Present your gifts in eco-friendly style with these sustainable gift wrapping ideas

As the weather starts to turn and the days get shorter, we know it’s not going to be long before the Christmas celebrations commence. With this in mind, it’s probably a good idea to think about presents sooner rather than later. Once you’ve bought all your gorgeous gifts, festive goodies, and silly stocking-fillers, you have the best task of all — wrapping them up!

Though we tend to reach for those eye-catching Christmassy rolls to glam up our gifts, standard wrapping paper isn’t always the most eco-friendly option. Sustainability is key to the Hotel Chocolat ethos. As part of our Planet Pledge, our aim is to ensure 100% of our packaging is recyclable or reusable by 2022. We’re making excellent strides towards this goal, but there is still more to do and complexities to overcome. So, in the meantime, we thought we’d share our best sustainable gift wrapping ideas for a green Christmas.

Gift hampers

One way to reduce the amount of packaging you’re using is to place multiple gifts into one gift hamper. Instead of wrapping each item individually, you’ll just need to find one box — and you can even recycle this. Dig around for an old gift box you received yourself, give a shoebox a makeover, or ask a local shop if they have any cardboard boxes that they’re about to throw away.

Is the box plain but in good condition? You could always leave it as it is for a simplistic, rustic look. If it needs some sprucing up, think about covering it in a collage of old magazine pages (arts magazines with bold colours and images are great for this) or old newspapers.

Gift hampers are great for making a few smaller gifts look like one cohesive present. For instance, we love how our hampers tie each chocolate selection together. Plus, your recycling efforts are sure to be appreciated!

Check out our article on what to put in a homemade hamper for some creative tips on curating your gift box or browse our Christmas hampers for some inspiration.

Recycle old wrapping paper and gift bags

Another sustainable gift wrapping idea is to reuse old gift wrap and gift bags. Though this one requires a bit of forward planning (as you’ll need to collect your wrapping throughout the year), it’s certainly worth it. It will save you both money and waste.

Unwrap gifts carefully and you’ll be able to save the wrapping paper. Though you might miss the fun that comes with ripping through paper in a hurry, we’re sure you can exercise a little restraint! Fold up each piece of wrapping and add it to your stationery cupboard for later use. Of course, reusing gift bags is even easier — just stash them away somewhere safe (and double-check you haven’t left a written-on tag!)

Our favourite thing about reusing old wrapping is that it allows you to wrap each of your gifts in a completely different paper. It’s always nice to have different colours and textures under the tree.

Vintage scarves or material scraps

Now for the ultimate sustainable gift wrapping idea — vintage scarves and old material. This one is our most glamorous tip, for sure.

Vintage silk or cotton scarves tend to be the ideal size for wrapping a small or medium-sized gift. Plus, as they were designed to be elegant items, they’re also incredibly aesthetically pleasing. If you don’t have any scarves you’re willing to use at home, you can often find big boxes of vintage headscarves in charity or vintage shops.

Likewise, you can use other pieces of old fabric in a similar way.

Simply bundle your gift (or gifts) into the fabric and tie the corners together in a knot to create a parcel. If you’re struggling to tie the corners together, use some string, twine, or an old necklace or bracelet to add some extra glitz.

We’ve found that these vintage scarf pouches are the perfect size for holding a few of our smaller chocolates, like our Selectors, Milk Chocolate Santa Licks, and Posse of Milk Chocolate Penguins. You could even gift a mix of our chocolate goodies and Rabot 1745 beauty products — our Honey Chocolate Lip Balm and Avocado & Rosehip Face Oil are both a great size for popping in a parcel.

Old newspapers

If you want to go for a slightly more ‘old school’ look, old newspapers are a stylish alternative to wrapping paper. Shiny and glittery wrapping paper is bad news for the environment as it can’t be recycled. Newspapers, on the other hand, are recyclable. Plus, most of us tend to have some lurking in the home somewhere. Why buy something worse for the planet when you could use an eco-friendly option for free?

The recipient of your gift will have fun reading snippets of the news and adore the refreshing back-to-basics aesthetic.

Recycled brown paper

If you still want to purchase new wrapping paper, opt for recycled brown paper without plastic packaging instead of coated papers featuring funky designs. Though brown paper might not look as ‘fun’ in the stereotypical sense, we think it’s incredibly underrated. A simple, natural-toned paper is always a classy wrapping look for a gift. Plus, you can recycle it — making it far superior to standard supermarket rolls.

Moreover, as brown paper gives you a lovely blank canvas, you can decorate the surface with stamps or pens to mark your recipient’s name — and just like that, you don’t need to buy gift tags either!

Get creative with sustainable gift wrapping decorations

Though we’ve given you some sustainable gift wrapping options, the key to making any wrapping choice look great is decoration. Glam up your parcel in the right way and you can make a present wrapped in tin foil look chic. It’s all in the details. So ensure you wrap your presents neatly, use pens or paint to spruce up any dull paper you’re reusing, and take advantage of old yarn and jewellery around the house to use instead of ribbons.

Most importantly, never be embarrassed about wrapping gifts in an eco-friendly way. Everyone is trying to reduce their impact on the environment. If you tell your friend why their gift looks slightly less conventional, they’ll admire your green efforts this Christmas.

Have fun with these creative wrapping ideas and enjoy the holiday season!