25 Best Tips For A Sustainable Christmas

Sustainable Alternatives To Wrapping Paper

Christmas is a very special time of year for so many people; we love the gifts, the food, the chance to meet up with friends, the decorations the music and the gifts.

However all of the holiday season excess can be tough on the environment. In the UK 62% of us will receive at least one unwanted gift and overall Christmas is believed to create an approximately 30% increase in the amount of waste produced by UK households.

25 Best Tips For A Sustainable Christmas

But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can approach Christmas with the same consideration for the environment that you have for the rest of the year.

Here are 25 tips to help make this Christmas environmentally friendly while still having all the same fun and joy of the festive season.

A Sustainable Christmas Tree

The battle rages on about which is the most sustainable type of Christmas tree; an artificial tree, used year after year is a sustainable option, if you use it for at least 10 years.

If you prefer a real tree, buy a locally grown one, ideally with roots which can be planted out or put in a pot to use again next year.

Or you could rent a Christmas tree. Several companies in the UK offer this service, and when 6th January comes around your tree can be returned and it will be replanted for next year.

Send An Eco Card

The excitement of receiving a Christmas card in the post never gets old. If you plan to send real cards choose recyclable cards that do not include glitter or plastic decorations such as googly eyes or bows.

The cards that you receive can be disposed of in your household recycling collection, but make sure any plastic or glittery bits are removed and put in your general waste.

Another eco-friendly way to send your Christmas greetings is by sending an e-card to everybody.

Use Soy Candles

Candles are a big part of Christmas for many people, and they look so beautiful when lit at this time, especially if the light bounces off shiny glass baubles.

However regular candles are made from paraffin, a petroleum product which is not renewable. Furthermore, when it is burnt it can release carcinogenic substances into the atmosphere.

Soy candles are made from a renewable resource which does not fill the atmosphere with potentially dangerous substances. They are widely available at all price points and are a much more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional candles.

Bring Us Some Figgy Pudding!

Christmas dinner may be the highlight of Christmas day, but it can produce a huge amount of uneaten food too.

Buy only as much food as you can a realistically eat and choose a turkey in a size that you can eat up before everyone gets to the point of wailing “not turkey AGAIN!”

Food scraps and the turkey bones can be added to your food waste collection, and all your vegetable peelings can be composted.

Let It Glow

Fairy lights are a big part of Christmas for a lot of people, but as energy prices rise, it has to be said that they do use extra electricity over the festive season.

Modern LED fairly lights use a lot less power than old tungsten fairy lights, so if you are still using any of them, now is the time to retire them once and for all.

Switch them off whenever you go out or put them on a timer if you tend to forget to do this.

Eat Seasonally

The traditional Christmas dinner is perfect for eating seasonally in the UK. The root vegetables are in season in December so roast those parsnips and enjoy your roast potatoes with a clear conscience.

Choosing UK grown fruit and veg reduces the food miles required to bring then to your home, making them better for the environment.

Get Christmas All Wrapped Up

Wrapping paper is one of the biggest producers of waste at Christmas. So often it is used once then binned, and much of it is plastic or covered in glitter so cannot be recycled.

Choose recyclable gift wrap, open presents carefully and save the paper to reuse, or try one of these other sustainable gift wrapping ideas.

Green Christmas Décor

The most environmentally friendly Christmas decorations are the ones that you already have. Why not make bringing out these old friends each year part of your Christmas family tradition rather than having a complete new décor every year?

If you are just starting out in your first home, try the local charity shops for second-hand Christmas decorations, but be warned that they do get snapped up as soon as they go on display.

Store your baubles, lights, garlands and artificial tree if you use one, carefully for next year and they will give joy for decades to come.

You can also decorate your home with the plants that are naturally available at this time of year. Here are some creative ideas on how to decorate your home for Christmas using natural materials.

Make Your Wreath Eco-friendly

There are lots ways to make a wreath eco-friendly; you can reuse an artificial for years, in the same way as you can reuse your favourite Christmas décor items.

If you love to hang a freshly made wreath, made from natural materials on your door, choose one that is not based on a plastic frame, or make your own using a reusable metal frame as a base.

Green Present Giving

Can you make your Christmas gift giving more eco-friendly?

ou will know who you can happily give a second-hand gift to in your circle of friends; you can search the local charity shops for sealed items such as gift sets of toiletries where possible (This is also a good idea if you are required to supply a Christmas raffle prize).

If buying new, choose products that are not over packaged, and ideally in all recyclable and plastic-free packaging.

Advent Calendars

Advent calendars are a wonderful way to add some suspense to the build-up to Christmas, and if you choose carefully they do not have to be bad for the environment. If you choose an old-fashioned card one, make sure that you recycle, and try to buy one which is not packaged in plastic.

There are also lots of reusable advent calendars, from fabric ones with pockets to wooden ones with doors or drawers that can be refilled with gifts or sweets each year.

Like your other décor, if stored carefully it could last for decades and be a part of your family Christmas tradition.

Eco Christmas Crackers

One of the items that produce the greatest amount of waste at Christmas is the Christmas cracker. Imagine; a cardboard tube decorated with paper, glitter and shiny ribbon.

You pull it to reveal tiny, useless plastic novelty, a hat that tears almost immediately you put it onto your head and an appalling joke. All of this goes straight in the bin at the end of the meal.

This is clearly crackers. If you can’t let go of the tradition choose fully recyclable, plastic free crackers or reusable card or fabric ones. Here are some more ideas for sustainable and eco crackers including fabric, tin and even plantable Christmas crackers.

Shop Local

Shop locally for your gifts, food and décor and support your local businesses. You will save petrol and give your local economy a boost too.

Buy Second Hand

Encourage your friends to give you second hand gifts and open their minds to accepting a second hand gift too. Almost all Christmas décor items can be bought second hand from charity shops, vintage shops and antique stores.

You can also find them online from sites like eBay, Etsy and local marketplaces such as Facebook or Gumtree.

Gift Experiences

Instead of giving your nearest and dearest a gift item that they may not want or use, why not gift them an experience? A meal in a good restaurant, theatre or cinema tickets, a day out to an attraction or a chance to try something new are all a brilliant alternative to another unwanted ornament.

Buy Organic

Choose to buy organic food this Christmas if funds allow. Organic vegetables and sustainably reared meat will taste better and avoiding chemical pest control and fertilisers is better for you and for the environment.

Eat More Veg

Why not try a vegetarian Christmas dinner this year? The traditional meat free alternative to turkey is a nut roast, but if you fancy a change or don’t eat nuts, there are lots of tasty vegetarian and vegan alternatives to a turkey including cauliflower wellington, savoury spiced baklava or squash and ricotta croissant wreath.

Recycle, Recycle, Recycle

Christmas will tend to increase the amount you need to put in your recycling bin, but don’t be tempted to pop any surplus into your waste bin! Many local councils allows excess cardboard items to be put next to a full bin, so check if you can do this.

If you get a new gadget as a Christmas present, remember not to let the old one sit in a drawer. Either sell it or recycle it, as electronics contain all sorts of valuable metals which are in short supply.

Plus it’s a good idea to remember that your waste will probably be collected on a different day to usual over the Christmas period, so make a note of those dates now.

Think About Packaging

Many retailers large and small are putting more thought into the sustainability of their packaging, whether it is supermarkets removing single-use plastic bags from their fruit and vegetable aisles, removing excess plastic wrap from food or packaging their Christmas cards in plastic free wrappers.

Make a positive choice to select plastic-free options and minimally packaged goods and show retailers that you want them to continue changing their policies on unnecessary packaging.

Quality Not Quantity

Choosing quality items over quantity is also a sustainable and environmentally friendly thing to do. Instead of a collection of cheap disposable gifts, give one good quality item that will stand the test of time and be used for many years to come.

Buy Reusable Gifts

Help your family to be more eco-minded by gifting them a reusable item to help them avoid single use items. Get a coffee lover a reusable cup for them to take to their favourite coffee shop.

A cook might appreciate some wraps that can replace cling film, while someone who cares for their skin will love to receive washable make-up remover pads.

Gift A Charity Donation

For the person who has everything, make a charity donation in their name this Christmas.

Eco Party Time

As the party season approaches you may be thinking about a new outfit for a Christmas party. But like your Christmas decorations, the most sustainable outfit is one that is already tucked away in your wardrobe.

If you really have nothing suitable try the charity shops, antique shops, eBay, Vinted, Depop or Vestiaire Collective of your budget is more designer.

If you truly cannot find anything used that suits you, invest in a simple, classic outfit that you can dress up or down as the occasion demands with different shoes, accessories, jewellery etc. Then you will be able to keep and wear this outfit for years into the future.

Compost for Christmas

As well as composting your vegetable peelings and Satsuma skin this year, check if you your council will collect and compost a cut Christmas tree, or if you can take it to your local recycling centre.

Traditional wreaths made from natural materials can also be composted along with any other natural materials that you have used as part of your Christmas decoration.

Regift

Got a gift that you really don’t want? Don’t feel able to ask the giver if they kept the receipt?

Either keep the item to regift (make a note of who gave it to you so that you don’t accidentally return it to them) or pass it on to a charity shop, who appreciate donations of any good quality items in good condition at any time of year.

If you want to send all your friends and family a sustainable and eco-friendly Christmas present this year, our Sustainable Christmas Gift Guide 2025 will help you find that perfect something for the special people in your life.

25 Best Tips For A Sustainable Christmas

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