9 Sustainable Christmas Decorations For Eco-Friendly Festivities
‘Tis the season to be jolly.
But how could we be given the massive amount of overconsumption that the holiday season brings?
On top of non-eco-friendly wrapping paper, food waste, used Christmas trees, and unwanted gifts, our landfills are also at the mercy of another ghost of Christmas past: used decor.
Talk about a blue Christmas.
But there’s still reason to be ho-ho-hopeful, because the most sustainable Christmas decorations won’t contribute to alarming Christmas waste statistics.
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Deck The Halls With Our Favorite Sustainable Holiday Decorations
The Citizenry’s natural Christmas mantel decorations don’t just have your fireplace covered, with stunning botanical wreaths and organic cotton stockings. They also have worker’s wages covered by paying double local living wages!
Meanwhile, MagicLinen has the dining table set, with mistletoe table runners and gingham linen napkins—all made via a hyper-local Lithuanian supply chain.
Now, all that’s left is a handcrafted Christmas tree—which are both reusable AND natural Christmas decorations!—from Welcome To The Woodshop and your couture Christmas is complete.
If you’re wondering, “What are environmentally friendly Christmas decorations?”, put on that Michael Bublé soundtrack and rock around the sustainable Christmas tree all the way to the bottom where we remove the wrapping paper on our criteria.
The Full List Of Eco Friendly Christmas Decorations
- The Citizenry | Visit Store
- MagicLinen | Visit Store
- Kazi | Visit Store
- Welcome To The Woodshop | Visit Store
- BulleEtBallon | Visit Store
- Busy Puzzle | Visit Store
- BelgianPaperworks | Visit Store
- By Amber & Rose | Visit Store
- Ten Thousand Villages | Visit Store
1. The Citizenry
About The Citizenry
Price Range: $49–$299
The Citizenry has stunning eco-friendly Christmas decorations we wouldn’t blame the Grinch for sneaking into your house for.
This cottage worthy Dried Wildflower Wreath is basically begging people to come in to enjoy milk and freshly baked cookies.
Needless to say, their boho Adana Kilim Stockings, velvet tree skirts, and fresh floral wreaths and garlands are definitely worth pining for.
The Citizenry’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
The fresh olive brand and wildflower botanicals in their wreaths are sourced from local micro-family and women-owned farms in the Pacific Northwest.
Stockings and tree skirts are courtesy of ethical wool and 100% organic or upcycled cotton.
Supply chain & labor practices:
The Citizenry is the first sustainable home decor brand to have 100% of their products made with fair trade practices guaranteed by the World Fair Trade Organization.
Artisans are paid 2x the fair wage requirements.
Their small-batch holiday decor is handcrafted from 23 countries around the world, with 61% of their workers being female artisans
Carbon commitments & green practices:
100% of their wood products are sourced from responsibly sourcing methods, some from FSC and SVLK.
Following the slow fashion ideology, the small batch products have a lower carbon footprint than mass made products you’d find at say, Target’s Bullseye Corner.
Community & charitable giving:
10% of profits are invested back into their artisan communities with entrepreneurship development grants.
2. MagicLinen
About MagicLinen
Price Range: $12–$136
There’s no better way to welcome Christmas miracles into your life than with MagicLinen.
The linen clothing brand stocks unbelievably chic eco-friendly decorations for the whole house, including stockings for the mantle, and natural Christmas table decorations in the form of table runners.
If you’re a fan of reusable advent calendars, you’ll want to add their stonewashed linen advent calendar to your Christmas list this year.
MagicLinen’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
No magic is needed to guess that Magic Linen products are made from linen.
OEKO-TEX certified, 100% European Flax Linen, to be exact.
Linen is one of our favorite sustainable fabrics because it’s fully biodegradable and uses the whole flax plant, meaning minimal waste.
Supply chain & labor practices:
All linen is grown and turned into decor, clothing, and bedding entirely in Lithuania, minimizing the carbon footprint of transport.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
They prioritize repurposing textile waste into new products, like this Christmas Stocking.
Packaging is 100% compostable and some come with custom linen dust bags that doubles as a reusable bag.
Community & charitable giving:
The team regularly takes time to volunteer in organizations helping people in need.
3. Kazi
About Kazi
Price Range: $24–$44
How do you make sustainable Christmas tree decorations?
Ask Kazi, home to some of the best fair trade gifts, eco-friendly planters, and a small selection of eco-Christmas decorations.
If sustainable ornaments are what you’re after, their natural fiber Santa Troll Ornament might spruce up your tree.
They also offer two garland options made from raffia, banana fibers, and organic dyes.
Kazi’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Their eco-friendly Christmas decorations, as well as all of their other products, are handcrafted using three super materials: Sisal, Raffia, and Elephant Grass—sourced from Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania, and Ghana, respectively.
All three fabrics are responsibly harvested, and dyed with eco-friendly dyes.
Weavers learn how to harvest and grow their own materials, encouraging independence and economic development in the local community.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Their eco-friendly Christmas tree decorations may be colorful, but their business practices are completely transparent.
The brand boasts the highly-coveted Nest Seal of Ethical Handcraft, which is renewed every year via onsite audits.
This means that all African artisan made products have been crafted in a home or small workshop with fair wages, good working conditions, and no child labor.
Community & charitable giving:
Catch lined “For Profit, For A Good Purpose”, KAZI’s business model is based on building marketplaces in artisan communities that drive long-term economic success.
4. Welcome To The Woodshop
About Welcome To The Woodshop
Price Range: $35–$425
So, what is the most eco-friendly way to have a Christmas tree?
Considering the 16kg of carbon emissions outputted once a Christmas tree ends up in the landfill, we’d say having it be a reusable wooden tree from Welcome To The Woodshop.
Not only is it easy to assemble, but the branches are able to twist in all directions, allowing you to add your own personal style to your space.
For minimalist friends, we recommend the Simple X-shaped style, available in 3ft–8ft heights.
Welcome To The Woodshop’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
The handcrafted natural Christmas trees are made from wood, oak, pinewood, and steel.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Carpenter owner Aaron McKay uses traditional techniques to bring products to life at his Mom-and-Pop Montgomery County, PA woodshop.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Salvaged materials are incorporated “to encourage a healthy, sustainable environment”.
Etsy ships with carbon-neutral shipping.
5. BulleEtBallon
About BullETBallon
Price Range: $15–$53
You may not find biodegradable tinsel on our sustainable decorations list, but BullEtBalloon has wool Christmas garland that always sleighs.
Whether you’re a white Christmas kind of person or you’re into the classic styles, one of their garlands is sure to put you in the festive spirit.
Along with different colors, you’ll find a ton of fun shapes like stars, penguins, and even letters.
BullETBalloon’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Their sustainable holiday decor is made from 100% sheep wool, sometimes combined with FSC-certified wooden components.
Supply chain & labor practices:
The sheep wool balls are made from Nepalese women in a Fair Trade certified company.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
The balls are compostable and dyed with chemical-free sustainable dyes.
They choose packaging that is as eco-friendly and minimal as possible, including 100% recycled plastic polymailers, shipping labels with recyclable liners, biodegradable tape, biodegradable packing peanut, and no fancy and useless stickers.
6. Busy Puzzle
About Busy Puzzle
Price Range: $12–$98
If you told us that an eco-friendly toy company also made the best natural wood Christmas decorations we’d say you’re crazier than a nutcracker.
Yet Busy Puzzle has some of the best kid-friendly natural decorations for Christmas, from eco-friendly ornaments to elegant candle holders for all your favorite sustainable candles.
If we woke up to see the Wooden Train Holiday Railway under the tree, we’d never ask Santa for another gift again.
Busy Puzzle’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Rather than harmful pollutants or chemicals, Busy Puzzle’s solid wooden decor is coated in linseed oil for protection.
Their non-wooden sustainable decorations, like their ethical stockings, utilize velvet.
Supply chain & labor practices:
The shop owners are based in Ukraine, but it is not clear how and where their items are made.
Items sold on Etsy can be handmade, vintage, or come from a commercial craft supply.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Wood is printed with water-based inks.
7. BelgianPaperworks
About Belgian Paperworks
Price Range: $28–$238
The handcrafted paper Christmas villages and sustainable Christmas tree ornaments from Belgian Paperworks are anything but tear-able.
The Etsy star-seller boasts a 5-star average review and is an Etsy Design Awards finalist.
The one-of-a-kind, easy-to-store eco-friendly Christmas decor is everything you’ve been looking for.
Belgian Paperworks’ Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
The sustainable Christmas decorations are made strictly from creamy French watercolor paper that is acid free and archival.
Meanwhile, recycled Christmas ornaments are made from paper offcuts from her larger pieces.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Owner American Guild of Paper Cutters member, Anne Lovau, painstakingly creates each and every hand carved piece in her geothermal-energy powered paper studio in Sonoma County, California.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
The owner sources paper from climate mindful mills, including those that are FSC-certified, Cradle-to-Cradle Certified, and Climate Neutral.
Some of their sustainable Christmas decor is shipped in protective plastic sleeves, though you can always ask for a paper sleeve during checkout.
8. By Amber & Rose
About By Amber & Rose
Price Range: $9–$51
Amber & Rose is a mecca of minimalist gifts, like recycled paper coasters and sustainable leather bags.
They also have the most heartfelt eco-friendly Christmas ornaments and tree toppers for the festive season.
With fairytale Fluffy Sheep and beautifully Beaded Bees, their felt ornaments are gauran-tree-d to give your Christmas tree a whimsical touch.
By Amber & Rose’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Their felt ornaments are made from sustainable wool, but they also have sustainable Christmas ornaments made of recycled items, like glass and metal.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Amber & Rose effectively reject mass production, and opt for a slower supply chain that embraces the sustainability of traditional skill and natural materials.
All products are designed in their UK-based workshop before being outsourced for production via fair trade organizations around the world, including the Association for Craft Producers (ACP), Aaha Felt, and Barefoot College.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Many of their manufacturers have adopted sustainable practices. For example, ACP has their own solar panels, wastewater treatment plan, and rainwater harvesting systems.
9. Ten Thousand Villages
About Ten Thousand Villages
Price Range: $4–$195
With ethically-sourced wooden nativity scenes, gingerbread eco-friendly hand soap, and sustainable Christmas tree ornaments from Ten Thousand Villages, we’ll definitely be home for Christmas (because we’d never want to leave!).
With over ten pages of sustainable holiday decorations from around the world, you can feel confident about finding a style that suits your fair trade festivities.
If you’re looking for a contemporary design, you can’t go wrong topping your tree with a Paisley Paper Star from India or lining the mantle with the Golden Star Garland from Bangladesh.
Ten Thousand Villages’ Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Because they sell the wares of numerous small artisans and cooperatives, Ten Thousand Villages utilizes what feels like ten thousand different sustainable materials in their eco-friendly holiday decorations.
Including quilled paper, wool, ceramic, wood, palm leaf, and even gourds.
Just like your eco-friendly gift list, the list goes on and on and on.
Supply chain & labor practices:
The non-profit organization comprises over 75 artisan groups in more than 20 developing countries, many being women (60%) and people with disabilities.
As founding members of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), we don’t doubt their commitment to fair wages and healthy workplaces.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
TTV prioritizes brands with energy efficient workshops and small supply chains, as well as those that use renewable, recycled, and locally-sourced materials.
Community & charitable giving:
92% of revenue is reinvested in their maker to market mission, adding up to over $110 million dollars in international artisan investments so far.
10. DIY Sustainable Christmas Decorations
How do you make Christmas decorations sustainable?
We personally love making our own homemade sustainable Christmas decorations from recycled materials.
You know…garlands made out of fallen pine cones, origami stars made from paper scraps, red and green chains made from eco-friendly toilet paper tubes… the options are endless.
If you need inspiration, check out our whole list of DIY decorations.
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How We Chose The Most Eco-Friendly Christmas Decor
We’ve made the list and checked it twice.
Using our sustainable Christmas ideas criteria, we’ve only included brands that made the nice list this year, so you can have an effortlessly eco-friendly festive season.
Materials:
Christmas decorations with natural materials are great, so long as those materials are sustainably harvested.
Zero waste Christmas decorations compostable and/or reusable) is our reference, but recycled Christmas decor makes us feel pretty holly jolly, too.
- Certifications: Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC), OEKO-TEX, Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
Supply chain & labor practices:
If you’re reading this, you probably already know the little magical elves in Santa’s workshop don’t really exist.
Your Christmas decorations and gifts are made by real people trying to make a living for themselves and their families, often at the cost of exploitative working conditions.
By choosing products from fair trade employers, you can break generational cycles and help people receive the rights they deserve.
- Certifications: World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), Fair Trade Federation, B Corporation (B Corp), Craftmark, Nest Seal
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Though environmentally friendly Christmas decor can be any color, we prefer to be green.
Bad jokes aside, things we are looking for here include renewable resources, sustainable packaging, and carbon offsets.
Community & charitable giving:
Considering Christmas is the season of giving, we love when businesses give back to people in need. The Etsy-shops got a pass for this one considering most of them are so small, but we have high expectations for those big businesses.
Final Thoughts On Recycled & Natural Christmas Decorations
The sad reality of the most wonderful time of the year is that it is also the most wasteful.
How would you feel if you found out that the remnants of your holiday decor ended up straight in Rudolph’s stomach?
Or, even worse, made Sam The Snowman completely melt away from its carbon emissions.
Thankfully, with the rise of consumable gifts, zero waste gift wrapping, and sustainable Christmas decor, we don’t have to contribute to this wasteful winter wonderland.
That said, the most sustainable decorations are those you already own, so don’t dump all your own options in the landfill if you don’t need to replace them.
Now that that’s all wrapped up, leave us an early Christmas present by sharing this list of zero waste Christmas tree decorations with festive friends and loved ones, so they too can have a conscious holiday season.
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