How To Have An Eco-Friendly Christmas: The Ultimate Guide

Are you wanting to have a more eco-friendly Christmas? Try my tips on making your day a more sustainable and environmentally friendly one. From the tree and the presents to the food and everything in between.

Christmas waste statistics are terrifying. According to an article in The Independent, in the UK alone we will:

• Bin the equivalent of 108 million rolls of wrapping paper
• Discard 54 million platefuls of food
• Use 189 million batteries over Christmas
• Get through more than 40 million rolls of sticky tape
• Bin almost 100 million black bags full of packaging from toys and gifts
• Seven in 10 households will buy far more food than they need
• And 66% of households will bin at least some of their turkey

However, I’m no Grinch. I am not saying we should cancel Christmas – very much the opposite. Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year, and I am always up for celebrating Christmas with bells on. Personally, I just like to think there are more planet-friendly ways of celebrating during the festive period.

In fact, I’ve been on a mission to show you how to celebrate all things Christmas in sustainable ways. I’ve been blogging here on Moral Fibres for well over ten years now. Over the years I have covered a whole host of ideas on how to celebrate in a low-waste and eco-friendly manner. As my Christmas gift to you this year, I’ve rounded them all up here for easy reading.

I’ve also put this post together with my newsletter subscribers in mind so that I don’t spam them with Christmas content in November’s newsletter! I appreciate that not everyone loves Christmas as much as I do, and of course, not everyone celebrates Christmas. Therefore, I felt it best to include one link to all the posts.

If you want to subscribe to the free monthly newsletter, please do sign up here – I promise I’m very thoughtful about what I send out!

The Ultimate Guide To Having An Eco-Friendly Christmas

There are so many different ways to celebrate in a low-impact way this Christmas. As such, I’ve outlined a number of different ways in which you can incorporate sustainable and environmentally friendly practices into your Christmas celebrations.

Of course, you don’t have to do it all. As with anything, it is often easier to start in small steps. Perhaps pick one or two areas to ‘green’ your Christmas this year, and then next Christmas try to incorporate a few more ideas.

I’ve broken it all down into headings to get you started. Click on each link to skip to a specific heading or keep scrolling for the full list of sustainable ideas.

• Picking A Sustainable Christmas Tree
• Sustainable Christmas Decorations
• Eco Advent Calendars
• Sustainable Christmas Gift Ideas
• Eco-Friendly Christmas Cards
• Green Gift Wrapping
• Festive Ethical Clothing
• Christmas Food & Drink
• Rethinking Christmas Crackers
• Cleaning Up After The Festivities

Picking A Sustainable Christmas Tree

The Christmas tree is a central feature of the festive season. But what’s the most sustainable option?

If you already own an artificial tree, it’s best to use it for as long as possible. The carbon footprint of producing a fake tree is significant, so making it last for many years is key to offsetting its impact.

If you’re in the market for a new tree, a real one is generally the greener option. Real trees are renewable, and can be composted when the festivities are over.

For an even greener option, look into renting a potted tree. These are live trees that are delivered to your door and then picked up after Christmas to be replanted.

Alternatively, you can forgo a traditional tree altogether and get creative. Whether you string fairy lights into a tree shape on the wall, decorate a plant or branch with baubles and lights, or something else, there are heaps of beautiful, waste-free alternatives.

For a more detailed breakdown, try my eco-friendly Christmas tree-buying guide. From buying a real tree to purchasing a fake tree, here’s everything you need to look out for.

Eco-Conscious Christmas Decorations

I always always say that the most sustainable Christmas decorations are the ones you already own. As such, decorate with your old plastic baubles and tinsel with gleeful abandon. However, if you are looking to replace any of your decorations, there are heaps of ways to avoid plastic and unnecessary waste.

If you would prefer to buy decorations, check out my guide to the people and planet-friendly eco-friendly, and ethical Christmas decorations to buy. There are tons of ideas to make your home sustainably sparkle.

And if you’re in the mood to get crafty, then I’ve got absolutely heaps of ideas for decorations to make from natural and sustainable materials:

• Here’s how to dry orange slices to make stunning natural garlands.
• If you’ve caught the natural garland bug, then here’s how to make a popcorn garland.
• If you’ve collected some pine cones, here are some lovely Christmas decorations made from pine cones to make.
• Here are even more stunning plastic-free and zero-waste Christmas decorations to make.
• You can also try to make these beautiful cardboard Christmas decorations from any excess packaging material.
• If you’ve got a stash of toilet roll tubes, try making some of these Christmas decorations made from toilet paper rolls.
• Don’t bin those empty tomato paste tubes. Instead you can make these delightful tomato puree tube decorations. This is what I am making this year!
• You can also try these lovely festive decorations made from paper.
• Try these eco-friendly alternatives to tinsel for more ways to ditch plastic this Christmas.
• Here’s how to make homemade clay decorations.
• Like to crochet? Here are over 30 Christmas decorations to crochet. Some of them might be a good way to use up the odds and ends of wool from your stash!
• And like to sew? Try one of these free Christmas stocking patterns so you can make your own stocking.

Told you I had a lot of ideas!

Eco-Friendly Advent Calendars

Advent calendars can be a key part in the countdown to Christmas celebrations, but they can be made from single-use plastic.

Reusable advent calendars can be a great way to ditch the plastic, plus you can fill them with anything you want. If you’re looking for ideas, try my guide to the best reusable advent calendars, for counting down to the big day sustainably.

If you want to count down to Christmas the dairy-free way, then you can also try my handy guide to the best vegan advent calendars for kids and grown-ups. Catering for every budget – starting from under £5 – and with plastic-free options, you’ll be sure to find your ideal calendar.

And if you’d rather give back this Christmas, then here’s everything you need to know about taking part in a reverse advent calendar.

Sustainable Christmas Gift Ideas

It can be a thrill finding or making the perfect gifts for our loved ones. Thankfully there are many ways to embrace eco-friendly gift-giving at Christmas time.

Second-hand Gifts

Giving preloved gifts might be considered by some as a no-no, but I say it’s important to remember that second-hand does not mean second-best. Try my guide to second-hand Christmas gift ideas to help you find the perfect thoughtful and low-impact gift for your loved one.

Homemade Gifts

Handmade gifts are a great way to show your love and thoughtfulness without contributing to the frenzy of consumerism. Try my homemade Christmas present ideas, or these edible Christmas gifts to make that everyone on your list will love.

Non-Consumerist Gift Ideas

If you don’t want to give a physical object but still want to give something then try these non-material Christmas gift ideas. From ideas that don’t cost any money to ideas that cost some money such as a trip out, contributing to an activity, memberships, and subscriptions, I have a host of ideas for you that also don’t feed into the consumerist side of the season.

Sustainable Physical Gift Ideas

If you’d rather give a physical object, then try my big guide to eco-friendly Christmas gift ideas for heaps of ideas for everyone on your list. I’ve also got a load of eco-friendly stocking filler ideas too.

As I know just how hard it can be to buy the right gift for teenagers, I’ve also got a specific guide to eco-friendly gift ideas for teens. You can also try my kids gift guide, and men’s eco gift guide for more ideas.

And if you’re still unsure what to buy, I always think food is a great thing to gift. Do check out my guides to the best eco-friendly Christmas hampers, the best vegan hampers, and the best vegan Christmas chocolates to help you out.

Eco-Friendly Christmas Gift Wrap

One of my favourite parts of Christmas is taking some time to wrap up my carefully considered gifts. Here are some ideas to do so sustainably and help to reduce waste this Christmas:

• Here is my big guide to eco-friendly gift wrapping ideas and alternatives. From the reusable to the recycled and the recyclable – it is all there! I’ve also got top tips on what to avoid, as sadly, all wrapping paper is not recyclable.
• A handy guide to recyclable Christmas wrapping paper – if you’d rather stick to the traditional route.
• A guide on how to wrap gifts in recycled materials, such as old jumpers repurposed in clever and stylish ways. Trust me on this one!
• And here’s how to wrap gifts in fabric. This is the Japanese art of Furoshiki. It’s a great sustainable alternative to wrapping paper, as the recipient can reuse the fabric or give it back to you for wrapping future gifts.

Eco-Friendly Christmas Cards

If forgoing Christmas cards, or sending e-cards are steps too far, then try my guide to the best charity Christmas cards that give back. Some charities have made many careful and considered sustainable and ethical considerations.

Look out for FSC-certified cards printed in Britain and glitter-free cards. I’ve even found cards that can be reused in clever ways and cards that can be planted in your garden.

Festive Ethical Clothing

With all of the festive gatherings and parties that fill our diaries in December, your attention may turn to your wardrobe. The good news is that there are heaps of ways to dress sustainably during the festive season.

It’s the season of glitz and glamour, so try my guide to ethical party dresses to help you celebrate sustainably. And you can also check out my guide to ethical Christmas jumpers, so that you can keep warm in festive sartorial style.

Christmas Food and Drink

Finally, let’s talk about the all-important Christmas food and drink. Food is such a huge part of Christmas, but there are heaps of ways to make your dinner table more sustainable.

• Here are some amazing vegetarian Christmas dinner ideas if you want to ditch the turkey this year, or embrace eating less meat.
• Here’s how to make cranberry and orange-infused Christmas gin for you or for a gift.

Rethinking Christmas Crackers

Christmas crackers are a staple at many festive tables, but they’re often filled with plastic trinkets that end up in the bin before dessert. Fortunately, there are some great eco-friendly options available.

Reusable crackers are a fantastic idea—they can be filled with small, thoughtful gifts and used year after year. If you’re feeling crafty, you could even make your own crackers. Many retailers have also embraced plastic-free crackers.

Here’s my big guide to eco-friendly and reusable Christmas crackers. If you opt for reusable crackers, I’ve included some ideas of what to fill them with and some great (or terrible, depending on your take!) jokes to put inside them!

Cleaning Up After The Festivities

Sadly all good things come to an end, but when Christmas is over it’s important to clean up sustainably. Here’s how to recycle your Christmas cards, including ideas on those hard-to-recycle cards with glitter or foil on them.

And when it comes to your tree, I’ve got a whole post dedicated to how to recycle your Christmas tree – whether it’s real, artificial or potted.

I absolutely adore Christmas. As such, I can always find more to write about, so I don’t plan on stopping here. I’ll add any future posts I write about Christmas here (of which I promise there will be many!), so be sure to pin this post or bookmark it so you can see what’s new here next Christmas.

Have a lovely eco-friendly Christmas!