10 Eco Friendly Gift Wrapping Ideas

As the festive season approaches, all you can think of is the number of gifts you will receive and give. Those glossy, shiny gift-wrapping papers that appeal to children and adults flood your homes in waves, and you spend hours packing and then unpacking them. But have you ever stopped considering the amount of waste you are generating? This is not just any waste that can be easily recycled or composted- most of the gift wrapping paper is made of plastic which takes almost forever to decompose.

But don't worry! Plastic gift wrapping paper is just one of many ways to make your presents attractive and alluring. There are many eco-friendly gift-wrapping materials that you can use when wrapping a present for your loved ones.

Not only does eco-friendly gift wrapping reduce the amount of waste generated, but it also plays a significant role in alleviating the amount of plastic waste generated and dumped in nature. Eco-friendly gift wrapping materials also help you upcycle some of the waste around your home and give them new found worth and purpose. Not to forget, when used correctly, eco-friendly gift-wrapping materials make your presents look even more attractive.

Here is how you can switch to zero-waste gift wrapping, check out our curated list of ideas below and go green with your gifts this festive season!

1. Furoshiki: Furoshiki is the traditional Japanese cloth used for wrapping gifts. This is not only sustainable, as it can be used repeatedly, but it is also very beautiful. The traditional furoshiki cloth has gorgeous patterns and comes in various colors to add to the beauty of the present. You can use any fabric available as a Furoshiki ranging from cotton to silk, velvet- anything you want! The square cloth can also be folded differently to make it even more beautiful.

2. Kraft paper: Kraft paper is getting increasingly popular with the increased environmental awareness among businesses and other commercial places. Kraft paper is produced with both virgin and recycled paper, with a more sustainable method where less water is used than normal paper and is much stronger. It makes for a great wrapping paper to give your gifts that earthy look. It is also used as a filler while packing delicate items and can also be reused for packing gifts later. It’s also a great material to make packing labels and tags.This eco-friendly gift wrapping paper is available in several colours, like brown, white, and multi-coloured sheets. They can be reused or easily home composted when they are not fit to use. Ensure to buy the one without a plastic lining on it.

            
                                          Image by- Country living

3. Gift bags- Reusable tote and jute bags: You must have used a gift bag at least once while giving a gift that is difficult to wrap. But did you realize most of the gift bags are made of plastic?  You can easily substitute a plastic bag for a tote or jute bag when giving a gift to someone. It is zero-waste gift wrapping because the receiver can reuse the bag a number of times and then it easily biodegrades when discarded, reducing unnecessary waste. Go for a tote bag that is made of organic materials like cotton, hemp, jute and is sturdy enough to hold some weight. Tote bags come in beautiful designs, can be customized with quirky quotes and an environmentally friendly option than single use plastic gift bags.

Image by- Reearth

4. Newspaper gift wrap: It might sound very unconventional, but you can also wrap your gift with a newspaper. Newspapers look very aesthetic and make your gift stand out to the receiver. Wrapping the gift with newspapers and tying it up with thin thread string and some dried leaves can make it look very antique and unique. It is also very environmentally friendly as you reuse all the newspaper lying in your house, and it makes for one of the best eco-friendly gift-wrapping materials.We recommend using the page of the newspaper that is full of colorful ads and banners to add color to your gift and make every gift look different.


                                       

 Image by- Arioyonainterior

5. Gift boxes- Recycled paper box, Jute box, upcycled fabric box: In case you are looking for the idea of using a gift box, then we have an eco-friendly substitute for conventional gift boxes. he best part about upcycling and recycling boxes is that you can be very creative with them and decorate them with a lot of eco-friendly embellishments (continue reading to find out what different things you can use to decorate your gift box). Using materials such as jutes is very benefecial as they are 100% recyclable, can be designed in multiple ways, safe to use and have no foul smell as well.
     Image by- Innovativepaperjaipur

6. Glass jars- Reuse old glass jars or buy a new one so they can be reused: Everyone loves glass jars- they are beautiful, handy, essential, and valuable. But did you ever think that you could even use glass jars to wrap your presents? Yes, you can! One of the major benefits of glass jars is that they can be reused. Moreover, they are very multi-purpose and can be used for the purpose of storing or gifting as well. For example you could just bake home made chocolates or cookies and pack it in the glass jars, which can be used for the purpose of gifting.

7. Upcycling shipping Box- Reuse Shipping boxes from online orders: Are you someone who likes to shop online, you must have a lot of shipping boxes lying around your house or in your storeroom. These shipping boxes come handy when you want to pack fragile items like glass and protect them from breaking. The major benefit of upcycle shipping boxes is that it helps in reducing the waste as we can reuse it for multiple purposes for storage, decoration etc. Using upcycling shipping boxes is a very efficient ways of re-using resources which do not end up going to landfills and harm the environment in any way.

10- Dried flowers, jute rope/upcycled cloth as a ribbon for decor: There are multiple eco-friendly gift-wrapping materials, but we end up getting stuck to things like flowers and ribbons, which are made from plastic and can only be used for a single time. Do not use conventional high-waste-generating materials for decoration and embellishments as they are not recyclable at all. Try alternate materials that are beautiful yet sustainable like dried flowers and leaves, beautiful coloured jute ropes, colorful upcycled cloth or even shreds of cloth as a ribbon to decorate your gift. Some more ideas are old buttons, markers to write messages, paper labels, DIY paper flowers.


                                         Image by- modernwedding 

Bonus tip- Use paper tape instead of plastic: 

Gift wrapping is incomplete without a tape to seal it and keep it intact. But did you know that even tape is made of plastic and can only be used once, so it ultimately goes to waste? An interesting thing to do here is that you can use paper tape!

 
Any gift that is wrapped with love is very precious, but a gift that does not end up creating unnecessary waste is even more thoughtful. So next time, no matter what you want to gift your loved ones, ensure that you use eco friendly gift wrapping materials and help reduce gifting waste. It’s always good to go the extra mile, so here is a curated collection of eco-friendly gifts. We have done the research so you can save time and just pick an eco-friendly gift box that you like. 

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