Environmental sensitivity of the society is growing, in some areas we are doing quite well with making responsible decisions that support the reduction of negative impact on the environment. The results of the latest survey commissioned by the Ministry of Climate and Environment show that 81% of respondents assess their ecological attitude very well or rather well in relation to various activities for the benefit of the environment (1). At the same time, we are worried about the state of the environment and aware of the climate change (2).
In search of a perfect gift
Life before Christmas always seems to accelerate. In the multitude of additional tasks related to the preparation for joint celebration, we do not always have the time, idea or desire to look for a unique gift, which often ends up with the purchase of a random knick-knack. This year, we will spend an average of PLN 500 on gifts (3) – this is quite a large amount of money, especially if we assume that part of it will be spent on things that we do not really need and will not make their recipients happy.
Maybe this year's thinking about shopping can be used to introduce new family habits, thanks to which the environment will also benefit. One of the most radical solutions is to resign from gifts. For some of us making a joint decision that we will not find another pair of socks or cosmetics under the Christmas tree may be the best solution. Instead, you can agree to spend time together in a way that will be satisfying for your loved ones.
"Second hand" gifts
However, if the tradition is stronger, you can, resigning from the element of surprise determine what our needs are and decide to buy one common but right gift. It is also worth persuading your loved ones to giving "second-hand" gifts. We are used to buying second-hand goods – maybe this method will also work out with gifts? Books we have read, CDs that we no longer listen to, wrong purchases (clothes, jewellery or toys) can be a great gift that perfectly fits into the principle of extending the life of products. Ecology can be reconciled with the joy of receiving Christmas gifts. The reuse rule can also be applied to packaging, not just gifts. Thanks to this, hand-packed items gain extra charm.
Consumer awareness and Christmas shopping fever
For several years, in the pre-Christmas period, the number of thematic products, for instance, clothing, has been growing. Media messages encourage us to buy, for example, a sweater with a reindeer. The availability of products and their relatively low price make us consider them as possible choices for gifts. However, before we make a decision about such a purchase, it is worth being aware of the environmental costs that such purchases result in.
According to the estimated data from the UK, 12 million Christmas sweaters were sold there in 2019 alone, every year every third person aged 35 or younger buys it. An analysis performed by Hubbub showed that the majority of the sweaters that were sold were made of raw materials containing plastic (95% of the 108 tested sweaters).
However, consumer awareness in this area was not too high – only 29% of the respondents had knowledge about the material used to produce Christmas clothing. Currently, we realise that microplastics coming from, among others, washing clothes made of petroleum-based materials or from piling up mountains of plastic waste, which remain in the environment literally for centuries, are a huge problem. What's worse, the majority of these clothes will be used only during Christmas and will be lying in the wardrobe unused later on. It's great that when thinking about gifts, we have a choice.
Gifts with a social mission are also worth adding to the list of alternative gift purchases. They let us combine the joy of helping with the joy of giving. Gifts from local makers and small unique brands or socially and environmentally sustainable enterprises are also a good idea.
In the era of widespread overconsumption, looking for ways not to give in to the magic of shopping may be a new tradition that will permanently stay in our pro-environmental behaviour.
Bibliography:
(1) Ekologiczne zachowania Polaków Raport Klimat tworzą ludzie, Ministerstwo Klimatu i Środowiska, https://www.gov.pl/web/edukacja-ekologiczna/ekologiczne-zachowania-polakow-raport-klimat-tworza-ludzie, 5.12.2022
(2) Raport Ziemianie atakują 2022, https://ziemianieatakuja.pl/, 5.12.2022.
(3) https://www.pap.pl/aktualnosci/news%2C1495839%2Cile-wydamy-w-tym-roku-na-swieta-polacy-szukaja-oszczednosci-min-na
Author of the commentary: Dr Agata Rudnicka, Faculty of management, University of Lodz