5 Environmentally Friendly Ways to Wrap Gifts
Did you know that gift wrap isn’t recyclable in most areas? It’s a huge bummer — but a great opportunity to try some gift wrap options that are more eco-friendly! This post will walk you through an easy way to upcycle textiles from your home or thrift store into reusable gift wrap that will last your family for years, or use recyclable and reused options for a smaller impact on the Earth.
Pillowcase Bags
A gift bag made from a pillowcase is one of the easiest ways to make an unpaper bag for gifts! Simply place a gift into the pillowcase and use a piece of fabric ribbon or a scrap of cut fabric to tie it shut. This works great for multiple gifts as well, to give an impression of an over-stuffed toy bag from Santa. You can look for colorful pillowcases at thrift stores or save the pillowcases from old sheet sets.
Fabric Wrap
The Japanese culture has a practice of wrapping items in cloth (known as Furoshiki) to bundle and transport goods, clothing, and gifts. You can create your own Furoshiki cloth by upcycling thin blankets, colorful sheets, or thin curtains from a thrift store cut into squares. Wrap the items like you would with paper, but tie the loose ends of the fabric on top instead of needing to use any tape.
Fabric Tote Bags
The fabric totes for sale at store checkouts can be used in place of paper gift bags and gift wrap. Place a gift into the tote and decorate with ribbon if desired. This way you can give a thoughtful gift and your recipient can re-use the tote for their next grocery run.
Newspaper or Kraft Paper
Use good old fashioned newspaper to wrap gifts, since it’s recyclable! Or get a roll of brown Kraft paper for wrapping, which you can write or doodle on to add a holiday message. You can even re-use brown paper bags from the grocery store.
Use Last Year’s Bags
Raise your hand if you reuse gift bags for years. There’s no shame in this eco-friendly reuse game! At the end of the holiday season, gather up all of the gift bags you’ve been given and store them with your decorations for next year. Double check that you’ve removed old gift labels from the bags so you don’t get confused about who the gift is for.