I’m still dreaming of a ‘green’ Christmas

With the conclusion of COP29 bringing far less than perhaps some of us had hoped, the appointment to the head of the US Energy Department that is the stuff of Stephen King novels and the imminent consumerism overload that is Black Friday, today (27th November 2024) seems a really good time to brush the dust of this blog from 2020 and do a little recycling of my own.

It is time. The rabid chant of n sleeps until "the big Ho Ho Ho" begins on our streets and couriers prepare to work seemingly endless shifts delivering ‘the world’ but should we take time to consider a ‘better’ Christmas for our planet?

As you may have noted from previous newsletters, we at PacSol do take our actions and their potential repercussions for our planet quite seriously.

“Microplastic pollution has been discovered in snow close to the peak of Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain. With plastic debris revealed in 2018 at the deepest point on Earth, the Mariana Trench, it is now clear that humanity’s litter has polluted the entire planet.” - The Guardian (article 20th Nov 2020)

When it comes to Christmas, the sheer volume of single use, pointless ‘tat’ on sale to decorate, eat, drink or play with over the festive fortnight gives a few of us cold sweats (not Covid) at night. Over the last few years it has been refreshing to read that a few major retailers have taken considerable steps to reduce the amount of plastic on sale as part of their Christmas campaigns – Boots in 2020 estimated by limiting plastics in their gift packaging it would remove 2000 tonnes of generated waste! Many companies have also committed to not using plastic glitter (an “ecological hazard” which “takes hundreds of years to degrade”) on their own brand products as well as producing plastic free crackers for our tables.?

Real change has to come from retailers and manufacturers to have a significant beneficial impact but their product offering will only be directed (and therefore changed) by our consumer habits. The more we channel our purchasing power into sustainable, low pollution alternatives, the more likely those profit seeking businesses will follow.

A case in point, I have noticed over the last year a couple of household brands have suddenly cottoned on to the emerging eco-conscious market, changing their packaging and 'recipes' having potentially seen consumers moving away from their products in search of ‘better’ alternatives. Whilst no doubt driven by a cynical need for shareholder profit, moves like this (that are simply not 'greenwashing') genuinely start to reduce the impact mass consumer products do have on our planet.

But back to our Christmas, how can we as consumers look to reduce our own personal impact and therefore collectively contribute to our planet’s future? Here are a few suggestions (by no means exhaustive) that could help (collectively) to reduce the mass consumerism impact on our environment that is Christmas today:

?? Philanthropy not postage – Whilst it is nice to receive a card, there is a material and environmental cost in the card’s lifecycle, multiplied many millions of times over at Christmas. Often those packs of cards promise a small percentage of sales generated to a chosen charity too. Here at PacSol , we made the decision as a business to send a digital card to our customers and donate funds directly to our chosen charities. This author also does the same?at home, choosing only to send a paper card to close family members then donating to a chosen charity the remainder of what would have been spent.

?? Paper not plastic – As Bryony the elf would say “There is always time for a bow!”, however, why not switch your plastic derived ribbon for paper raffia? Available in a variety of colours and easily recyclable once the parcel is unwrapped – just check any with a metallic finish are not coated in a plastic!

?? Paper not plastic #2 – Wrapping paper – false advertising really. Many modern, printed papers have a coating (foil / plastic) that makes them unsuitable for recycling, not to mention the chemicals used in the printing pigments. In this author’s household we use a roll of brown paper to wrap most presents in with a colourful wrap of paper raffia. Gift tags are still being cut from years worth of received Christmas cards! Another option would be to simply look for paper that is easily recyclable or even get creative with a roll of plain paper and some potato print stencils!

?? Quality not quantity – We are all guilty of flooding our loved ones with gifts (the 3 for 2 / buy one get one ? price gift offers / Black Friday bargains) in a desire to prove how much we care. Perhaps though, a single, well chosen gift with longevity, using sustainable (even local) materials and a local supplier says more?

?? Second hand is not second best – This author distinctly remembers the year he asked 'Santa' for a stereo with one of those fancy CD players in. As a parent today, I understand the financial outlay that potentially presented 'Santa', especially with two other siblings in the household.

My parents (in the days before eBay / online classifieds) went out and found an ‘as new’ second hand unit in order to make my Christmas wish come true. (I am not sure they thought that a few months later however with Rage Against the Machine blasting out of my room…). Did that fact diminish my Christmas gift - absolutely not.

If you have a budding musician in the house, especially guitarists, there is a phenomenal used market here in the UK. With lockdown, many tried a new hobby and have given up so the second hand market is flooded (still to this day in 2024). Yes of course, sometimes you need that local store knowledge to guide a purchase (and I would highly recommend going to a music store if you are starting from scratch) but if you know what you want, why buy new when the same money can go so much further - picking up what was a ￡800 instrument for closer to budget money (check out why that is important especially with guitars in a previous blog on value).

?? Don’t miss the hidden environmental and socio-economic cost – That new Christmas sweater, the novelty stocking socks, the funky Star Wars t-shirt that you know will look great and were all a bargain but at what cost? We now know that ‘artificial’ plastic fibres are leaching into our ecosystems through washing (detrimentally impacting marine environments) and that some natural material sources are exploiting labour or hiding chemical misuse to meet certifications.

Do a little research and buy good quality, certified products – go Fairtrade, organic, ethical. Yes they may be a little more expensive but not only will planet Earth be healthier, there are fellow members of the human race out there that benefit from those choices for good.

And so here we are in the tail end of 2024. Yes the world has improved in some respects since 2020 - the availability of patterned yet commonly recyclable festive wrapping paper for example making recycling far easier. The shops are still full of horrendous plastic tat and the urge of Black Friday to buy cheap and in quantity (the dopamine hit doesn't last that long people!) still drives so much waste.

It is down to us, the people of Earth, to act 'better' - to make more conscious choices. Even if our leadership can't seem to make the right choices, we can and perhaps our actions coupled with consumer choice will drive their behaviour for greater improvements.

I think you know my Christmas wish now.

#PacSolUK #Environment #SocialResponsibility #Christmas #PlanetEarth #Fairtrade #organic #ethical