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Have you been thinking about Christmas given that Halloween is over (and Black Friday is just around the corner)? We have put together a handy little list of businesses helping customers make sustainable Christmas tree and decoration choices, and some who even let you rent a tree (fake or real) and give it back after the festive season.

1. GREEN ELF TREES

This 4-year-old Green Elf Trees will let you rent a tree now and collect it from anywhere in the M25 in January. They also offer a bunch of other options including purchasing a ready cut sustainably grown tree. 

The two young owners and creators of Green Elf Trees, Matt Bouloux & Caleb Silcock, only source trees exclusively from within the UK hence minimising carbon pollution, use a 100% electric-powered delivery fleet, and donate £2 to a charity of your choice with every tree purchase. We couldn't be happier about this. 

2. CHRISTMAS ON THE HILL

Not only cute by name but even cuter by nature, Christmas On The Hill is a family-run business that is committed to giving back by making sure that up to 20% of our profits go to help local schools. This year they'll even be delivering up to 50% of their trees via electric bike. Christmas On the Hill provides both trees and sustainable decorations, and for those busy people amongst us, you can even choose the decoration service and get the whole experience - tree decorations done and dressing all-inclusive!

 

3. ROOTED

Sara Tomkins has done something truly fantastic with her acreage. She created Rooted, to enable a more eco-friendly Christmas with living trees that are green for life. Now year after year, you get to give your tree back, have it replanted (with your name on it) and delivered back to you the following year until it's too big and no longer fit for purpose. And then they work with other organisations to have them moved to a bigger home. 

4. SUPREME CHRISTMAS TREES

A BCTGA-approved tree farm, Supreme Christmas Trees, is a family-owned business operating for over 30 years and working closely with local and European farmers to offer their customers eco-friendly trees from their Essex location. John, Paul, Joseph, Shane and Tyler, the partners have travelled extensively over Europe and Scandinavia as well as within England, Scotland and Ireland sourcing the best trees.

 

FINALLY...

BCTGA

Why not investigate yourself a little before getting a tree? Sites like the British Christmas Tree Growers Association (BCTGA) offer you some search functions so you can check just how sustainable your tree will be if you get it from a certain place. 

The Carbon Trust 

The Carbon Trust explain that a 2m-tall cut Christmas tree that ends up in landfill has a carbon footprint of 16kg, with the government estimating that the nation’s dumped Christmas trees generate in excess of 160,000 tonnes of waste every year. Having your Christmas tree chipped to spread in the garden can reduce the carbon footprint by up to 80%. Think carefully before you dispose of your tree in landfill by finding eco-friendly ways to ensure your tree ends up as wood chip, compost, or for other sustainable projects. Your local council is the easiest first step. 

And do drop us an email or Instagram tag and share your tree pics with us! We love an eco-friendly tree story.  

 

Info and resources: 
FAO and UNEP, The State of World’s Forests, 2020
Read more on buying your artificial vs real plant:
The Guardian
The Carbon Trust