Christmas is a time for giving — to friends, to family, and to those in need. But every gift wrapped in glossy, plastic-lined paper comes at a cost to the planet.
In the UK alone, over 1.8 million rolls of wrapping paper are thrown away each Christmas. In the U.S., the holiday season brings an additional 1 million tons of garbage — much of it from single-use gift wrap and packaging.
So this year, ask yourself: can we keep the joy while cutting the waste?
Enter sustainable Christmas gift bags and wrapping papers — beautiful, reusable, and often recyclable alternatives that make your presents shine without adding to the landfill.
Let’s unwrap the best eco-conscious brands making holiday gifting better for people and the planet.
Why Should You Get A Sustainable Christmas Gift Bag?
Carbon Footprints in the Snow
A study of consumers’ sustainability habits by Deloitte shows that even more people are ready to adopt sustainable shopping habits in 2021 than in 2020.
This directly impacts the products they choose to buy and brands they are loyal to.
However, buying a sustainable gift is only one-half. To make your present 100% eco-friendly you need to pack it up in a recyclable or reusable gift bag.
Plastic wraps are thin and light but have a much larger environmental footprint than you may imagine.
To be honest, paper and canvas bags require more energy to produce than a roll of plastic, but here’s the catch:
A paper gift bag offsets its carbon after three uses. It takes a bit more for cotton, but reusable gift bags made of cotton also have a much longer life.
And how about plastic wraps? You can’t reuse them to pack another gift — they either tear up or lose part of their coating at the first unboxing.
Recycling vs. Wraps Blowing in the Wind
What more can we say about the devastating effect of plastic on the environment?
Plastic bags and wraps take between 15 and 1,000 years to break down — provided they make it to a landfill instead of finding their way to a stream, river, or ocean.
Of the 100 billion plastic shopping bags, Americans use each year, only about 1 percent gets recycled.
And those Christmas gift bags are made to be recyclable.
Christmas wrapping foil often has metallic coatings, glitter flakes, and other ornaments that make it non-recyclable.
So, you can’t recycle them even if you wanted to. The same applies to bows and ribbons.
But can I recycle paper gift wraps?
Definitely. Again, only if they don’t have non-paper additives like metallic flakes.
Sometimes, to make it sustainable you have to keep it simple.
They Can Take Some Damage
Unlike plastic bags, reusable canvas or burlap bags won’t have their handles tear off as easily or suffer a hole when a corner of a box presses against them.
Reusable gift bags make it much easier to both pack and unpack the gift, not to mention there’s very little risk that you accidentally damage the bag on your way home.
Use Them Throughout the Holiday Season
Eco-friendly gift bags can be used for a lot more than just packing presents. You can use a nice, reusable Christmas-theme bag as a tote for many purposes.
Use it as a shopping bag during the holidays, pack your kid’s lunch into one, use it for snacks and refreshments on a winter road trip, or take books from the library.
There are many ways to make your holiday more sustainable.
7 Best Sustainable Christmas Gift Bags And Wrapping Papers
Hallmark: Mainstream Magic with Greener Intent
Hallmark is known for holiday tradition, but they’re also moving toward eco-conscious gifting. Many of their wrapping papers and gift bags are made from FSC-certified paper, and several product lines are recyclable or reusable.
While not 100% plastic-free, Hallmark has committed to reducing its environmental impact through sustainable sourcing and water-based inks. For gift-givers who want widely available options with better materials, Hallmark blends classic charm with modest sustainability.
Nush Nush: Luxe Look, Earth-Friendly Soul
Nush Nush brings luxury-style gift bags to the eco scene using reusable fabric-like materials that last beyond a single Christmas. Their bags are often laminated with recyclable components and feature non-toxic inks and minimal plastic packaging.
The brand leans into reusability over disposability, helping consumers create an elevated gifting experience without generating waste. For those who want elegant presentation with lower environmental cost, Nush Nush checks the boxes.
JOLLY JON: Bold, Bright, and Reusable by Design
JOLLY JON offers cheerful holiday gift bags that are designed to be reused season after season. Their materials are thicker, with reinforced handles and double-layered paper, minimizing tears and keeping bags in use longer.
While the brand doesn’t highlight environmental certifications, their design choices naturally support a waste-reducing lifestyle, especially when reused creatively. Think: a bag today, a lunch tote tomorrow.
YANGTE: High-Volume, Low-Waste Packaging
YANGTE delivers value-sized packs of Christmas bags made from recyclable kraft paper and printed with water-based inks. They skip plastic lamination, making the bags easier to recycle or compost (depending on your area).
Perfect for large families or classroom gifting, YANGTE combines affordability with better material choices — a great option for those trying to scale sustainability without overspending.
Elcoho: Simplicity That Supports Reuse
Elcoho’s approach to sustainable gift wrap is simple and functional. Their bags are made from durable kraft paper and come with twine handles and minimalist prints, making them easier to repurpose throughout the year.
No glitter. No foil. Just recyclable materials that get the job done. Elcoho is ideal for practical gifters who want to ditch the flashy, non-recyclable wrapping without losing holiday flair.
CCINEE: Creative Reusables with a Holiday Twist
CCINEE offers a colorful selection of drawstring gift bags made from fabric or non-woven cloth, encouraging repeat use across multiple gift-giving seasons.
They’re lightweight, collapsible, and come in festive prints — ideal for eco-conscious families or classrooms. While not heavily marketed as a green brand, the reusability and non-toxic construction align naturally with sustainable goals.
JOYIN: Festive Function for Waste-Free Celebrations
JOYIN’s products focus on bulk gift bag sets made with paper-based and reusable options. Many of their holiday items use biodegradable kraft paper and non-metallic finishes, allowing for cleaner end-of-life disposal.
Designed with fun, family-friendly graphics, JOYIN helps reduce single-use plastic in gift-giving while still bringing excitement to the unwrapping experience. Ideal for schools, parties, and eco-savvy holiday hosts.
Final Thoughts
Choosing sustainable Christmas gift bags and wrapping papers isn’t just a design choice — it’s a conscious shift toward waste-free celebrations. Every reusable bag, recycled paper wrap, or plastic-free ribbon helps reduce the environmental burden of the holiday season.
The brands we’ve highlighted prove that gifting can still feel magical without sacrificing the planet. From FSC-certified wraps to reusable cloth bags, there are plenty of ways to make your presents stand out and stand for something.
So this Christmas, wrap your gifts in joy — and in sustainability.
