Our A to Z tips for an eco-friendly Christmas

The festive season is here!

Christmas is a very special time of the year and one that is easy to make a little more sustainable too. So we have created an A-Z of ideas to help.

Whether you try one, two, or the whole set, with some simple changes we can all be a little kinder to the planet this festive season.

Which will you try?

B is for... batteries

New gifts at Christmas (especially children's toys) often require batteries which are difficult to recycle. Instead, look out for toys that don't need them or take a look at rechargeable batteries to help reduce waste.

C is for... cards

Try to choose cards that are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) certified. This means that the paper has been sustainably produced.

If you can't recycle your cards after Christmas, you could keep them for next year and cut them up to use as present tags.

F is for... food

Yum, yum! With a little bit of planning, it's easy to eat well and reduce Christmas food waste. Firstly, work out what you need and how much and then choose options with less plastic packaging. If you can, buy local produce and organic ingredients where possible.

And if you do over-cater, make sure you enjoy all the delicious leftovers the next day!

G is for... gifts

Whether you have nearly finished your Christmas shopping, or haven't started yet, try and be environmentally conscious. If you're buying clothes you can choose GOTS certified brands (like us). This means that the items you buy are sustainably sourced and comply with social criteria too.

See tip Q for more eco-gift ideas.

H is for... homemade

Why not make some goodies this year? Family and friends will really appreciate delicious baked goods like biscuits and mince pies.

Check out these fab Christmas gift recipes for some inspiration.

I is for... invitations

Christmas party season is here. We're sure that lots of you are excited that the celebrations can take place in-person this year, but the invites can stay online. Sending digital invitations is a great way to save time and paper.

K is for... keeping the heat in

Draught proofing might not be your number one Christmas priority (!) but it will help keep the heat in so you won't need to have the heating on as high. Something which is even more important due to current high energy prices.

M is for... mulled wine

Don't just make changes to the food you buy, think about the drinks too. Organic or vegan mulled wine is more sustainable and tastes just as delicious.

N is for... nativity

Often nativity costumes are used once and then thrown away or forgotten about. Making your own is a great option, although some might be trickier than others!

What role has your little one got in their nativity or Christmas production this year?

P is for... plastic-free

Throughout the festive season try and use as little plastic as possible. Whether it's choosing gifts or food with less plastic packaging or simply reusing shopping bags when you do the Christmas shop, everything helps!

Could you challenge yourself to a plastic-free or low-plastic Christmas?

Q is for... quality, not quantity

Every year we tend to receive Christmas gifts that we don't really need or want. Not long after they end up being thrown away or re-gifted.

This year, you could try asking family members to stick to a 'one gift' rule so that each person receives one thoughtful gift rather than lots of smaller ones.

R is for... reuse and recycle

So much waste is created during the festive season, so recycling and reusing is a must.

Check out this handy recycling guide to see what you can do with your waste over the Christmas period.

T is for... trees

Artificial trees often get a bad reputation but did you know that if you use one for ten years, it has the same environmental impact as a real tree that is responsibly disposed of? They're also safer for cats and dogs.

If you don’t think you’ll keep an artificial tree that long then you could opt for a real one. If you have the opportunity then try to buy a tree that has been locally grown and certified organic.

U is for... unity

Christmas is a time to be united. We hope that this year you can spend some special time with those that you love. And if we unite to make just a few small changes to the way that we celebrate, it could create a big difference for our planet too.

X is for... Xmas spirit

Christmas is such a busy time of year and often we end up consuming more of everything. This year, and every year, we think it's so important to focus on sharing positive Christmas spirit. Ho, ho, ho!

Y is for... year

Now that you have discovered our top tips for a sustainable Christmas, why not try and see if some of them work all-year long?