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13 Ways to Have a Sustainable Christmas This Year

A Circular Christmas Celebration!

Christmas is a time for celebration, and this year, we probably need a good celebration more than ever! But Christmas is also usually a time where consumption, and therefore waste, tends to go way up. So how can we have an extra special celebration this year without doing all that extra damage to the environment?

We think embracing the circular economy this Christmas is the perfect answer to that. We’ve even written a detailed guide on how to go circular this Christmas if you’re interested.

But if you’re just looking for a quick breakdown, we’ve got that here for you too! Here’s our top tips for having a circular Christmas this year.

1. Buy Less Stuff

It’s all about quality, not quantity! So don’t get obsessed with trying to have loads of different gifts under the tree.

If you focus on a few high-quality gifts instead of loads of little ‘knick knacks’, it’s more likely the gifts will actually be loved and used. This means less money wasted, and less trash created!

2. Buy Different (Second-Hand Gifts Are Cool Now You Know!)

One of the most simple and effective ways you can have a circular Christmas is to give second-hand items a new home. There are plenty of websites out there offering high-quality ‘pre-used’ goods that could make perfect gifts for your loved ones. Vogue has put together a great list of them if you’re interested. (We’ve heard the planet is a big fan of giving second-hand gifts for Christmas btw! ;) )

3. Try Secret Santa

You could always do Secret Santa where each person in your group buys a gift for another person in the group. This means fewer gifts purchased, fewer resources used, happier bank balances, and usually, more thoughtful gifts!

4. How About Homemade Gifts?

How about making your gifts this Christmas? Here’s a bit of homemade inspiration if you do fancy getting creative. Nothing says circular Christmas like turning regular household materials into beautiful gifts.

5. Eco-Friendly Experiences For a Circular Christmas

The things we experience in life often stick with us more than the things we own. Gifting someone an eco-friendly experience like learning from beekeepers, or a trip to a local sports event or concert, would certainly be an option for a more circular Christmas. And probably a more memorable one too.

6. Giving the Gift of Time

Christmas is all about spending quality time together isn’t it? So maybe that’s the most valuable gift we can give each other this Christmas. The gift of really being there for each other and listening to each other. This is something that costs us nothing, costs the planet nothing, and helps us grow together in a loving way.

Deeply connecting with your circle of loved ones. How could you hope for a more circular Christmas than that?

7. Donate to an Important Cause in Someone’s Name

Donating to an important cause in someone’s name is possibly the most circular-friendly gift you can give. The environmental impact should be minimal if anything at all, and you’ll be making a positive impact somewhere in the world. The gift that gives a gift.

8. Re-Thinking Wrapping Paper 

Guessing what someone has got you for Christmas is a huge part of the whole experience. But all that wrapping paper can create quite a lot of waste. No need to worry though! By wrapping your gifts in fabric, scraps of paper or bags you have in the house, or eco-friendly wrapping paper, you can avoid most of the waste and still have all of the fun.

9. Circular Christmas Decorations!

Christmas needs decorations, but they don’t have to be decorations that make the environment look worse! Making your own decorations using regular household stuff is a sure way to decorate for a circular Christmas.

Or if you need to buy some new ones, there are plenty of eco-friendly options available!

10. Rent a Christmas Tree

Did you know that you can rent a real-life tree for Christmas, and they will plant it back in the ground once you’re done with it? Well, you can! And we think it’s a great idea!

Here’s how you can rent your own Christmas tree.

11. Donate Things You Don’t Need (To Help Others Have a Circular Christmas Too!)

If you’ve got anything lying around the house that you don’t want or need, donate it! These items might be the perfect gift for someone you’ve never even met. By donating them, you could be helping someone else have their very own circular Christmas. Keeping the circle alive and thriving!

12. Support Circular Brands

There are so many great brands out there creating truly circular products that can help make anyone’s Christmas a little more circular. By supporting them, you’ll be helping the circular economy thrive.

Gomi, Circla, briiv, Tooth, and Whirli are some of our UK-based favourites. We’d definitely recommend checking them out. And if a reusable water bottle made from discarded single-use bottles sounds like a great gift idea to you, the Circular&Co. Circular water bottle could be just the thing!

13. Focus on the Memories

Whatever you decide to do this Christmas, we really hope it’s a special one. Because goodness knows you certainly deserve it after the couple of years we’ve had!

We hope you and your loved ones make some great memories together this year. And maybe if we start focusing more on making great memories together from now on, and less on the stuff we buy for each other, we’ll be making great memories together for generations to come. On a planet that’s happy celebrate with us.

Happy circular Christmas everyone!

This article was created by Adam Millett of Word Chameleon, in collaboration with Circular&Co.