Thrift Your Gifts: And other sustainable gift-giving tips for this Christmas

There are so many ways to cut back on the crazed consumption of goods that normally surrounds the holiday season in the U.S. It’s important to cut back on buying because our country’s consumeristic mindset is directly correlated with an increase of waste over Christmas. To be exact, 2 billion pounds of trash is produced every week during December, a 25% increase in waste compared to other times of the year.

Every change you make to lower your impact on the earth helps! This article covers four different ways to make your gift-giving more sustainable this Christmas season - everything from thrifting your gifts to gifting activities over items.

1. Thrift your gifts

Purchasing anything secondhand is the first thing I would look into to make your holiday gift-giving more eco-friendly. It is the primary way to extend the life of items, while also sending a message to big businesses that we want them to steer away from mass-producing low quality inventory. 

A good example of high-quantity, low quality production can be seen in the fast fashion industry. 80 to 500 billion clothing items are produced every year in the world of fashion, and up to 40% of those clothes are never even sold, being shipped off to landfills instead. It’s time to show these companies that we don’t agree with this “in-and-out” consumeristic mindset anymore.

Rather than shopping from brands that produce “fast-fashion” quality presents this Christmas, try checking out local thrift and consignment stores to find treasures for your loved ones. If you’re looking for a more unique gift, vintage stores in the area will carry many cool finds - everything from furniture to books to home goods (though it might have a higher price tag than Goodwill!). Local vintage stores include Revolt Style Studios, Artemis Vintage, My Girlfriend’s Wardrobe, and Feral Heart Club. You can also check out Facebook Marketplace or eBay for more modern or electronic secondhand items like a switch, laptop, etc.

Let’s be a part of the solution: using up what already exists on the earth and stopping the production of more things.

2. Gift to last

Though a simple point, this is an important one. Giving someone a present that will last decades is always a great sustainable choice. The trends social media bring tend to encourage mass-produced, lower quality gifts that will be thrown out or need replaced after a year. This can obviously be seen with fast fashion, but in so many other areas as well.

More than just the environment can benefit from buying something that never goes out of style. For example, resisting the urge to hop on a new Christmas decoration trend not only saves the actual items from being inevitably trashed, but it also discourages force labor and child labor (both of which have been found to produce Christmas decor made in China).

Shopping small is another great way to avoid low-quality items. Usually small businesses pour time and energy into their work that won't be seen in your standard convenience store, with the huge benefit that their products are locally manufactured under ethical conditions and there's a much lower carbon footprint attached to merchandise when it's not shipped in.

3. Eco gift wrapping

Did you know 2.3 million pounds of wrapping paper go to the landfills annually? There are so many “eco-wrapping” options out there to help prevent this! Using newspaper to wrap presents is a personal favourite as I think it’s cute, but there are other alternatives too. You can up-cycle old fabric around your home to use as a homemade furoshiki wrap, or purchase your own fabric wrap to reuse. 

Another option is to save gift bags and ribbons - they can be reused for years. This is what my family does, and it’s gotten to the point where we have special bags assigned to each of us, which has become a super special tradition. I’ll use cloth bags and tote bags to wrap presents as well. Even a thrifted tin box or basket would work! I encourage anything that helps you forgo the trash bags full of paper and plastic bows most households have post-Christmas morning.

Of course, there is always the satisfaction of opening a present wrapped in the perfect wrapping paper, and if this is something you love that’s okay! Maybe try to reuse ribbons instead or make other eco changes this Christmas. You could also look into purchasing wrapping paper made from recycled products. Some companies even sell up-cycled wallpaper. 

4. Gift an activity

You can forgo wrapping a present altogether and instead gift an activity, an idea I learned first from minimalist YouTuber Rebecca Sisson. This could mean giving a spa day, manicure, nice dinner, theme park tickets, etc. The options are endless! One of my favourite ideas is paying for a couple classes your loved one might enjoy, like a pottery lesson. All of these things are meaningful presents that could impact someone’s life greatly, without the need for a physical gift. 

Obviously, some of these activities could still impact the environment. But, at least you’d be taking a step back from consumerism and giving an experience that would promote relaxation or growth.

5. Shop low waste

Last but not least, don’t forget the importance of low waste gifts. Anything that will biodegrade, be easily reused or recycled, and/or is non-toxic is a great sustainable gift. If your loved one this Christmas is interested in changing their lifestyle at all, you could put together an “eco-basket starter kit” of sorts from Refillism! We can help you prep it in store, or you can check out some pre-made Christmas specials. 

Buying a jar with a gift card is a perfect eco-gift to give and it can be filled with anything from laundry detergent to perfume to baths salts and more. Refilling ensure that bottles typically destined for the landfill are given a second chance! Check out our refill menu here if you want to learn more.

Our store also has less stereotypical “zero-waste” items like air fresheners for your car, candles, and face mask powders that are made in house from non-toxic chemicals. I for one have gifted many baskets of little lotion sample jars and those have been big hits! We’ve also been told many times that our store has great stocking stuffers to introduce the concept of eco-living.

Concluding thoughts…

We here at Refillism hope these tips help you adjust your Christmas to be a bit greener this year. Make sure to let us know in the comment section if you try any of our suggestions and/or any other ways you made your Christmas more sustainable!

References:

L, Hanna. The Fast Fashion Industry: Your clothes were made in sweatshops. Refillism. https://refillism.com/blogs/blog/the-fast-fashion-industry-your-clothes-were-most-likely-made-in-sweatshops

C, Emily. Billions Of Clothes Are Produced Every Year. Why Do We Still Not Know How Many? British Vogue. https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/how-many-clothes-produced

C, Emily. Why Are Billions Of Clothes Never Even Sold? British Vogue. https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/overproduction-fashion

2024 List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor. Department of Labor: United States of America. https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ilab/child_labor_reports/tda2023/2024-tvpra-list-of-goods.pdf

Holiday Waste Prevention: How Much a Typical Person Generates. Brightly. https://brightly.eco/holiday-waste-generation-and-prevention/