Just like that we are officially in December and a perfect segway to insert the cliché saying “where did the year go?”.

As we enter the final weeks of the year, we thought it would be good to share a few ways to be more sustainable during the holiday season.

In the last couple of blogs we shared how both brands and consumers can be more sustainable during Black Friday and other end-of-year sales.

So, this time round we’ll focus on the wider scope of the holiday season and how to potentially be a little more sustainable.

Here’s how to start?

One – Holiday Leftovers are the best thing!

Seriously, is there anything better than leftover Christmas food? For the meat lovers out there a left over leg of ham can produce weeks of lunches and meals.

Or a potato salad that’s marinated for a few days in the fridge after a party somehow enhances its taste and becomes almost magical when you pick at it.

For all the dessert lovers out there, a trifle that continues to absorb the fruit juices and custard is absolutely mind-blowing when you scoop a bowl on a hot summers day.

My point is don’t throw away perfectly good food!

At the end of the day it’s easy to be overwhelmed when you see all the leftovers, but if managed correctly you can make multiple meals and snacks.

Two – Bring containers for leftovers

This is really an extension of point one.

And there is no shame in bringing containers to a Christmas party in fact, it should be encouraged. Food waste is a real problem in our society as we highlighted in one of our recent blogs below.

Three – Quality not quantity

Over the years it feels like giving gifts can sometimes feel like a numbers game.

Especially when it comes to children.

The classic cliché comes to mind, which is “it’s the thought that counts” and not necessarily “counting” how many gifts you received.

At Hi-Tech Packaging we took this quite seriously and a couple of years ago decided to shift away from giving individual gifts to our customers (sorry valued customers of Hi-Tech Packaging) like wine, chocolates or even branded cheeseboards that will never see the day of light.

Instead we decided to donate what we would have spent on gifts to “Trees that Count”. As a result we have seen fantastic feedback from our customers.

Conclusion

There are so many ways to be more sustainable during the holiday season and I think it’s super easy to forget the reasons why we come together. Often it is to be with our friends and families and celebrate the year that was.

Being more sustainable doesn’t mean it should cost more. In fact, we would argue that the three points highlighted above are actually more cost-saving tips than they are sustainable tips.

So to conclude, leftover food after a Christmas party is the best! Bringing containers for the leftovers is a must! And quality over quantity makes more sense.

Till next time,

Team Hi-Tech Packaging