Anne-Charlotte PasseraThe trend towards zero waste is growing, and eco-friendly gift wrapping for Christmas and beyond is no exception.
Each year in Canada, according to Greenpeace, Canadians generate 540,000 tons of waste from gift wrapping and shopping bags, which represents 20% of the world’s elephant population. That’s a lot of waste!
All too often, our wrapping paper or gift bags end up in the garbage after one use. Most of them are not even recyclable. That’s not very eco-friendly, I say.
Although I personally have tried over the past few years to be more conscious with my gift wrapping, it has never been 100% eco-friendly. Therefore, I decided to try a new thing this year using fabric as gift wrap, better known as Furoshiki.
Furoshiki has been very trendy these last few years. Accordingly, it has been made readily available in bulk or zero waste stores. However, it can be expensive to buy a lot of them at once. That’s why I’m going to give you some ideas on how to start your change towards more eco-friendly and low-cost gift wrapping.
History of Furoshiki in a nutshell
I won’t go in great detail into the history of Furoshiki as there are already plenty of articles about it.
The Furoshiki is considered as the first eco-bag of the world because it proposes a simple alternative to the use of packaging.
France info culture
Roughly speaking, it is a traditional Japanese technique of folding and knotting fabric more than a thousand years old. The fabric is used to carry different objects, wrap gifts, lunch boxes, etc. This way of doing things is often illustrated in Samurai movies. Didn’t you notice it?
According to Shogun-Japon, it would be a General of the Muromachi period who would have launched this trend. The term Furoshiki means: bath spread in Japanese. So that his guests wouldn’t confuse their kimono with the others, he had given them each a Furoshiki fabric. Thus his guests, all feudal lords, could wrap their kimono and avoid getting it wet while they enjoyed the baths that this General had installed in his house. The fabrics were often decorated with different patterns or crests in order to distinguish them from each other.
The origami of the fabric.
In any case, Furoshiki has transformed the art of gift giving in the Western world. It’s a great way to impress family or friends and get them on board with this new but useful green trend.
Eco-friendly Gift Wrapping for All Budgets
There are plenty of eco-friendly ways to wrap gifts. However, not all of us have the same patience, budget, creativity and craftsmanship.
Here are some ideas on how to reduce your waste in a useful and environmentally friendly way depending on how thick your wallet is or how much you are willing to spend.
“High-end” Budget
Of course, if you can afford it, you can always buy eco-friendly gift wrap like Furoshikis, beeswax wraps or reusable cloth bags.
There are plenty of companies that offer these things and it would take too long to list them all. As a reference, for a local company, at Olsen + Olsen you can find these things.
Beeswax wrappers are handy for wrapping tiny objects like bar soaps or shampoo, for example. Plus, they can also be part of the gift since you can use them in the kitchen afterwards. See my article on beeswax wrappers.
“Medium” Budget
If buying ready-made isn’t an option for you, you can make your own.
For example, for your Furoshikis, you can buy your own fabric from Ikea or a fabric speciality store. You will have to do some sewing afterwards so that the fabric does not fray or use pinking sheers. Buying fabric in large quantities will be cheaper. Sure it takes time to get started the first time around, but for the the next occasion they will already be ready! You can also simply buy the exact amount you need and add to your collection as you go.
For the beeswax packages, you will, of course, have to buy the ingredients unless you already have what you need. It’s not very expensive and the ingredients can be used for other DIY recipes at home.
Low-cost Budget
I often used newspapers to wrap certain gifts, like the ones that go into my children’s Christmas stockings. I used to take a copy of the FREE Metro newspaper every morning on my way to work. Otherwise, I have used Kraft paper. It’s a cheap and efficient way to wrap gifts, but not necessarily very aesthetic.
Otherwise, over the years, I’ve accumulated a frightening amount of tissue paper or disposable gift bags that we were offered. It does take up space, but at least they didn’t end up in the trash. I’ve used them multiple times.
Thrifty tip
However, there’s nothing better than using what you have at home, it’s the cheapest way to do eco-friendly gift wrapping.
When I reorganized my closets (see my article on the magic of organization), I found myself with a big pile of clothes. I sold some and gave some away, but I still had a lot left. So, since I’ve been trying to avoid making unnecessary expenses this year, I decided to use old scarves, a bed sheet with a hole in it and dresses that are more than 20 years old to make Furoshikis with. It’s practical, ecological and above all else FREE. Besides, I won’t have to struggle with the damn tape to keep my wrapping paper in place.
Scarves work well for small gifts. Obviously with a bed sheet or long dress, you can wrap pretty much anything.
You can add small decorations that you have in your tree or dried flowers.
L’an vert du décor
I also kept some ribbons, laces that can be handy if you want to add a little colour to your wrapping.
Usually, the Furoshiki wrapping goes back to the giver unless it’s someone outside your inner circle. However, if you know that the person will not use it again, take it back.
Starting your Furoshiki
What you need to know before you start making your own Furoshiki.
The fabrics you can use for your eco-friendly gift wrapping are:
- Silk
- Crepe
- Synthetic/Rayon
- Cotton from a Japanese source
It should be square shaped and large enough to wrap your gift. There aren’t any particular standard sizes, but here are some dimensions that can work depending on the type of gift.
- Soaps, books, DVDs: less than 75cm
- Puzzles, board games, comic books, clothing: between 75cm to 100 cm
- Small appliances or larger items: more than 100 cm
The fabric will need to be opaque so that the gift cannot be seen through.
If possible, use pinking sheers to prevent the fabric from fraying. This will save you from having to sew the edges. I personally had a pair at home that I used to make my beeswax wrappers.
The different styles of Furoshiki gift wrapping
No matter what style you choose to make your Furoshiki wrapping, it will be quick, easy and effective. Usually, once you figure out how to do it, it takes less than 5 minutes. It’s a real-time saver!
Below I show you the Otsukai Tsutsumi style. You can also wrap as you would normally wrap your present with paper. For more style ideas, visit this site which shows you lots of other ways to do it.
Being very bad with my gift wrapping, I picked the simplest style.
Do you have any other suggestions for eco-friendly gift-wrapping ideas? Share them in the comment box below.
I love this idea of wrapping gifts in fabric!
Me too! I wrapped all of my presents this year with fabric, what a time saver!
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