Studies show that people value their gifts more when they have to unwrap them. Why? Well simply because you have taken the time to wrap their present to make it extra special. But who here loves to receive a gift where they haven't had any gift wrapping with it? Exactly, no one. 
 

But now with the current state of factors affecting our planet, we need to start taking into consideration what is happening around us. Especially when it comes to gift wrapping during any occasion you can think of. The main one is Christmas, so how can we play our part in helping the planet and the environment around us? Let’s find out, shall we…
 

The Issue with Conventional / Traditional Wrapping Paper

So after we have unwrapped our present, how do we avoid all that wasted paper? 

The truth is, it’s not that easy to dispose of or recycle. There are different types of wrapping, for example, metallic and shiny wrapping papers that can’t be recycled, as well as bows or ribbons. 
 

The synthetic chemicals and dyes used to produce the majority of wrapping paper make it unsuitable for recycling and burning. What makes things even worse is that many conventional gift wraps come coated in the plastic film - a single-used plastic, which we all try to avoid. 

We haven’t even started talking about expenses… 

There’s a lot of money being spent on something that is designed to look good but then to be ripped up and thrown away. Not to mention the extra cost worldwide to dispose of, recycle and burn it. Time, energy, and space is the main factor in all of this. 

But that’s just for its disposal, it costs, even more, to cut the trees down, transport them, refine them and eventually make them into the things we use today, like paper, wood for construction, etc. So now we have spoken about the costs to cut the trees down and dispose of gift wrap after a single use we can see it definitely adds up. Especially when the wood is a highly demanded commodity all over the world and we are very rapidly running out of it. 
 

What can we do about it? 

There’s a lot to consider when it comes to traditional gift wrapping, but being wasteful is a huge factor. We can reduce this by simply using what you already have. 

The conventional wrapping paper you will find in supermarkets and card shops is made from poor-quality materials that are just simply dyed, coated in plastic, and decorated with glitter. As we mentioned earlier, these are single-use plastic that we all try to avoid. Why? Plastic is created from fossil fuel, crude oil, which contributes to our global climate change. 

But what can we do about it? On the other hand, we have paper, which today seems like the more eco-friendly alternative to plastic until you know and understand where it comes from. 

Trees store carbon, which is awesome, but when we cut them down to make paper, this greenhouse gas is released into the atmosphere. You might argue that yes, we can plant more trees but they take many years to grow. The world uses a lot of paper. Cutting down trees is creating high levels of deforestation, which again causes climate change and it’s not slowing down due to the high demand for wood and paper. 
 

What’s the best thing I can do? 

The best thing you can do for the planet (and your bank balance) is to use what you already have. Let’s start by using newspapers to wrap our gifts. As you have already discovered, wrapping gifts with glitter paper gets everywhere, on the table, sofas, carpet, and clothes. On some occasions, glitter can end up on your face and hair. Single-use paper is wasteful and you can buy recycled brown paper in WHSmith. Make sure the brown paper is 100% recycled because it is not an environmentally friendly option. 
 

Did you know that we do gift wrapping? 

Firstly, here at Chuckling Cheese, we wrap gifts for you here at our cheese headquarters, by our expert cheese team. A perfectly wrapped gift sent to a loved one will make their day. Our gift wrapping services are the ideal extra to add to your gift hampers, why? It’s a massive time and money saver, especially if you struggle with wrapping. 

A quality gift wrapping service provides a beautifully presented gift with no mess or leftovers, which is what we provide. What gift sizes do we wrap? 

Here at Chuckling Cheese, we wrap gifts of all sizes, from just the standard wine bottles to our build your own gift boxes, and gift hampers. Simply scroll to the ‘Add a little extra’ section and select ‘Gift wrap it’ 

Browse our cheese gift boxes and gift hampers section and don’t forget to add gift wrap to your order for a beautifully presented gift box for a loved one. 

Note: You cannot buy gift wrapping individually.