How to Shop Sustainably This Holiday Season

It’s that time of year again, and holiday shopping is in full swing. This year, more than ever before, people are feeling the holiday spirit as they make plans to gather together again. And that’s a really good reason to celebrate this season.

Shop Sustainably, Shop Local

However, due to factors like travel and gift-giving, the holidays can have an environmentally negative impact at an otherwise joyful time of year. 

Research by the Stockholm Environment Institute found that three days of Christmas festivities could release as much as 650kg of carbon dioxide emissions per person.”1

Fourth street holiday lights in Berkeley, CA

Holiday lights on 4th street, Berkeley, CA. Photo credit: fourthstreet.com

While this isn't the best news, the good news is that, every year, consumers are actually becoming more ethical and environmentally conscious in their purchasing decisions. The words reduce, reuse and recycle are becoming a regular part of the household vocabulary.

“60% of those surveyed have made more environmentally conscious, sustainable, or ethical purchases since the start of the pandemic. And 90% of these consumers plan to continue their greener lifestyle for good. Almost 4 in 10 people would search for an environmentally friendly gift, even if it meant going out of their way.” 2

Using your buying power locally means building up your own community - and that’s always a big win for everyone.

Here are a few of our favorite sustainable holiday shopping tips that will help guide your gift-buying decisions toward ethical purchases this year:

Shop local

Using your buying power locally means building up your own community - and that’s always a big win for everyone. Not only that, your purchase doesn’t need to be shipped halfway around the globe, meaning you aren’t contributing to carbon emissions that can come with purchases from mass market retailers.

Shop Silk Scarves

 ~product~berry-silk-scarf-sakura~

Shopping locally also often means finding a unique, handmade gift (like Shibori tie-dye, for just one example) - people will know you really thought about them when you shopped for their gift. Local antique shows, thrift stores and farmer’s markets are also great places to find one-of-a-kind gifts and are a fun way to spend an afternoon.

Do your research

Depending on what kind of gift you are looking for, there are usually hundreds of options for every item on your list. You are the consumer with buying power, so you choose to spend your money on the brand that will do the most good with your dollars. Look for responsible and transparent supply chains, and companies that use sustainable materials, pay workers fairly, and demonstrate a commitment to doing good with the public platform they have.

Shop Sweatshirts

 ~product~copy-of-orange-yellow-sweatshirt-for-men-women-organic-cotton-sunburst-modern-shibori~

Sustainable packaging and wrapping

“If every American family wrapped just 3 presents in reused materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.”3

There just isn’t any reason to use as many packaging and wrapping materials as we currently use in America. Take your own bags to stores, search for products packaged in recycled and sustainable materials, and get creative with your wrapping! Use scarves, or reuse maps or even last year’s cookie tins to create beautiful and unique gift presentations. Get creative on how to upcycle pieces of cloth or paper as gift wrapping.

Modern Shibori is here for your holiday shopping needs

Modern Shibori is a sustainable fashion brand and clothing manufacturer. We are committed to making a difference all year-round. Not only that, we’ve got something for everyone you love this holiday season, from tie-dye shirts and tunics to organic pants and leggings that last a lifetime - truly sustainable clothing

Each beautiful garment is made to order with organic fabric, dyed by hand using the Japanese resist manual dying technique called Shibori. And, for every order you make until December 19th, we’ll plant a tree. That’s a gift that keeps right on giving!

What other ways can you reduce your carbon footprint as a holiday shopper? Let us know in the comments down below.

Resources:

1https://theboar.org/2020/12/environmental-impact-christmas/ 2https://www.wethrift.com/articles/green-holiday/ 3https://blogs.cdc.gov/yourhealthyourenvironment/2018/12/10/go-green-for-the-holidays-2/

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