By Theyo Team
Wrapping paper is one of the most wasted materials, and not just at Christmas. In the US, over $3.2 billion is spent on gift wrap each year, which ultimately ends up in the landfill. In the UK it is estimated that the annual mountain of wrapping paper waste could wrap the earth 9 times over. One can only guess what that means for the environment. In order to reduce these mountains of rubbish or perhaps even prevent them from occurring at all, we have put together 5 tips for sustainable gift packaging for you.
#1 Oldie but Goldie: breathe new life into old comics & co
Who does not know that? You just can't really part with certain comics, magazines or even pretty old maps. At the same time, it is often clear that you will never look in again. So how about not letting them gather dust, but instead reusing them as pretty wrapping paper? Beautiful photo spreads from magazines, well-known comics, old sheet music or used maps make incredibly good gift packaging and no longer have to be left on the side of the road or rot in the basement.#2 No effort: decorate kraft paper with ribbons & flowers
Kraft paper, old construction paper, or leftover wrapping paper. Just use what you have at home. Coupled with gift ribbons from last Christmas, pretty grasses or dried flowers - and you have the perfectly sustainable gift packaging.#3 Eco-friendly DIY: Sew sustainable gift packaging yourself
DIY videos and instructions are a dime a dozen. And instead of a collage of old corks or a homemade fertilizer made from cocoa shells (yep, good ideas too ;-) ), we suggest using the DIY approach to gift wrapping. You can give old fabric remnants and even old clothes a second, meaningful life. Simply make beautiful and sustainable gift packaging out of all the fabrics you can get your hands on: fabric bags in all sizes , colours, shapes and patterns are the perfect gift packaging. As soon as you have sewn up a small fundus, you have your peace of mind. Supplemented by beautiful twigs or flowers, the fabric bags look particularly impressive. You want something extra practical: Instead of a decorative gift bag, you can of course also use a self-sewn bag or apron as a bag. Then you have a gift within a gift!#4 Zero Waste: traditional Japanese packaging
Not exactly cheap but guaranteed to be reusable and very pretty: Japanese 'Furoshiki' cloths for sustainable packaging of your gifts. You can sew the cloths yourself and get fabric from your local fabric shop. Or you can visit Etsy & Co. Make sure that the materials are as organic as possible and do not contain any harmful substances. The prettier and more versatile the fabric and pattern, the more often and longer the Furoshiki will be reused.#5 Return to Sender: gifts in maxi box format
We're big fans of wrapping gifts in gifts that can then "live on" in gift wrapping as a postal package. How practical that we have found a solution for this: gifts of money, small books or jewelery in particular are perfect in our Theyo Tasting Box. And best of all: the chocolates in the box are all from sustainable cultivation, without child labor and at the same time so delicious that no leftovers are guaranteed to end up in the garbage. The outer packaging can then also be used as a Maxibrief shipping carton. And even the chocolate packaging is so pretty that you can make bookmarks out of it. Have fun packing and giving!
