We have been fortunate enough to recently feature in the likes of the Guardian, Condenast Traveller and the Telegraph (as seen in the image above) as part of a line up of more sustainable gifts this Christmas.
Plastic use typically increases by an estimated 30% over the Christmas period. We are hoping with heightened awareness and education, Christmas gifts and behaviors will be given a little more thought.
We’ve gathered 4 things to avoid to help you escape this nonsense:
1. Say NO to glitter. The stuff is in our faces more than The Kardashians... But for worse reasons. Anything littered with the stuff- like cards, tops, pictures and crackers can no longer be recycled as glitter is a micro-plastic, made with PET.
The graph below shows the google search rate for 'biodegradable glitter' over the past few years, where 100 is peak popularity and although it is on the rise, the interest is slow. So let's get that chart showing a decline in glitter searches from this Christmas.
2. Wrapped presents are admired for 5 seconds before they are completely destroyed - yet last forever on this planet. In the UK, sales from wrapping paer equate to wrapping the planet nine times. Most of this is non-recyclable too due to plastic films and glitter. Instead, why not wrap your gifts in newspaper, pillowcases, or brown recycled paper and string? Get inventive!
3. The home of plastic s**t has to be Christmas crackers. Congratulations, you got a gigantic plastic paperclip, you can add it to your collection! Jokes, no one has a collection of their cracker prizes, they go straight in the bin along with the remaining 150 million joke plastic gifts. This year, why not try to make your own? This will also allow you to personalise them and can be an enjoyable activity. Equally, you could source out a sustainable alternative such as these from Nancy and Betty, or apparently more recently, Waitrose and John Lewis.
4. Last but not least- an encouragement from us to think about the life span of presents you're giving. Sure they might have been a deal or funny for a few minutes before they return to the back ends of the sofa, but the no-bullshit sustainability contract I signed when jumping onboard the Ocean Bottle ship is telling me to advise you to give them up.
A message in a bottle brought to you by Emily
