This holiday season, online shopping purchases are expected to increase 13% year-over-year. It’s convenient to get all of your shopping done from the comfort of your couch, but it comes with the added cost of managing extra packaging materials, which is often plastic.  As we become aware of the implications of plastic on our planet and us, our team is sharing a few ways in which we’ll be more mindful this holiday season.  

• Shop local to reduce your shipping material waste! There are so many great options to find the perfect gift for everyone on your list.  You can still bring your own bag too, or use the bag for wrap (see below).
• Choose a plastic-free gift or shop from zero-waste retailers like Well Earth Goods, which adheres to earth-friendly shipping practices.
• Order fewer gifts on Amazon, and bundle online orders to arrive in fewer packages / on the same day.
• For giftwrap, re-use gift bags you already have and opt for bags instead of wrapping paper, which isn’t reusable. Or use old newspapers with well-positioned headlines.
• Give books and e-books.
• Give the gift of an experience, like a snowboarding pass, a spa day, cooking lessons or dinner at a sustainable restaurant like Coltiva. Gift your friends to a great new service to recycle the hard-to-recycle items like packaging envelopes: Ridwell is a startup changing the way we managing our plastic film, packaging envelopes, batteries, light bulbs, Styrofoam and more!
• Give the gift of spring with a ticket to the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival, which features bespoke floral mannequins from Fleurs de Villes this year. Or for the DIY homeowner in your life, gift them tickets to the Tacoma Home & Garden Show.
• It’s tough to keep up with an exercise regimen during the cold winter days. Give the gift of a subscription to the Bodypeace app by DeLacy Wellness for all-ages exercises and stretches to do all year long!
• And we know shopping goes hand-in-hand with coffee, so remember to bring our reusable coffee mug!

Are you thinking about packaging waste this holiday season? How will you manage it?