Sustainable gift wrapping: the Christmas gift that keeps on giving

Gifting season is upon us, and many of us are scrambling to make sure we cross off all the gifts listed on our loved ones’ Christmas wish lists. While Christmas shopping can be a stressful exercise, it’s also a task we endure each year to ensure our loved ones have a cheerful season filled with joy. An important part of Christmas shopping is finding the perfect gift-wrapping paper to go with your Christmas theme or suit the personality of the person on the receiving end.

However, consumerism carries its own environmental challenges; gift wrapping paper is one to always be considered, given its limited recyclability. Many types cannot be recycled due to non-paper additives like glitter, foil, and plastic, resulting in large volumes ending up in landfills. While global data isn’t available, on average, the UK uses an estimated 227,000 miles (around 365,000 km) of wrapping paper each year, which is equivalent to 365,320 km.

Market growth for gift paper is projected to reach approximately $4.9 Billion by 2025, with expected growth at a CAGR of 4.0% from 2025 onwards to reach an estimated size of USD 7.2 billion by 2035. This is attributed to increasing consumer preferences for eco-friendly wrappings, higher demand for premium and customised gift packaging, as well as regulations restricting the use of plastic-based wrapping materials.

This shift is a welcome one; however, the cost associated with the innovative solution is often not one that everyone can afford.  With that said, Interwaste would like to share a few sustainable gift-wrapping solutions for the conscious consumer looking for environmentally friendly gift wrapping, or incorporate these ideas into their gifting this season:

• Unused fabric: if you have unused fabric, you can find creative ways to use it to wrap a gift. This method is referred to as “Furoshiki,” a Japanese wrapping cloth traditionally used to carry around belongings. You don’t have to let those pieces of fabric or clothes go to waste, and they can be reused again and again.
• Use recyclable paper: most wrapping paper cannot be recycled because of how it is made. Instead, consider kraft paper or even old newspapers to give it a unique and rustic feel – and get your children involved with decorating the kraft paper to make it even more special for family and friends this season. You could even use old map books you have lying around or magazines – as a fun and different way to wrap a gift.
• Glass jars: Homemade food items can be such a considerate gift. And remember, glass jars don’t have to just be for food; you can use them to fill up with sweets or fun little items as a gift.  Think men’s survival or grooming kits, or mommy’s favourite bath treats, or even an emergency kit for load shedding (like including matches, lighters, a small torch, some batteries, etc.).
• Bees wax: You can also use bees wax wraps to wrap your gifts. These are biodegradable and can be reused to cover and store food in your fridge or for children’s tuck boxes – you don’t need to throw them away.
• Avoid sticky tape: sticky/cellophane tape can cause issues at recycling centres. So, if you can, rather get creative with natural string, paper clips, or reusable ribbons.

While the excitement of unwrapping gifts is a much-loved part of the festive season, it’s important to remember that visually appealing wrapping often comes at an environmental cost. Any paper that contains sparkles, glitter, sequins, foils, artificial texture, or plastic, any paper that is laminated or even has that little sticky label on it, is unfortunately very hard to recycle or not recyclable at all. Recycling requires these items to be kept separate so that we do not contaminate the recycling process.

Paper needs to be as close to its plain original state as possible, but we understand that this may be tricky to “know for sure”. The best way to see if it's recyclable is to do a “scrunch test". Squeeze your wrapping paper into a ball; if it keeps its ball shape, then it can be recycled. If it springs back to resemble the shape before it was squeezed, then it cannot be recycled.

This festive season, we encourage you to embrace eco-conscious wrapping habits and give the planet the gift of sustainability – a gift that truly keeps on giving.

* Bott is the CEO at Interwaste.

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