I'm sure I'm not alone in recalling the cleanup from last year's holiday gift exchange - an embarrassingly large amount of bags full of crumpled gift wrap. This year, try something different.
9 Ways to Green Your Gift Wrapping
1. Reusable Gift Bags
- Many companies are now offering reusable bags or sacks to be used instead of wrapping paper.
- WrapSacks adds something special, by including a tracking number allowing you to see where the bag has been and where it goes.
- Patagonia also has great gift bags made from leftover fabric but you'll have to call them to get them.
- Make your own out of fabric scraps or old flannel sheets.
- Now that reusable shopping bags are everywhere, choose a nice one from your favorite food coop and gift it.
2. Recycled Aluminum as Wrapping Paper
- It's shinny, recycled, and after the package is opened, you could use it to bbq.
3. Outdated or Surplus Maps
- My mom has a drawer full of old maps from family trips taken when I was young. With the advent of GPS, paper maps are becoming less necessary so I wouldn't feel too bad turning these into gift wrap and show someone where you've been!
4. The Wrap is a Gift
- Giving a scarf, blanket or towel? Use it to wrap another gift and tie with a piece of hemp or twine.
5. Brown Paper Bags
- Turned inside out, a paper bag makes a great wrapping material.
6. Newspaper / Funnies
- Ever since I can remember, my grandma has used the comics to wrap our presents!
7. Green Package Padding
- Our friends recently bought a paper shredder which is perfect for creating padding for packages from junk mail. I wouldn't recommend buying one for this purpose alone, but chances are you know someone with one or have one at work.
8. Re-Purposed Gift Bags
- The bags that new sheets come in, burlap sacks from rice, or the plastic ones from citrus - find a new use for what otherwise might be thrown away.
9. Eco Gift Paper
If you must abide by tradition and use gift paper, here are some green choices
- Banana fiber paper made from wasted bark from banana production.
- Recycled Wrapping Paper printed using soy-based inks.
- Flower Seed Holiday Wrapping paper from Real Goods - biodegradable and ready to plant.
With help from Gaiam.com
Comments (8)
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This is the best wrapping paper alternative list I've seen! I love the look of nicely wrapped gifts, but can no longer let myself waste all that paper. I'll def be sewing some reusable shopping bags together to gift presents in!
view iloveOrange's profile
Plain brown craft paper (which can be recycled). I use a needed small object as the bow/gift tag. For a woman, it might be a sqweshy (?) bath sponge. For a guy who likes to fish, maybe some lewers. Plus the dogs get to shred the wrapping paper (after all trinket bows are removed). Excellent play time for them and then the paper is off to the recycle bin.
Another option, my mother in full Martha Stewart mode made cloth gift bags one year. She reuses them every-year now. The fabric coordinates with her holiday decor so it makes the tree very elegant looking.
view dcaries's profile
I'm using Furoshiki this year ... here's a great video to give ideas for bottles, books, boxes, and how to reuse the material afterwards: http://www.vimeo.com/2321507
view David Harris's profile
The Japanese wrap their presents in cloth and such to help cut back on waste. I always thought it was a good idea and something we should all do here in the states. There should be a study on how much paper gets thrown into landfills during the Christmas holidays!
My mom usually reuses gift bags over and over. The only real present she will wrap is if its a weird shape and too big for a bag. I've wrapped presents in scarves I've made! It's part of the gift! :)
view witchbaby's profile
My family reuses gift paper. We're careful to unwrap gently and reuse year after year. This of course didn't work when my brother and I were young, but now that there aren't any little ones at Christmas reusing works great.
view Kristina Joy's profile
2=foil??
I do some combo of these... admittedly I have some half-sewn-together fabric bags... I think I'm moving more toward furoshiki because I can find scarves at thrift shops and Martha Stewart has some neat ideas, too. (I may have found this through one of the AT sites.)
http://www.marthastewart.com/article/recycled-gift-wrapping-how-to?lnc=a7367dbc53cee010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&rsc=taxonomylist_crafts_recycling-crafts
http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.3a0656639de62ad593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=10bb9da2e1765110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default&rsc=header_5&autonomy_kw=gift wrap
The one I liked from Body Soul can't be displayed :(
So the real problem is how to deal with a friend's giftwrapping party. The amount of paper there is just obscene! Maybe I could bring some scarves along and inspire people...
view whytephoenix's profile
If you happen to be a knitter, or know one, scrap yarn makes great ribbon.
view aums's profile
Being an eco-minded artist, I collect all of the wrappings from Christmas and implement them into my Papier-mache sculptures. I also use plastic bags, styrofoam peanuts, toilet paper roles and bubble wrap. You wouldn't know by looking that there is recycled items in my work, though!
I suppose it's called "up-cycling", and I'm happyt to do my part for the environment.
Happy Holidays : )
http://wallflowerstudio.blogspot.com
view WallFlowerStudio's profile