If you’re looking for some great, sustainable Christmas wrapping options, you’ve come to the right place. Every product listed is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission.
Eco Christmas wrapping paper
Wrapping up Christmas 2022
I’m the only person I know for whom the very best part of Christmas is the wrapping. Sometimes I wonder if it’s a subconscious rebellion of the fact that my own mum hates Christmas wrapping with such a passion that her own mum used to do it for her before she died. Since my nanny died, I’ve picked up the mantle. Each year, I’ll go round to my mum’s and wrap presents for everyone but myself. Generally I’ll be ‘paid’ in wine. Which actually means my mum will drink wine and tell me off for not keeping up with her … because I’m busy using both hands to wrap!
With the gifts we’re giving ourselves, wrapping is very much part of the gift. Over the years we’ve gone for different colour schemes, fingerprinted wrapping paper, made matching cards, even included a little tree decoration or some tiny bells. More recently though, I’ve become concerned about how wasteful wrapping can be. I’ve started to try and make sure that everything I use can be reused, recycled, or become compost or firestarter.
Looking for something specific, skip to the right section:
Brown Paper | Colour Paper | Children’s Paper | Gift Tags | Reuseable – Furoshiki | Beeswax Wraps
Classic brown paper
These days, our gifts can be quite understated. For a truly recycled, recyclable option, you can’t beat plain brown paper and paper tape.
£9.99 Amazon
Brown Kraft paper roll
500mm x 25M Classic brown paper, ideal for wrapping presents.
100% recycled and 100% biodegradable
Unwaxed and uncoated, giving it a truly rustic feel.
Made in the UK, British assured quality
£8.97 Amazon
Brown paper self-adhesive paper tapes
3 25mm x 50m
Vegan friendly, fully recyclable and eco-friendly.
Easily customisable with string or jute and a sprig of holly or evergreen, or even with a cinnamon stick and slice of dried orange, this timeless classic looks great clustered under the tree.
Colour and print
Trying to avoid glitters, coatings, and other plastics / inks does not mean we have to sacrifice all colour or print.
I re-started knitting in earnest last year. I even hand knitted gifts for nieces and nephews as my skill improved over the course of the year. I’m not at fairisle level yet, but this knit inspired print really takes my fancy for wrapping in 2022.
£9.95 Amazon
Recycled Christmas wrapping paperby LittleGreen®
8 Sheets of UK made paper and 16 tags with traditional festive knit print.
100% Recycled, 100% Recyclable Giftwrap.
Otherwise, I’m tempted by this woodland print. I am such a sucker for woodland print fabrics and regularly have to stop myself buying dresses with gorgeous prints. I have succumbed to a pretty skirt with hares and deer hidden in the florals, and I also have a sweatshirt with some very cool fungi printed on it. It’s not hard to see why this festive wrap might have caught my eye.
Was £11.65
£5.95 Amazon
Re-wrapped woodland print eco wrap and tags
Each pack contains 3 sheets: 70cm x 50cm wrapping paper and 3 swing tags.
Unique to Re-wrapped, created by UK designers.
Produced and Printed in the UK
100% RECYCLED – using 100% unbleached 100gsm recycled paper and vegan friendly vegetable inks
I might use some leftover cotton yarn to wrap a few times around each gift, in place of ribbon. Because of the colours I used in last years’ Christmas knits, this will work beautifully with both the knit print and the woodland print.
I used to tie little extras on all of the presents. These days I save those touches for the adults who might use the wooden decoration on their tree, or stick it to a homemade card or tag for the following year. If I decide they aren’t too wasteful, these stag heads could be perfect for my Christmas jumper or the woodland inspired wrapping this year.
£8.99 Amazon
Wooden deer head decorations
30 wooden stag heads by Lifreer. Perfect as Christmas tree hanging ornaments, DIY crafts, and Christmas gift wrapping.
For the little ones
We have loads of kids in the family. I’m one of 4 ‘children’ and my other half is one of 5. All of us have between 1 and 4 children, so there are many gifts for little ones that need wrapping.
I tend to wrap the children’s gifts in something brighter than the classic brown paper. This year I’m looking at the reindeer and robins. Or possibly the fun Santas with this pretty paper tape.
£9.95 Amazon
LittleGreen 100% recycled Christmas wrapping
Set of 8 sheets and 16 tags. 50cm x 70cm. Tags 70mm diameter (all sizes approximate).
Luxury children’s giftwrap, crafted with ultra premium thick 100% recycled and 100% recyclable paper.
£12.99 Amazon
Recycled Christmas wrapping paper roll
44cm x 30m (17in x 100ft), eco-friendly recycled 100gsm wrapping paper.
£4.99 Amazon
ECO BOY Polka dot paper tape
UK made. Self-adhesive polka dot design tape. 24mm x 50m. Fully recyclable.
£4.70 for 12 Etsy
Plantable seed gift tags
British wildflower seed eco-friendly gift tags.
An alternative and frugal favourite, especially handy in the current economic climate, is to chop up and use old Christmas cards for tags. If you haven’t got any old cards saved from last year then it might be worth a look on ebay or Etsy. You could pick up a job lot for just a couple of £s that could last you years.
£8.00 Etsy
Vintage used Christmas cards for crafting.
Vintage used Christmas cards for crafting.
Selection of pre signed cards for display or craft projects.
Reuseable Wrapping – Furoshiki
What is Furoshiki?
In the bathhouses of Kyoto people used to carry their garments wrapped in fabric bearing their family crest. This meant that even in a busy changing room, you could quickly identify your things. This fabric doubled as a bathmat while getting dressed. Japanese for bath is “furo,” while the verb “stretch out” is “shiki.” From this, Furoshiki developed, and for hundreds of years, square cloths have been used in Japan to wrap and transport objects.
Furoshiki has had a recent resurgence in popularity as a sustainable alternative to plastic bags and single-use wrapping paper (yes, a huge furoshiki can double as a bag!) and I recently was bought a gift wrapped in this way. And I loved it.
£9.50 Etsy
Cat Furoshiki, Reusable Gift Wrapping, Neko, 50 cm x 50cm
This cute & beautiful winter Furoshiki would make a great gift for cat lovers!
This blue whale furoshiki is amazing. Our kids loved watching the blue planet, the British nature documentary series created and produced by the BBC, and would love getting a Christmas present wrapped in this.
£12.50 Etsy
Blue Whale Furoshiki by kata kata 50 x 50 cm
This fun furoshiki is perfect for sea lovers and wrapping kids’ gifts. The fabric is lightweight.
It is designed by Japanese textile designers, Chie Takai and Takeshi Matsunaga. The duo, are known by the artistic name “kata kata” and use traditional Japanese dying techniques in their work.
