5 Eco Friendly Ways To Level Up Your Holiday Gifts

All through November we’ll share our favorite sustainable gift ideas, but what about the packages they come in? You might know by now how wasteful gift wrap can be, but rest assured: wrapping your holiday gifts in paper bags is not the only option. I’ve always loved to get creative with DIY gift wrap, so over the years I’ve learned a few great ways to elevate my holiday gifts, no matter what’s inside.

Make your own envelope liners with recycled paper

Giving gift cards to your favorite local boutiques or restaurants is one of the most sustainable gift ideas, not to mention a wonderful way to support small business. But thoughtful as they may be, gift cards aren’t exactly the most exciting gift to open. Jazz them up by making your own holiday card and envelopes. Or, reuse an envelope you already have and make a fancy liner by reusing a pretty piece of scrapbook paper (or similar). You simply cut it to size and paste it into the envelope. It’s a seriously easy way to make cards unique and special.

Add dried flowers to your gift boxes

I’ve been known to save every last bit of ribbon I have, even when the piece seems too small to be useful. But they can totally come in handy for accessorizing your gift wrap, like putting together a cute little dried flower bouquet! The dried flowers pictured above are from a variety of sources I collected over the previous months. I know one came from a strawflower bouquet from Pike Place Market, and I’m pretty sure I plucked that fern from a neighborhood shrub and used it in a fall centerpiece before it made its way to gift wrap. There’s no need for big un-recyclable bows or tons of environmentally harmful glitter when you can create something as naturally beautiful as this!

Make your own gift tags

I’ve always loved making my own gift tags from the scraps that remain after my holiday card making sessions. Crafting can often leave you with scraps of paper under 3″ in size, which means it is too small to recycle, so why not give it another life as a cute tag? If you’re good at hand-lettering or calligraphy, you can make a tag that looks just as pretty as store-bought ones. I usually go through my craft stash to embellish each one in a one-of-a-kind design, which eliminates the need to buy anything extra for this little project.

Choose gift wrap that can be recycled or composted

Most traditional gift wrap contains elements that keep it from being recyclable, like glitter and foil etc. I don’t know all of the rules on this, honestly, and recycling programs vary in cities everywhere, so you’ll want to check with your local service. I personally don’t buy new wrapping paper often just because there’s enough of it going around during the holidays, and whenever I receive a gift I am 100% that person carefully stripping off the tape, folding it up, and putting it aside for its next occasion.

But I have a few tricks when I do want or need to buy more. For one, I love to check my local Creative Reuse shop (as well as thrift stores) for unused gift wrap that has been donated. I’ve gotten some lovely gift bags and embellishments from Seattle ReCreative in the past. Secondly, I love the look and feel of handmade paper (photographed above). It’s so special. Not far from ReCreative, there is a shop called Of The Earth that offers handmade & recycled paper, seed paper, and hand dyed ribbons. Paper Source also offers a selection of imported handmade papers using different plant fibers that make them sustainable to produce and easy to dispose of. Here’s a sheet of Shibori paper made of Lokta indigenous to Nepal.

Add a vintage ornament to gift bags

Another one of my favorite eco friendly ways to elevate gift boxes or bags is to attach a beautiful ornament. Clearly I love to give presents on presents. I love finding old ornaments at thrift shops for my collection. A lot of times they’re sold in those little baggies, so I’m pretty much guaranteed to have more than I need (for about $3). I’m usually only gifting for family and close friends, so it’s fun to choose which ornaments or decorations I think each person will love and actually want to display the following year.