You may have noticed that we have a slight obsession with gift wrapping...

This Christmas, let’s make every gift a little greener. By choosing sustainable recyclable materials, minimising waste, and adding thoughtful touches, we can still enjoy the festive magic of gift-giving while caring for the planet. With sustainable options like The Danes’ recyclable gift wrap, you can wrap your presents with style, creativity, and sustainability all in one.

Gift-giving is one of life’s simple joys. There’s something magical about picking out the perfect present and wrapping it up in something that makes the receiver’s eyes sparkle. So, as you wrap your Christmas presents this year, remember—it's not just what’s inside that counts, but how you wrap it too. Happy wrapping! 🎄🌿

Whether it’s for a birthday, anniversary, Christmas, or just because, wrapping gifts with sustainable materials is a thoughtful way to show love.

But as we get caught up in the fun of wrapping presents, it’s easy to forget the impact all that paper can have on the environment. Interesting facts; the UK alone uses 227,000 miles* of wrapping paper every year—most of which ends up in the bin after just one use. Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) estimates the paper used each year is enough to wrap the island of Guernsey. Brits bin the equivalent of 108 million rolls of wrapping paper each year.The amount of wrapping paper thrown away could reach the moon – equivalent to 384,400 km*

Choose Sustainable Materials

Beautiful colours and designs - eco friendly sustainable gift wrap isn't equivalent to boring gift wrap. The first step to wrapping responsibly is choosing materials that are recyclable, reusable, or compostable. Say goodbye to glittery, laminated, or metallic wrapping paper (most of which isn’t recyclable) and hello to eco-friendly options like The Danes' recyclable gift wraps.

Eco-Friendly Sustainable Wrapping Paper Options from The Danes:

- Kraft Paper Rolls - 2 designs: Made from 100% recycled materials, these rolls are perfect for any occasion. The brown Kraft roll is 10 meters long, meaning you can wrap up to 15 medium-sized gifts with one roll! Our brown Kraft paper rolls are perfect if you want to stamp or paint a design onto the gift wrapping. If wanting colour - choose from our range of colour 3 meter hand rolled Kraft paper - White, Black, Red, Green, Gold, Rose Gold, & Silver.

- Gorgeous printed designed paper: Specially selected gorgeous quality paper and design, hand-rolled 3-meter rolls are made from FSC recyclable paper and printed with vegetable-based inks, ensuring your wrapping is both stylish and sustainable. Chose from a large range of beautiful seasonal Christmas, wedding & birthday designs.

- Recycled Tissue Paper: For adding a delicate touch to smaller gifts, this tissue paper is made from post-consumer materials and comes in lovely, soft hues that are also compostable.

By switching to sustainable wrapping paper, you’ll be reducing your environmental footprint while still adding charm to your presents.

Tapes, ribbons, twine & gift tags:

Be inspired by our wonderful range of Tapes, string, ribbon, twines and gift tags. Find your perfect tapes, ribbon or twine to wrap & embellish your gifts, the perfect partner for our range of sustainable recyclable wrapping paper. Choose from our cello or paper tape, colourful ribbons - our very own favourite the classic Red & White Bakers Twine, great rich velvet's, satin's and  ribbons, paper twines & ever useful jute twine & natural raffia.

Measure Your Paper (and Waste Less!)

 One of the biggest mistakes when wrapping gifts is using too much paper - and wasting a lot in the process. The key to sustainable wrapping is making sure you’re not using more than you need. Here’s how to measure your paper: 

1. Place your gift box on the paper and roll it out so you have enough to cover the entire box with some extra for folding.
2. Trim the paper so that there’s just enough to wrap the gift neatly without too much excess—this is where many people go wrong and waste material.
3. Use the leftover scraps for smaller gifts or to make decorative accents, combining two designs or DIY gift tags.

For Christmas, it’s especially easy to get carried away with large rolls of traditional wrapping paper, but choosing a 10-meter roll of recyclable kraft paper ensures you can cover more presents with less waste. To make the most of the paper as well as utilising end of rolls combining 2 papers together to create unique gifts.

Wrap Like a Pro

Once you’ve measured the right amount of paper, it’s time to wrap! Here’s how to do it efficiently.

Place your gift upside down in the centre of the paper. Fold one side of the paper over the gift, then fold the opposite side over so they overlap neatly in the middle.

1. Fold and secure the edges, have ready cut lengths of either paper or cello tape ready or if wrapping without tape, try natural twine or ribbons made from cotton or jute, both of which are biodegradable. This adds a rustic, festive touch and can be reused for future gifts or decor.
2. For a more creative, tape-free method, you can try using fabric wraps, like in the Japanese tradition of Furoshiki, which involves folding and knotting the fabric in a way that securely wraps the gift.

 Add Personal (and Sustainable) Touches

Make your gift stand out under the Christmas tree by adding thoughtful accents. Here are some ideas:

 - Foraged greenery - Sprigs of holly, pine, or dried flowers can add a festive, natural touch.

- Reusable decorations: Instead of plastic bows, tie on a reusable ornament, perhaps our new paper bows, a candy cane, or a cinnamon stick, pine cones all of which can be repurposed as holiday décor.

- Create your own unique design gift wrap, use ready made stamps, hand carved potato stamping or painting directly onto the Kraft paper.

- Make handmade gift tags: Use old greeting cards, or recycled Kraft paper to create DIY gift tags to add a personal touch to every gift.

Reuse and Recycle

The joy of receiving gifts often comes with a pile of discarded wrapping paper. But with sustainable gift wrap, you don’t have to worry about that waste going to landfill. Encourage your family and friends to recycle or reuse their wrapping paper by choosing options that are easy to repurpose or break down. 

With The Danes’ recyclable wrapping paper can easily be disposed of in the recycling bin after use—or better yet, folding it up and saving it for another occasion. When you opt for natural twine or fabric wraps, these can be reused for birthdays, anniversaries, or next year’s Christmas gifts.

 *stats from GWP Group