It’s just about that time of year to start wrapping up gifts for their recipients, so naturally, we got to wondering what the most sustainable form of gift wrap there is. Unfortunately, most of the shiny, glittery gift wrapping and accessories aren’t recyclable. However, we also learned that some municipalities don’t accept any wrapping paper at all!
In our opinion, gift wrapping is an essential part of the holiday experience. And who doesn’t love unwrapping something special from a loved one? With this in mind, we decided to do some research on how to make the gift wrap experience even better (and much more sustainable).
We found a ton of great ideas and are very excited to share them with you below!
Antique Shop Acquisitions
We highly recommend doing some gift wrap searching at a nearby antique shop. Not only will you be supporting your local economy, but you will also have the opportunity to find some pre-loved, highly unique pieces that will add a very special touch to your gifts.
Vintage scarves, tea towels, and decorative brooches
Instead of the non-recyclable, conventional gift wrap, get creative with your options. Look for vintage tea/kitchen towels or scarves to wrap gifts of any shape or size. Then, try and find yourself some brooch-bows. Now we don’t literally mean a brooch that looks like a bow… unless you do happen to find one! However, any nice, decorative brooches can serve as a lovely alternative to the plastic bow. You can pin it to your scarf or tea towel wrapping and *voila!* Your gift is now thoughtfully wrapped and comes with two bonus, reusable gifts.
Old maps, books, and postcards
If you’re wrapping lots of boxes this year, search for some old maps and repurpose them! Another wholesome idea would be to find an old book – one that’s on its last legs but isn’t falling apart – and use its pages as wrapping paper. This is a great option for the book lover in your life.
Pro-tip: find some vintage postcards and use them as gift tags. All you have to do is cut them to size (if desired), punch a hole, and address them.
Glass jars and cookie tins
For smaller gifts, look for miscellaneous glass jars and cookie tins. Antique shops seemingly never have a shortage of these vessels, so you’re very likely to come across a few viable options.
Nature-inspired Accessories
Nature supplies countless gift accessories, and all you need is a little bit of time and creativity. Read below for a few of our ideas
Christmas tree sprigs
Use little fir, spruce, or pine branches to accessorize your gifts. This is an easy, 100% sustainable way to liven up gifts with the Christmas spirit. Depending on where you live, you may be able to find some small branches in your neighborhood, at a park, or on a local hiking trail. If you don’t live near any wooded areas, stop by a Christmas tree seller and ask if you can have some of the sprigs that have fallen off of the trees. They’ll likely have no problem with it!
Dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, and star anise
Dried oranges will not only add a fun and festive twist to your gifts, but when you make them at home, they’ll also fill your home with the sweet smell of the holidays. Pair them with cinnamon sticks and star anise to complete your all-natural accessory.
Upcycle What You Already Own
This may come as a surprise, but it’s actually pretty easy to find gift wrapping items throughout the home!
Brown bag it
Do you have some brown paper grocery bags taking over your cabinets? Turning them into gift wrap is super easy. All you have to do is deconstruct & reconstruct. Check out A Pretty Fix’s easy 5-step tutorial here!
Reuse cardboard shipping boxes
Using your collection of shipping boxes acquired from a year of online shopping is one of the easiest eco-friendly gift wrapping swaps you can make.
Happy Holidays!
Thank you for putting the planet first this season and we hope you found this eco-friendly gift wrapping guide helpful!