The holidays can mean generating a lot of waste, and most of us traditionally wrap gifts.  You can go a little greener by still wrapping gifts, but finding some ways to be more eco-friendly. There are plenty of ways to wrap your gifts, while going a little greener.

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Fabric

Fabric is a great way to wrap items, and it is easy to do so.  This method of wrapping has been around for many years, and is a common practice in Japan called ‘Furoshiki‘.  You can use leftover fabric scraps from crafting, or repurpose fabric.  Some examples could be to use good fabric from old t-shirts that have stains or holes (cut out a good section), fabric bags that sheet sets come in, the top sheet from a set (if you only use the fitted sheet), etc.

You can also purchase fabric designed to be used as gift wrap, like this Hallmark reusable Christmas gift wrap.

Recycled or Kraft paper

Look for plain recycled paper that you can decorate yourself, or look for wrapping paper that has a high recycled content. Kraft paper is also a good option that can be recycled and is biodegradable, since it doesn’t have plastic content, colors, waxes, inks, dyes, etc. 

Reuse paper 

You can get creative with wrapping by reusing types of paper, from newspaper to old maps, old books such as encyclopedias, paper bags, etc. Get creative, using newspaper cartoon pages, or newspapers in another language.

Reuse bags & bows

Save gift bags and bows that are in good shape, so that they can be reused. 

Not only does this save the environment, but also saves a money.

Natural materials

Instead of traditional ribbons and bows, you can find alternatives.  Instead of plastic bows, you could use a cotton twine or natural yarn (cotton, wool, etc). Adorn the gift with a natural materials, such as dried flowers or a sprig of greenery.