It’s that time of year again, when many of us are busy searching for the perfect Christmas gifts – and for the right material to wrap them in. Gift wrapping ties in with many of the wider challenges the packaging industry faces, particularly around recyclability, consumer behaviour and demand for alternatives to traditional wrapping paper.
Frances Butler takes a closer look at this topic within the UK, including the availability of recyclable wrapping paper, how to know whether wrapping paper is recyclable or not, and alternatives such as reusable wrappings.
How common is recyclable wrapping paper?
Department store John Lewis has a plain kraft paper wrapping range that can be ordered online, said to be FSC-certified and fully recyclable after use. The company claims that all its wrapping paper is “glitter free and recyclable”, as well as its Christmas range. It has also removed the outer shrink wrap from all rolls except its extra-wide, 8m-long ones.
Card Factory has recyclable gift bags, boxes and shredded paper available online, but it’s unclear whether recyclable paper and gift options are available in store.
UK home retailer Dunelm has reportedly removed all glitter and plastic coatings, changed its metallic designs to shiny ink and removed all plastic wrapping and windows. It says its papers and bags can be recycled, and ‘recyclable’ is printed on the inside of the paper as a reminder for consumers.
Primark’s red striped shopping bags, made from brown paper, can double as gift wrap – the design features cutting lines as a guide for shoppers, with the words ‘this bag makes great wrapping paper’ capital letters along the top front and back sides of the bag.
Online gift wrapping provider Re-wrapped produces ‘eco-friendly’ wrapping paper and cards in the UK, apparently made with recyclable materials, using unbleached paper and card with vegetable inks. The company states that “60% of all wrapping paper cannot be recycled due to plasticised coating, metal, glitter and other additives,” and says that all its products are biodegradable, compostable and recyclable, with orders delivered in 100% recycled packaging using paper-based tape.
Planetwrapit is a family-run small business selling wrapping paper that is printed, packed and designed in the UK. Its wrapping paper is recyclable and it also sells recyclable paper kraft tape, said to be biodegradable and plastic free.
Which wrapping paper can be recycled?
This a question that can cause some confusion between manufacturers, companies and consumers. For example, if you have recyclable paper with tape on it, would most people think about whether the tape needs to be removed, or just put it straight in the recycle bin? How can consumers know what makes wrapping paper recyclable or not?
According to the Recycle Now campaign website, paper wrap that passes the ‘scrunch test’ – it can be scrunched in your hand and stays that way – can be recycled. Sticky tape and decorations such as ribbons, bows and foil or glitter-decorated paper cannot be recycled. Some councils will accept non-foil and non-plastic wrapping paper in their household recycling collections, but others will not, as wrapping paper is not accepted by some recycling mills – Recycle Now cautions people to check with their local council first.
What makes wrapping paper difficult to recycle? Recycle Now gives the example of wrapping paper being very thin, with few good quality fibres for recycling. It adds that the paper is often dyed, laminated and/or contains non-paper additives such as gold and silver-coloured shapes, glitter and plastics which cannot be recycled. A lot of wrapping paper also has sticky tape attached, which makes it very difficult to recycle.
What ‘sustainable’ alternatives to wrapping paper are available?
For consumers seeking an alternative to wrapping paper (whether recyclable or not), The Guardian newspaper recently published an article on eco-friendly wrapping paper, detailing options such as reusable cloth wrap made from saris and Christmas furoshiki fabric wraps, both available on Etsy.
There are also companies like Wrag Wrap, which offers reusable fabric gift wrap with a tie cord and securing button. The company has a range of sizes and reversible options, with the wraps reportedly made from ‘100% traceable recycled plastic bottles’. There is a rental option for UK customers for its Christmas wrap involving a tracked delivery service. The wraps can be returned in their original box using a pre-paid UPS returns label.
FabRap is another reusable fabric wrap company aiming to reduce waste. Apparently, it uses GOTS (Global Organic Textiles Standard) certified materials, designed as an alternative to conventional cotton practices. The company claims to use organic cotton for its wraps as it uses “91% less water and 62% less energy” than conventional cotton and doesn’t harm soil, air, or water with toxic chemicals, as well as being “certified compostable and biodegradable.”
So what could the future of gift wrapping look like? One indication of this could be the paper tear strip recently released by UK Greetings, designed to phase out plastic shrink wrap in gift wrap applications. Said to be 100% recyclable and plastic-free, it seeks to integrate seamlessly into existing roll wrap designs and is set to be implemented across the company’s conversion facilities, with UK Greetings intending to apply it to all its domestically produced roll wrap. Retailers will have access to roll wrap featuring the paper tear strip from January 2025; and it will also be applied to all Christmas 2025 designs.
It will certainly be interesting to see how the design of recyclable wrapping paper and other reuseable, alternative wrapping options develops. The question of whether consumers are aware of the options available to them on a larger scale, or whether this is a steadily growing market which may be largely determined by consumer response in the following years, is one that may only become clear over time.
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