Crisp and cosy days, family gatherings, good food and plenty of fun, tis’ the season we all long for each year. Unfortunately, Christmas comes at an environmental cost and although we often like to think of ourselves as sustainable, there are plenty of sneaky plastics and pollutants that make their way into our celebrations. From gifts to the paper we wrap them in, thankfully we live in a time when sustainable swaps are readily available.
Follow our sustainable Christmas swaps to ensure you’re not only having a joyous Christmas, but an environmentally conscious one too.
Presents
There’s an enormous pressure to spend hundreds, or even thousands, of pounds on extravagant gifts at this time of year. Although we’d love to be able to gift our family and friends dozens of presents, the best thing you can give is quality, not quantity.
What do we mean by quality? Well, when buying gifts, don’t think about how many items you can bag for your budget but think about one or two long-lasting, good quality items that fit within your budget.
For example, if you’re thinking about gifting some bathing products like bath bombs or a fragrant body wash, don’t waste your hard-earned money on chemical-filled cheap bottles, instead opt for reusable items with a luxurious feel. Our pre-made bathing boxes not only arrive in a fully recyclable cardboard, but every facet of the products is eco-friendly. You won’t see a spec of plastic or tape, instead, a box filled with recyclable and biodegradable wrapping.
Even our products themselves are kind-to-planet, with zero animal testing, completely vegan and natural, non-harmful ingredients.
Consider the wrapping paper in which you’re delivering your presents too,
Rest assured, our customisable boxes are also completely eco-friendly. Find out more about our guilt-free-gifting promise here.
Food
…Only the best part of Christmas, we can already taste the gravy!
Comfort food, and lots of it, is perhaps the most anticipated part of the festive season. However, food waste is the biggest cause of tropical deforestation. Cut your Christmas waste by planning ahead and being realistic about the size of food you’re going to need.
If you do go a little overboard, as we all do, wrap leftovers in aluminium foil or wax cloths rather than cling film.
It’s important to consider the types of food we’re consuming too. That means trying to incorporate more plant based options into our festive feasts. Did you know that poultry is in the top 10 most wasted foods in the UK and 100,000 tonnes of it end up thrown in the bin every year?
Consuming more vegan meals is not only good for you, but for the planet too and the animals too. The livestock industry generates 14.5% of all man made greenhouse gas emissions and requires a huge amount of land and water.
With so many fantastic meat-free alternatives, why not make an easy swap this Christmas?
Decorations
If you closed your eyes and thought about Christmas, you’d see hundreds of twinkling lights. With the days shorter and darker, we like to feel festive and cosy with ambient lighting and fairy lights around the tree.
When making our homes cosy for Christmas, we don’t typically think about whether it’s good for the planet or not, but making some easy swaps can save a lot of energy.
Swapping every day, generic fairy lights for LED lights don’t just save more energy but they last longer too! Remember to switch your lights off at night too, it’s not only safer but more cost-effective too.
When it comes to table manners like crackers and napkins, they’re often non-recyclable and filled with plastic. Look for FSC-certified crackers which indicates that the packaging is made from sustainably sourced paper and card and as for napkins, invest in some elegant cloth that can be popped in the wash after use.
–
Make this Christmas a sustainable one by following these easy swaps and ensuring you’re doing your bit to keep our planet safe 🌎
If you’re gifting Sento this Christmas, we’d love to see snaps on socials @SentoBathing ❄️🫧🛁
