Giving the Gift of Paper
Unless you’re someone who likes to hold onto their used wrapping paper for the next year, you probably haven’t thought too much about the unnecessary waste created during the festive period.
An extra 30% of waste is produced and discarded at Christmas time in the UK when compared with the rest of the year. This additional 30% adds up to around 3 million tonnes.[1] A significant amount of this waste comes from plastic packaging and unwanted Christmas gifts which both end up in landfill sites.
The idea of gifting paper this Christmas is a sustainable and unique option that you may not have considered. When gifting a paper product, whether it has been bought or handmade, you’ll usually never encounter plastic packaging. This is a great way of contributing to reduce both your household waste and plastic pollution worldwide. The receiver of a paper gift also has the option of recycling it if they no longer want it. This puts a stop to an unwanted gift ending up in an already heavily populated landfill site.
At Love Paper, we are continuously searching for innovative ways paper can be used. Through our search, we’ve found many individuals who create amazing products with the use of paper. From learning about origami with Esther Thorpe and Paper Bouquets with Rebecca, to seeing the detailed 3D designs from Rosie Thorns and Shraddha Agarwal. We’ve been able to share many handmade gift ideas this year that can provide inspiration for your gift buying hunt, or even spark your own creativity.
A study published in the Journal of Marketing in 2015 found that people preferred having handmade gifts for their loved ones. The finding suggested that people felt the handmade gifts showed more care and love than mass-produced, machine-made items, making them a more appealing option for both giver and receiver.[2]
As the Journal of Marketing study suggests, giving handmade paper gifts this Christmas would be a popular and heartfelt alternative to the generic, throwaway gift. Not only do handmade gifts provide a personal and unique feel for the receiver, it is usually also a cheaper alternative to the machine-made items. For even more inspiration on handmade paper gifts, you can visit our Love Paper Creations where you can find step-by-step guides on creating items such as Christmas tree baubles and origami.
Whether you decide to draw a portrait of your loved one or buy a handmade bouquet of paper flowers, giving the gift of paper this festive season will be sure to create a happy, loving and waste reducing Christmas.
[1] https://www.gwp.co.uk/guides/christmas-packaging-facts/#:~:text=Christmas%20Rubbish,region%20of%203%20million%20tonnes.
[2] https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-03/ama-cvh032415.php