7 Eco-Friendly Gift Wrapping Alternatives For Greener Giving

First, is gift wrapping paper environmentally friendly, traditionally speaking?

Given how much now contains shiny foil, glitter, lamination, or some form of plastic, typically not. These aspects also render most ordinary wrapping paper non-recyclable once torn from the present.

A quick test to determine if your wrapping paper is truly just made of paper and can be recycled is to try a rip test. If you can’t easily rip through the paper, there’s probably plastic at play.

If you’ve got a pile of eco-friendly gifts that you need to wrap and can’t wait to get started, get into the sustainable Christmas holiday spirit with these tree-mendous sustainable alternatives to wrapping paper.

Wrappr’s Alternatives to Wrapping Paper

Price Range: $15–$21

Wrappr uses organic cotton fabrics, recycled polyester, mulberry silk, and and earth-friendly dyes to create reusable gift wrap that takes whatever gift you’re giving to another level.

The designs on Wrappr’s stylish cloths are from artists from all over the world. As of this writing, they’ve worked with 30 artists from five continents.

The wraps are compostable and will fully break down in 2–5 months, but until the end of their life, the wraps offer an eco-friendly flair to zero waste gifts of all kinds.

We particularly like the Embodied Collection’s furoshili wrap designs, with a versatile abstract color pattern that feels festive, but would also work for occasions outside Christmas.

About Wrappr

The birth of Wrappr came about following the arrival of a new baby, a climate crisis, and souvenirs from Japan.

Furoshiki wraps were the answer.

The products are made in China in a BSCI, ISO9001, and HIGG-certified factory, while the artwork is created by independent artists who are paid upfront for their work.

Orders are shipped from a US or Canadian warehouse and packed in boxes made from recyclable materials that are fully biodegradable.

Of The Earth’s Gift Wrap

Price Range: $10–$22

Made from natural plant fibers, including daphne bush and plant bark, Of The Earth’s handmade compostable wrapping paper is so strong it can be used over and over again.

Some varieties of this lokta paper—like Christmas tree reminiscent Green Trees design—are embedded with wildflower seeds, so that you get another gift of green once spring sustainable gardening season rolls around.

About Of The Earth

Of The Earth is the brand’s name, but flowerseedpaper is their Etsy handle—and a good description for many kinds of handmade wedding invitations and tree-free compostable gift wrap they offer.

Their products are made in the highlands of Nepal by rural craftspeople from the bark of the Daphne bush which regenerates from the root when cut, providing a renewable resource.

The bark is beaten by hand and boiled, then mixed with recycled materials such as pulp and paper scrap collected from the card and envelope manufacturing process.

It is then poured into screens to form sheets and dried in the sun.

All water used in the production process is reclaimed and reused.

The cane that’s left once the bark has been removed is dried and used to heat villager’s homes and to provide cooking fuel.

Waterleaf Paper Co’s Gift Wrapping

Price Range: $18

Whatever the special occasion, Waterleaf Paper Co. has a 100% dissolvable and compostable wrapping paper made from plant cellulose for the job.

There are even 60 designs specially for Christmas.

Water-based inks are used in various colorful designs, each created by female artists from all over the world.

We love the soft color palette used in the festive yet versatile Watercolor Forest Paper.

About Waterleaf Paper Co

Waterleaf Paper Co is proudly female-founded and owned and collaborates with talented female artists from diverse corners of the world.

All biodegradable Christmas wrapping paper is custom-made-to-order, ensuring no wasted inventory.

The entire product line is free of synthetics and uses nontoxic inks and every aspect of manufacturing is completely in agreement with eco-friendly methods.

Papergem’s Recycled Wrapping Paper

Price Range: $6

What wrapping paper can be recycled?

That would be anything that’s just paper, like Papergem’s gift wrapping paper.

It’s made from 100% FSC-certified recycled neighborhood newspaper and printed using soy inks.

Don’t think that makes it boring, though. Double-sided with a floral design on one side and animals on the other, you get twice as much bang for your buck.

About Papergem

The compostable and biodegradable paper is printed in a family-owned press in Washington state. The paper is also handmade in the US.

Purchases come packed in a compostable bag with a recyclable belly band.

As an Etsy seller, you can also shop confidently knowing that Etsy offsets carbon emissions from delivery and packaging on your purchase.

Saaper’s Holiday Gift Wrap

Price Range: $4–$35

Saaper makes their eco-friendly wrapper paper roll from a unique recycled material lineup you won’t find anywhere else on this list.

They include agricultural waste such as onion skin, mango leaves, sawdust, rice hulls, coffee grounds, tea leaves, dried leaves, grass, abaca, and pulp.

Food waste solutions that double as wrapping for your favorite consumable gifts?

Yes, please!

About Saaper

Saaper produces their colorful and beautiful designs in Bangkok, Thailand.

Each roll of paper is handmade, giving each one its own character.

Products are shipped in a roll in a cardboard tube and biodegradable packaging.

Elf’s Nook’s Gift Wrap

Price Range: $33–$75

Elf’s Nook will help make your gift-giving extra fun and ensure everyone feels super special when they open your presents.

Recycled brown wrapping paper has never looked so good, whether you choose the Winter Fox & Rabbit design or wrap it up with the Winnie-the-Pooh Vintage Map.

There’s also a line of gift paper restored from vintage Christmas carol books.

About Elf’s Nook

Elf’s Nook is based in California and products are handmade.

All purchases are hand-rolled and shipped in protective cardboard tubes.

Wrappily’s Wrapping Paper

Price Range: $10

Enjoy Wrappily’s new take on gift wrapping.

Available in a variety of patterns designs, and styles, great patterns are printed on premium-grade 100% recyclable and compostable newsprint. Plus, paper made this way can be recycled up to seven times.

Our favorite choice for 100% recycled wrapping paper has to be the Warhol Santa for a fun and artsy take on traditional Christmas motifs.

For maximum style on your gifts for minimalists, slap an eco-friendly paper ribbon on top via their Recycled Paper Ribbon.

About Wrappily

Wrappily uses neighborhood newspaper presses to print the paper from recyclable premium-grade newsprint. Designs are printed with soy-based inks.

Wrappily is milled, printed, and packaged in Washington State for the shortest possible supply chain.

What is the most eco-friendly way to wrap a present?

Well, next to nothing at all (but where’s the festive fun in that?), it would be using anything you already have lying around the house.

Maybe it’s half-used rolls from last year, or recycled Christmas wrapping paper you carefully cut from the gifts you received last year.

Or maybe it’s just some old brown filler kraft paper you received in your last order from an ethical Amazon alternative (or even Amazon itself).

Just like DIY Christmas decorations, recycled gift wrapping paper in the form of something you already have is always the most low-impact choice.

Here are a few more sustainable wrapping paper ideas:

• Kraft paper, plain paper, or tissue paper is a versatile and biodegradable gift wrap
• Beeswax wraps
• Fabrics such as cotton, silk, or deadstock fabric, which can be reused or repurposed
• Old maps, newspapers, magazines, or other papers, which can be recycled or composted
• Eco-friendly gift bags and bundles made from jars, tins, pouches, dust bags, cloth produce bags, or baskets that can be reused or donated
• Inside-out chip bags make great eco-friendly gift wrap ideas, creating a shiny effect
• Stone paper, which is tree-free and water-resistant
• Honeycomb cushioning packing paper, which is biodegradable and protective
• Old eco-friendly wallpaper

Why is wrapping paper not recycled?

Some can be put in your recycling bin, but generally, it tends to be thrown in with the general waste, thereby ending up in the landfill.

There are a few other reasons that wrapping paper is not recycled. It is often very thin and contains few good quality fibers for recycling. The paper often has plastic tape still attached, which makes it difficult to recycle.