The holidays are a time for giving, but they're also a period of tremendous waste. Think about all of the boxes, bows, and wrapping paper that get tossed into the garbage. The Environmental Protection Agency says that Americans generate more household trash—25 percent more, or about 25 million tons—than usual between Thanksgiving and the new year. But we can minimize the environmental toll by reducing, reusing, and recycling what we can. An easy place to start is with gift wrap.
To save a few trees this holiday season, try some new ways of dressing up your presents. For instance, instead of traditional wrapping paper, use a map for the adventurer on your list, or a section of the newspaper. (Try the dining section for your favorite foodie or the sports page for a superfan.) You can reuse traditional paper—as long as you unwrap gifts carefully and store the stuff neatly. Or you can buy green paper and other wrapping paper supplies made from recycled materials.
How does recycled gift wrap stand up? We tested and compared a few samples of recycled and virgin paper. We also looked at the various label claims so that you can sort out what you're really buying.
Check Consumer Reports' 2015 Holiday Guide for our picks of the best gifts, details on the latest deals, time-saving tips, and much more. And see our countdown calendar for top gift ideas for everyone on your list.
What Our Tests Found
In our labs, we tested three 100 percent recycled wraps (two from Earth Presents and one each from Earth Love'n Paper Products and Green Field Paper) against four virgin papers (two from American Greetings and one each from Hallmark and International Greetings). The recycled papers generally cost more; prices ranged from 15 cents per square foot for the cheapest virgin paper from American Greetings to 66 cents per square foot for the recycled Green Field paper.
We measured each sample's strength using an Instron, a device that slowly pushes a steel ball through the paper. Our technicians measured and recorded the force required to punch through the paper. We also noted how thick each sample was.
Not surprisingly, the thicker papers were the strongest—and the recycled papers were all thicker than the virgin products (including one labeled "heavy weight"). The biggest difference we found: The Earth Love'n wrap was three times as strong as one of the American Greetings papers, and it cost about three times as much.
The bottom line: Although the stronger, recycled papers are able to stand up to more abuse, all should withstand routine handling—if a wrapped box bounces around in the trunk of the car, for example.
What Those Labels Really Mean
No matter what wrap you buy, look for specifics on the labels of any recycled products, according to the Federal Trade Commission, which oversees labeling rules and polices the marketplace for misleading claims. How much of the product is made with recycled content? Look for the highest percentage of pre- and/or post-consumer recycled materials. (Post-consumer is the waste we toss into the trash; pre-consumer is materials that have been recovered or diverted from the solid-waste stream during manufacturing.) Unless the product contains 100 percent recycled materials, the label should tell you what portion is recycled, the FTC says. Also note whether recycled claims concern the product, the package, or both. And don't confuse recycled with "recyclable," which just means that a product can be recycled, not that it contains recycled materials.
Be aware that the claims are not regulated. Though the FTC hasn't come down on any gift-wrap maker for misleading labeling, a commission spokesman says that companies are not required to provide the FTC with evidence unless it is requested during an investigation.
"While purchasing products that display an eco-label indicating ‘100 percent recycled materials' offers a greater degree of assurance than products with labels that simply indicate ‘recycled material,' neither of these claims is verified by an independent third party," says Nicole Darnall, professor of management and public policy at Arizona State University's School of Public Affairs and School of Sustainability.
Editor's Note: This article also appeared in the December 2015 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.
