Discover three chic, easy ways to wrap a gift like a sustainability pro.

We know a gorgeously wrapped present can bring just as much joy, if not more, than the gift itself! However, when we found out that 230,000 miles of wrapping paper ends up in US landfills every year, we decided it was time to clean up gift wrapping! 

Read on to get the dos and don’ts from the gift-wrapping pros to create chic, sustainable wrapping using materials you have at home. Create a special moment for your loved ones and help eliminate the physical (and financial) waste associated with gift wrapping!

Just in time for gifting season:

1. Learn how to avoid tearing and smudging when using last weekend’s newspaper as a fun and sustainable alternative to going out and buying glittery gift wrap. 
2. Discover the three most important things the gift-wrapping pros say you need to know when using a paper grocery bag as a sustainable blank canvas option for your gift wrapping.
3. Get tips and tricks to give your reused gift bag, box, or tissue paper new life.  

Use old newspaper: 

Follow these 4 tips from gift-wrapping pros to use an old newspaper to create polished gift wrapping! 

1. Wrap with 3 layers of newspaper. Newspaper can tear easily; tripling up the newspaper sheets increases strength and also allows for crisp folded edges that offer an elevated look.
2. Prevent ink smudges. Avoid pages with large headlines or photos. Instead, opt for pages with small type to reduce smudging.
3. Really catch their eye. If you want to add a bit of color, turn to the funnies, food, or a special feature. Make it personal by picking a section that makes you think of the person you’re wrapping the present for. Newspapers often have great holiday content too if you’re looking for a seasonal touch!
4. Top it off with yarn or twine. Finish your gift off with whatever you have available. Use an old ball of yarn you have sitting around, colorful twine, or a sprig of clipped pine to bring a small but sophisticated final touch to your gift. 

Use a paper grocery bag

Follow these 3 tips from gift-wrapping pros to create personalized wrapping using an old paper grocery bag.  

1. Cut the bag to optimize the amount of paper you have to wrap. Create a blank canvas by cutting down the length of the bag until you get to the bottom. Then cut around the bottom of the bag until you have cut the bottom rectangle out. You’ll be left with a long rectangle. 
2. Ditch the generic transparent tape. Paper grocery bags are thicker and heavier, so opt for a stronger tape option to make sure your wrapping holds together.
3. Add a final touch to make it pop. If you have a ball of yarn (that one you got when you were going to learn to knit a sweater a few years ago will do) or some random twine lying around, use that to wrap around your present and add a simple bow. Feeling really inspired? Cut a sprig of greenery, add a seashell, or use a feather or another natural, personal touch. 

Reuse old gift wrap

Reusing gift bags, boxes, and tissue paper conserves resources, reduces waste, and means you save yourself the money you would have spent buying brand new wrapping! Ensuring the wrapping looks as good as it did the first time can be as simple as what you use your saved wrapping for. Here are a few easy tips to make sure your reused wrapping looks like new:

• Reusing tissue paper? Try wrapping the soft gifts, think socks or T-shirts, on your list! The crinkled look is unavoidable with these types of gifts, so no one will be the wiser that you used the same tissue paper as last year.
• Reusing wrapping paper? It can be hard to reuse wrapping paper because of how it creases, folds, and tears during unwrapping. Instead of using it as wrapping paper a second time, try cutting old wrapping paper to create new gift tags.
• Reusing gift bags and boxes? Make sure you have a dedicated space to store bags and boxes—as long as you have a storage solution that ensures they don’t get crushed or damaged, you can continue to reuse the same gift bags and boxes again (and again). 

Happy washing and happy wrapping, Soapplyers!