Inevitably, print is synonymous with Christmas. Christmas cards, wrapping paper, gift tags, menus, invitations, tickets, you name it, you’ll see a need for it at Christmas. Now, we’re not telling you to stop buying print, it’s always going to be needed, what we did want to highlight was its impacts. Whether it’s waste, or un-recyclable, we wanted to highlight some of the harsh realities of what happens to print after Christmas and how you can help do your bit to lower what ends up in landfill.

Paper and card consumption

Consumers in the UK use 227,000 miles of wrapping paper each year – over 83km2 of this ends up in the bin. The amount of wrapping paper thrown away could reach the moon – equivalent to 384,400 km. A lot of wrapping paper ends up in the bin because it’s bejewelled with festive glitters and shiny paper rendering it un-recyclable. Instead of opting for glittery paper, because let’s face it, it’s also super messy, take a look at our wrapping paper.

A personalised festive design can make your client’s gift look highly professional. Our wrapping paper is produced on A1 or A2 sheets folded down to 16pp either A4 or A5 which means no roll. No excess to go to waste and no extra inner cardboard tube either. You’ll be glad to know our wrapping paper comes on stocks that are recyclable and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC).

Did you know that one-third of all Christmas cards go into landfill? Royal Mail estimates that it delivers 150 million cards during the Christmas period, with the typical person discarding 24 Christmas cards once the festive period is over.  

One of the biggest factors with Christmas cards is over-consumption. Ever find yourself sending cards to people just because you have spares? When we give standardised quantity options, we realise that we are sometimes forcing clients to order more cards than they really need. This overproduction can mean a lot of waste for either us or you and your clients. If you can’t see the quantity option you need, you don’t have to order more than necessary. With our custom quantity feature you can enter exactly the right amount you need  – saving you money as well as minimising waste. You’ve also got the option to order Christmas cards on a range of luxury yet recyclable stocks that are FSC certified.

Just one tonne of recycled paper would save 17 trees, 18.7 square feet of landfill space, and a vast 4,000 kilowatts of electricity.

Unwanted gifts

Every year, as much as £42 million worth of Christmas gifts are unwanted (and sent to landfill). Although not as exciting as a new iPad per se, we do have a range of brandable gift options that you and your customers will love and use. Calendars, diaries, mugs and tote bags are just some of the office essentials that you and your clients can be sure will get used, and enjoyed well into the New Year.

Christmas hospitality

When it comes to Christmas food, approximately 1.6 billion tons of it go to waste yearly. If this was recycled into energy, it could power an average UK home for around 57 years. Now, at Route 1 Print, we can’t help with food and drink solutions, but we can help with the products that tend to correspond. Christmas parties, restaurants and bars often have a requirement for print. Whether that’s menus, place names or signage, you can expect a demand. With many people choosing one-use menus and specifically themed print, it’s hard to reuse and reduce waste. However, we’ve got a few tricks up our sleeve. 100% recycled stocks, menus that can be laminated and reused and signage that will stand the test of time are just some of the things we can offer. Why not read our Hosting a Sustainable Christmas Party blog for more tips and advice on throwing a fun-packed festive party without impacting the environment!

Eco-friendly delivery

With more and more people doing their Christmas shopping online, there’s a higher demand for delivery. Christmas is by far the busiest period for delivery services in the UK and this year is shaping up to be no different. With an increase in delivery vehicles on the road, it’s not always the best news for the environment. When you use Route 1 Print, however, you can be safe in the knowledge that we make use of DPD’s clean, green delivery. From their electric vehicles to recycled packaging, you can be sure that we’re doing everything we can to create an environmentally friendly delivery service. Read more about it in our blog here.

At Route 1 Print, we’re always on the lookout for ways to better our carbon footprint. We want you to know that when you choose us to be your print supplier this Christmas, you can rest assured that we are doing what we can to make our factory environmentally friendly. Take a trip to our sustainability page to read more about what we’re doing or check out our Christmas hub for further festive inspiration.