old sweater?
I also went looking for old sweaters that I had thrown away. It can look chic if tied correctly. But mine is a bit lumpy, and I’m a little scared of the moment when the recipient sees the dirty sweater and thinks, “What, do I have to keep this?” Seems a little awkward. I think cutting a thin sweater into neat squares might work.
Craftsmanship paper or cloth wrap
Sometimes you just want something really beautiful, fresh, and even a little fancy to impress your boss, your mother-in-law, or the neighbor who’s throwing the biggest and best Christmas party. In these cases, I like to use sustainable wrapping paper or reusable furoshiki with designs from trusted artists and manufacturers. Furoshiki is easier to use than it looks, and once you try it, you’ll quickly get used to it, and it looks very beautiful and luxurious. We like Unwrp, Waterleaf Paper Co, and Wrappr.
Reusable wrapping bag
This is one of the easiest options for wrapping presents. Push the item inside, tie it, and voila! A wonderful present. The sustainable part is that it will probably be used repeatedly for many years before it finally breaks. I bought a 3-pack at the Bag-All store in Manhattan.
florist swing
I didn’t get any, but you can pick up some holiday berry spray from the florist to put the finishing touches on dozens of gifts. Also, get natural and biodegradable packaging materials during your stay so you don’t have to rely on peanuts or bubble wrap.
Basic eco-friendly items for art stores
Amidst the chaos of vintage, newspaper, scarves, and leftover ribbons, you’ll want neutral colors. We recommend purchasing plain white or brown kraft paper, also known as mailing paper, at a craft or office supply store. The advantage of using plain paper is that glossy paper is slippery and requires tape, whereas mailing paper does not require tape and can be secured with just a ribbon. When you go to the art supply store, you can also buy a small set of white chalk or charcoal crayons, brown or white twine, or a simple white or red fabric ribbon to label your presents.
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