Oh, you joyful, plastic-free season!
flustix is celebrating a plastic-free Christmas this year
Our waste and energy consumption rises rapidly at Christmas. The German recycling association BVSE speaks of around ten per cent more waste than the annual average. Some sources even assume around a third more. That is hardly surprising when you consider how much we consume shortly before Christmas in order to treat our loved ones and ourselves to presents. In this article the flustix team has put together a range of tips for a plastic-free Advent and Christmas season.
Our top 8 tips so that Father Christmas has to bring less waste into the house this year:
#1 – Take a stand against online shopping
We love the earth – so why not give it a present for once? Shop locally or make your presents yourself! The growing number of gift purchases via e-commerce creates even more waste through shipping materials. According to the German parcel and express logistics association BIEK, 30 million more consignments than in the previous year were ordered and shipped in 2017. At Christmas the delivery company DPD estimates its parcel volume at around 50 per cent above the level of an average delivery day. And then we wrap all those goods once again in colourful, coated paper or even in plastic film. How many times do we want to wrap before we use? Unfortunately shipping and sales packaging from manufacturers is usually not plastic-free, especially not when we have every little present delivered by post. To make sure that at least the gift wrapping is plastic-free, you can read our life hacks for plastic-free gift wrapping here.
#2 – Give plastic-free products
By choosing our Christmas presents deliberately, we can contribute dramatically to reducing plastic waste over the festive season. Consumer seals make it possible to look specifically for plastic-free products. We admit it is not always easy to avoid plastic entirely when choosing presents. If a completely plastic-free gift is not an option, you can make sure the item is sold unpackaged – or look out for products carrying the green flustix plastic-free “packaging” seal. Then simply wrap the gift without plastic using our ideas, and reduce the amount of packaging waste worldwide.
#3 – DIY Advent calendars: we say “no” to single use!
Advent calendars are booming. Originally a lovely tradition for keeping children entertained during Advent, there are now calendars containing products of every conceivable kind. From nail polish to fitness calendars, everything is out there, in most cases containing more or less small-format goods that are all the more elaborately packaged. As a result, the Christmas-related volume of waste rises rapidly even before the holidays. Whether you really need such a calendar is up to each of us. In our eyes, however, twenty-four wrapped miniatures are not particularly sustainable.
DIY Advent calendars, by contrast, are permanently on trend and can be sustainable. Anyone who wants to make a real statement on avoiding plastic could try making their home-made Advent calendar entirely plastic-free this year. With a little imagination that is not so difficult: hand-sewn bags made of pure cotton or linen, and glue-free folded packaging made from natural papers, not only look elegant but can be reused next year and are generally fully recyclable. Discarded clothing and packaging are ideal for upcycling and give the calendar an individual touch. And where does the content for the twenty-four little parcels come from? Tea packaged without plastic is just as good for filling the calendar as plastic-free cosmetics.
Another great gift tip to make environmentally conscious hearts beat faster is a voucher for the plastic-free supermarket, for sustainable online shops or for a shopping trip to the local package-free store. Because Christmas shopping can quickly put us under time pressure and send us into a veritable buying frenzy, this is precisely the time to pay closer attention to certificates and labels that tell us about the origin and composition of products. As the two following examples show, it is not always obvious at first glance that everyday products contain plastic.
#4 – Avoiding hidden microplastics in tea & candles
Drinking tea is simply part of a cosy Advent season. But who would have thought it? Conventional paper tea bags may look ecologically harmless, but they contain small amounts of plastic. We drink it along with the tea, and as microplastics it ends up in our bodies. Why not brew loose leaf tea again, for example with a lovely plastic-free stainless steel tea strainer? Fortunately the subject of “plastic in tea bags” is becoming ever more present in the media, putting manufacturers under pressure to make their tea bags and their packaging plastic-free in future.
Candles, too, can contain hidden plastic. Conventional candles are made of paraffin, a waste product of the petroleum industry. That means buying candles supports the extraction of crude oil and thus, if indirectly, the production of new plastics. On top of that, many candles are sold wrapped in plastic, creating unnecessary packaging waste. You have to wonder why – after all, 71 per cent of consumers in Germany try to avoid plastic waste when shopping, as the study conducted by KANTAR TNS shows. Alternatives to paraffin candles include beeswax and stearin candles as well as candles made from vegetable oils. Anyone who does not want to do without cosy candlelight at Christmas altogether is free to decide which option they consider the most environmentally compatible.
#5 – Plastic-free shopping at the Christmas market
A visit to the Christmas market goes well with buying Christmas presents. Reach for regionally produced goods here, and again make sure you only choose products as gifts that come without plastic packaging or with none at all. Beeswax candles are on offer almost everywhere, and if you look around you may even find traders offering microplastic-free cosmetics and soaps. Sweets such as roasted almonds or cinnamon stars can also be filled into a bag you bring yourself; the same tips and tricks for avoiding plastic apply here as when shopping in the supermarket.
#6 – Natural decorations & plastic-free glitter
Christmas decorations can easily be made yourself from materials you can gather on a wintry walk in the woods. One great aid for giving natural materials a festive finish is plastic-free glitter. And anyone who wants to do some cosy crafting with children while avoiding plastic entirely can now even reach for plastic-free glue, which can be made at home from simple ingredients. Turning old into new: upcycling disused plastic packaging for decorative purposes is sometimes even better than throwing it out with the household waste, because the term recycling often means nothing more than thermal recovery – in other words incineration. So doing without plastics while crafting for Christmas is not so difficult after all.
# 7 – Baking and cooking work without plastic too
Baking often involves tools that contain a great deal of plastic. Baking equipment such as dough scrapers, coated cake tins, silicone moulds, mixing bowls and food processors contain vast amounts of various types of plastic. Baking paper also contains hidden plastic, is poorly recyclable or not recyclable at all, and on top of that falls into the category of “single-use plastics”. You can find tips for avoiding single-use plastic here.
Which tools do I really need for festive baking? Without wanting to preach absolute minimalism here, we at flustix believe that with a little creativity you can happily do without plastic in this area and still enjoy your festive baking. Our grandmothers baked delicious Christmas biscuits with tools made of wood and metal. A great idea for treating good friends or yourself: plastic-free cooking utensils made of cast iron. Old pans, pots and cake tins with a plastic coating can go into the recycling bin. Cast iron not only lasts longer, it also ensures that the Christmas meal stays free of plastic residues. Plastic particles can come loose from Teflon coatings and then end up on the plate and in our bodies…
#8 – Give the environment a present: getting involved for nature at Christmas.
Why not do something good for the environment? Christmas is the time when most donations are made, because we want to give not only to the people close to us but also to do good beyond that. Yet ultimately nature is the greatest gift of all for every one of us. Giving therefore need be neither material nor financial. The new year and its good resolutions are not far off – why not take part in World Clean Up Day next year, or even organise your own event against plastic waste? These organisations, among others, are pursuing particularly exciting strategies for avoiding plastic, and we keep you regularly up to date about them.
Never forget – giving does not have to be material! We look forward to a plastic-free Christmas with you and wish you a happy Advent.
