8 Eco-Friendly Gift Wrapping Trends that Actually Look Gorgeous
In the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, Americans produce 25 percent more trash than any other time of year. An obvious place to start cutting back on waste is to ditch conventional wrapping paper. Not only is it single-use, but oftentimes it can’t be recycled—particularly if it has metallic foiling or glitter (hello, trash can). Not to mention that wrapping paper sometimes has sneaky plastic woven into its paper fibers to make it stronger. Yuck.
Switching to reusable wrapping materials has benefits beyond its environmental impact—saving you time and money. No need to run to the store to buy anything new. Likely, you have all that you need at your fingertips. (And if you don’t, you’ll still save money in the long run when opting for reusables.) Here are four ways to inspire you to make this simple, sustainable eco-swap this year:
01 / Fabric wrap
Do you have any cloth napkins, an old bandana, or a t-shirt (that you can cut up) tucked away somewhere? How about old bedding? Any square of fabric will work when creating unique wrapping that can be used for years to come. Fabric wrapping, also known as Furoshiki, comes from Japan where silk or cotton were customairly used to asthetically wrap gifts.
In the photo here, I reused three cloth napkins we had on hand to wrap books and a bar of chocolate. I added a spring of pine to each and, voila—holiday cheer! I will note that we use these napkins as part of a dinner set so they were used to wrap gifts that were gifted within our nuclear family so I could keep them for future mealtime use.
Not sure how to fold cloth gift wrap? Check out this video for a quick tutorial.
02 / Upcycled paper
You’ve gotta love a classic brown paper package tied up with string. Repurpose paper shopping bags or brown packing paper that comes as padding in online shipping orders. Other attractive upcycled paper options include:
Old maps
Newspapers (extra fun bonus: foreign newspapers or comics)
Kids’ art
An inside-out potato chip bag (not technically paper but the silver foiled “paper” looks super glamorous).
Old sheet music
03 / A repurposed jar
Repurpose a jar to gift holiday treats, homemade bath salts, or small gifts. Top it with a square of brown paper (ideally repurposed from a grocery bag), tie a cotton string around it, and add a sprig of rosemary for an extra touch of color. It’s classic, simple, and beautiful—all without costing you a cent.
Start planning now and save jars this fall and winter. If you need to purchase them new, Ball Mason Jars are always a timeless option.
04 / Gift the wrapping
You may already reuse gift bags, but have you thought about making your bag part of the gift? Consider using produce bags, a new dish towel, or a secondhand tote as gift wrap—and make it part of the gift as well.
I picked up this cute straw bag from a secondhand shop for $10 and filled it with lovely reusable items for my mom. I added a small eucalyptus branch and some leftover ribbon to top it off, and I think it came out perfectly.
Don’t have a chance to stop by your local thrift store? ThredUp always has a great selection of secondhand bags online.
Or check out these reusable cotton produce bags that can be doubled as a gift bag.
05 / Add natural elements
As you can see in all of the images above, adding a spring or pine, rosemary, or eucalyptus can help elevate your gift’s presentation without turning to plastic or store-bought trash. A pinecone, twig, leaf, lavender, or feather are also attractive natural elements that can be added to take your package from drab to fab.
06 / Rethink ribbons
If you have ribbons saved from years prior, use them! If not, avoid buying new ribbon because it cannot be recycled. (It’s destined for the landfill, eventually.) If buying new, look for jute, hemp, or cotton twine (pictured) as they can be composted or reused.
Eco-tip: Have an old ribbon, but it’s wrinkled from a previous bow? Iron it on a low setting to smooth it out. (A hair straightening iron on a low setting works too.)
07 / Avoid the (plastic) tape trap
Avoid plastic Scotch tape to wrap presents. It cannot be recycled and just adds to the plastic problem.
Instead, opt for paper washi tape. It’s compostable and recyclable. Plus, it comes in so many fun colors and patterns. Just be sure to avoid imitation washi tape which looks similar but you’ll be able to tell it apart because it contains glitter and/or is made entirely of plastic (and is destined for the trash).
08 / Ship sustainably
If shipping gifts, reuse boxes and packing materials, and don’t forget to skip plastic by using paper shipping tape. If purchasing gifts online, have them shipped straight to the recipient using the slowest shipping method. And lastly, don’t forget to support sustainable, small businesses (even online) which tend to ship with less plastic.
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source: Cho, R. (2020b, December 18). How Buying Stuff Drives Climate Change. Columbia University. Columbia Climate School. State of the Planet. Retrieved May 13, 2021, from https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2020/12/16/buying-stuff-drives-climate-change/
