6 ideas for a more sustainable holiday season

From bins overflowing with wrapping paper to increased food waste, the holiday season and overconsumption can go hand in hand. But it doesn’t have to. 

As reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, an estimated $400 million was spent on unwanted gifts in 2019 – many of which are sent straight to landfill. 

Instead of rushing to your nearest store and buying a novelty item, consider if you can gift an experience instead of a product. 

Or, you could try handcrafting a gift with eco-friendly materials. Beeswax wraps are easy to make, and they can replace environmentally harmful materials in the receiver’s home. It’s win-win.

In 2017, Australians used more than 150,000 kilometres of wrapping paper for Christmas – enough to wrap around the earth’s equator almost four times. Not all kinds of wrapping are made equally, either. Paper that includes large amounts of dye, glitter or metallic and plastic components can’t be recycled and will end up as landfill.

As a solution, choose eco-friendly gift wrapping to minimise waste. Alternatively, you can use brown paper and twine (which can be recycled later).

Christmas lights are a hallmark of the season, but they also drive up your energy consumption (and carbon footprint).

Avoid using lights to adorn your tree – or house – this holidays, or make the change to LED bulbs – they use about 80–90 per cent less energy than older styles with removable bulbs.

For many, cards are a core part of holiday celebrations. But just as with wrapping paper, they come at an environmental cost. Instead of sending physical cards, you can produce a polished, personalised digital card with a service like Canva in just a few minutes.

If physical cards are a must-have part of the season for you, look for brands that offer compostable options made from recycled paper. 

Australians throw out more than 25 per cent of their food during the festive period – a huge amount of waste that rots in landfill, producing methane.

To avoid this, plan your menu and shopping list before you set out to the shops. If you’re hosting, fight the urge to over cater. And if you do end up with leftovers, do your best to finish them off before they end up in the bin. Yesterday’s Christmas ham is tomorrow’s toasted sandwich.  

For many, the holiday season means travelling. When you’re moving around close to home, consider whether you can get around by public transport or bike. 

If you’re travelling by air, you can purchase carbon offsets to neutralise your flight’s carbon footprint. Virgin Australia offers passengers the option to add carbon credits to the cost of their tickets, which are donated to projects worldwide that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Plus, if you’re an AIA Vitality member, you could be eligible for cashback on your flight as part of AIA Vitality’s rewards.