'Tis The Season To Be Conscious: Green Gift Wrapping

Holidays, birthdays, baby showers, house warming parties ~ what do all of these have in common aside from celebrating? Most often, they include some form of gift-giving. And with gift giving, comes the need to wrap the gift in something beautiful in order to keep it a surprise. The only problem is that most gift wrap contains parts that are not sustainable or recyclable, and will likely go into the landfill. The most sustainable way to give a gift is to not wrap it at all, but we all know that that completely eliminates the element of surprise. So, fret not! This blog post is here to help you choose a greener way of wrapping your special gifts.

Use What You Already Have

Check your cupboards and closets to see what you have! Some ideas are…

• Newspaper/magazines ~ My family and I have done this for Christmas and we actually ended up sifting through different articles and catering the newspaper section for each family member. (ex.sports section for dad)

• Reuse gift bags ~ Whenever you receive a gift from someone, try to preserve the gift wrap or gift bag and save it for the next time you need to wrap a gift for someone. Not only are you reusing the bags, but you also save some $$!

• Reuse Boxes ~ If you’ve recently bought something that arrived in a box, save it and reuse it for your next gift! This is perfect when the boxes don’t have any labels on them. Depending on who your gift is for, you could get away with using a non-traditional box, such as a cereal box, and turn it into a silly gift opening experience. You can also paint or draw over the box if you’re feeling creative. (definitely done that before!)

 

Buy Pre-Made Eco-Friendly Gifting Items

Note that this option is a bit more pricy than the rest of them, but if you do want some festive wrapping paper and ribbon, this company is a great option.

• ReNu Wrap ~ Wrap your gift in our reusable gift wrap made from textile waste from the Vancouver fashion industry. Each wrap comes with instructions on how to wrap them 4 ways.

• Recycled wrapping paper ~ There are companies that create festive wrapping paper made from recycled paper, such as Wrappily. This is a great way to keep the theme of the celebration for the gift (ex. holiday wrapping).

• Hemp twine ribbon - also from wrappily, you can purchase various ribbon made from hemp twine, cotton, or paper.

• Recycled gift tags - Wrappily provides recycled gift tags also. If you’re looking for fun, festive tags, these are them!

 

Create Your Own Eco-Friendly Wrapping Paper

• Fabric gift wrap ~ If you’re a home-sewer or have access to a sewing machine, making your own reusable fabric wrap is a great idea! Go to your local thrift store and find some fabric, cut it into a sizeable square to fit your gift, and sew the raw edges. Tie your gift up with a top knot. You can also add hemp twine around it.

• Painted kraft paper ~ Get crafty! Purchase some recycled kraft paper and paint some festive designs on the paper. You can do this free-hand or with a stencil. You an keep it simple with polka dots or get as creative as you want.

• Brown paper bag ~ go into the kitchen and use a brown lunch bag, tie it with hemp twine and add a piece of pine!

 

Creative Toppings

• Ornaments ~ once your gift is wrapped, top it off with an ornament from your tree. Use twine or a scrap as the bow.

• Hemp twine & fresh greenery ~ for the holidays, add some fresh greenery or spice, such as pine or holly or even a cinnamon stick, to your hemp tied gift.

 

For more creative eco-friendly gift wrap ideas, visit our Holiday Festivities Pinterest Board!

Thank you for reading, and I hope this gave you some gift wrapping inspiration this year. Please share your ideas and photos of how you wrapped your gifts this year in the comments below or tag us on Instagram at @bellantonidesigns.

 

Happy Holidays friends!

~Bianca

 

All photos sourced from Unsplash and Canva