Square gift (an ant farm) wrapped with a grey scarf, laying on a coffee table next to a jade plant.

Eco-Friendly Gift Wrapping With Fabric

gift wrapping Dec 18, 2020

My first gift wrapping attempt with fabric. It was so quick and EASY!

 

Over the past few years, my family and I have been transitioning to more sustainable gift wrapping materials as we also still use up our pre-existing set of conventional wrapping supplies (sigh). The winter holidays always involve many hours of wrapping, which leads me to become curious about the wrapping materials. My informed common sense was concerned that:

  • The sheen from wrapping paper might contain PFCs, a family of chemicals that are often used in nonstick pots and pans and that consist of some highly toxic and persistent chemicals
  • The colors used in wrapping materials are probably at risk of having toxic chemicals and heavy metals
  • A significant portion of these wrapping materials probably can't be recycled
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ruan Living (@ruanliving)

Aware of how wasteful gift wrapping is, only recently did I research it. I learned from a Stanford University webpage(1) that:

  • From Thanksgiving to New Year's, Americans discard 25% more trash than any other time of the year. This amounts to 25 million tons of extra waste or about 1 million extra tons of garbage per week
  • If each family reused just 2 feet of holiday ribbon, this would save about 38,000 miles of ribbon, which could tie a bow around the entire planet.
  • If each American family re-used materials to wrap just 3 presents, this would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.

Gift Wrap with Fabric

Bestow Gift Wrap (@bestowgiftwrap) is a social venture that promotes zero-waste gift wrap made from recycled fashion fabric. 

Bestow Gift Wrap gives "a second life to some of the 92 million tons of waste generated by [the fashion] industry...Our fabric wraps are your zero waste alternative for making every gift look better, do better, and feel better."

Wanting to support its mission and learn how I can wrap with fabric, I invited its co-founder Saga Blane (@sagablane) (Meg Laz @megmakeslesswaste is the other co-founder) to join me on Instagram Live to show us simple ways to gift wrap with fabric. You can watch/listen to Saga, in the recording below!

 
 
 
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ruan Living (@ruanliving)

Benefits of Eco-Friendly Gift Wrapping

As you can see in the video above, gift wrapping with fabric can be beautiful and saves time! In addition, eco-friendly gift wrapping can:

  • Reduce contributions to landfills
  • Reduce demand for toxic chemicals and heavy metals as well as manufacturing processes that pollute the environment
  • Decrease your toxic exposures
  • Practice creativity and resourcefulness

I hope you'll join me in transitioning to eco-friendly gift wrapping. It'll help detox our planet, homes, and bodies.

Other Tips for Eco-Friendly Gift Wrapping

Don't have nice fabric at home? Below are more ways you can pursue eco-friendly gift wrapping. Remember: Reusing materials for just 3 presents can save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields. Let's do it!

Paper

  • Reuse gift bags and tissue paper
  • Repurpose paper grocery bags, fabric, newspaper, and magazine pages
  • Use natural kraft paper

Ribbons

  • Reuse ribbons
  • Choose paper tape
  • Use natural twine, hemp, cotton, yarn as ribbon

Decorative Details

  • Dried rosemary, pine, orange slices, cinnamon sticks, etc.
  • A plant leaf
  • Paper cutouts
  • Paper leaves or flowers
  • Stamps
  • Create or repurpose art
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ruan Living (@ruanliving)

Sources

(1) Stanford | Land, Buildings & Real Estate. https://lbre.stanford.edu/pssistanford-recycling/frequently-asked-questions/frequently-asked-questions-holiday-waste-prevention

(2) Bestow Gift Wrap @bestowgiftwrap on Instagram and https://bestowgiftwrap.com/  Keep in mind that 100% of proceeds go to charity.

Stay connected with nontoxic lifestyle news and updates!

Receive our free Ruan Living Nontoxic Cleaning Guide when you join our email list.
Don't worry, your information will not be shared.

We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.

About Ruan Living

Ruan Living simplifies a nontoxic lifestyle through its Practical Nontoxic Living podcast, free detox workshops, online D-Tox Academy, and transformative 40-Day Home Detox. It aims to help you avoid toxic chemicals, heavy metals, and electromagnetic fields (EMFs) from what you buy, own, and do— without compromising your joy and convenience. Ruan was founded by Sophia Ruan Gushée, author of the bestselling critically acclaimed book A to Z of D-Toxing: The Ultimate Guide to Reducing Your Toxic Exposures and several detox workbooks. A graduate of Brown University and Columbia Business School, Sophia has served on the Brown University School of Public Health Advisory Council and Well+Good Council. A popular nontoxic living speaker, consultant, and teacher, Sophia lives in New York City with her husband and three daughters. Her passion for empowering others to enjoy nontoxic living began with the birth of her first daughter in 2007. Everything she creates is a love letter to her children and for the healthiest, brightest future possible. You can learn more here: Sophia’s Impact.

Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only. This information is provided “as is” without warranty.

It is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice. We do not offer medical advice, course of treatment, diagnosis, or any other opinion on your conditions or treatment options. To the extent that this article features the advice of physicians or medical practitioners, the views expressed are the views of the cited expert and do not necessarily represent the views of Ruan Living.

In no event will Sophia Ruan Gushee or Ruan Living be liable for any damages or loss of any kind resulting from the use of this website. Anyone relying upon or making use of the information on this website does so at his or her own risk.

Some of the services and products recommended on this website provide compensation to Sophia Ruan Gushee or Ruan Living. All recommendations are based foremost upon an honest belief that the product, service, or site will benefit our site visitors in some way.  

Detox Your Inbox

Easy tips, podcasts, workshops, updates, and more!

SIGN UP

For You

40-Day Home Detox

Book

Blog

D-Tox Academy

Engage

Podcast

Shop

Ruan Living

Our Mission

Sophia Ruan Gushée

Corporate Wellness

D-Tox Academy

Engage

Events

Press

Testimonials

Stay In Touch

[email protected]