Simple Ways to Reduce Waste and Give Sustainably This Holiday Season

The holidays bring warmth, connection, and celebration — but they’re also one of the most waste-heavy times of the year. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, household waste increases by roughly 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, much of it from packaging, single-use wrapping paper, short-lived decor, and gifts that don’t last.

At Echo Market, we believe the holidays can feel abundant without being wasteful. Sustainable giving doesn’t mean sacrificing beauty or joy — it simply means choosing with care. It means honoring the people who make our products, the materials that come from the Earth, and the values that guide how we nourish ourselves and our communities.

Here are simple, meaningful ways to give sustainably and joyfully this season.

1. Choose Gifts That Last (and Leave a Lighter Footprint)

Cheap, disposable gifts create clutter and tend to end up in landfills quickly. In 2018 alone, the U.S. generated 17 million tons of textile waste, most of which was landfilled or incinerated rather than recycled.

Choosing high-quality, natural materials reduces your environmental footprint and creates a gift the recipient will truly use. All of the brands we carry at Echo, especially the small makers and women-owned lines, prioritize organic fibers, thoughtful production methods, and responsible packaging for this very reason.

Look for:

• Certified organic cotton, linen, hemp, wool, or recycled fibers
• Glass, ceramic, metal, or wood instead of plastic
• Products made in small batches with transparent sourcing
• Items with minimal or recyclable packaging

Why it matters: Thoughtfully made gifts last longer, are healthier, and support makers who prioritize sustainability from seed to shelf.

2. Gift Experiences Instead of Things

Experiences offer sustainability, community support, and the gift of connection. They create memories rather than landfill waste.

Whether it’s a pottery class, a farm share, or a botanical garden membership, experiences distribute value across an entire ecosystem from the local business hosting it to the joy of shared time and discovery.

Ideas that feel special:

• Spa or bodywork sessions
• Pottery, cooking, or crafting classes
• Museum or botanical garden memberships
• Local farm shares or wellness retreats
• Concert tickets or cultural events
• A planned cozy outing, winter hike, or slow morning together
  

Why it matters: Experiential gifts are clutter-free, emotionally lasting, and deeply human.

3. Shop Intentionally From Today Forward

Since we’re deep into December, “shopping early” is no longer the goal; “shopping intentionally” is.

Instead of relying on rushed shipping (which increases emissions and packaging waste), choose to shop slowly and thoughtfully from today onward. This is how we operate at Echo: small-batch orders, low-waste packaging, and intention behind every item we bring into the shop.

Try:

• Making a simple gift list today
• Asking recipients what they’ll truly use
• Choosing local, small-batch, or artisan-made items
• Avoiding impulse purchases and unnecessary shipping
  

Why it matters: Intentional shopping supports conscious makers, reduces returns (and return-related waste), and keeps your holiday season grounded rather than frantic.

4. Wrap Gifts Sustainably — Beautifully and Low-Waste

Most commercial wrapping paper isn’t recyclable due to glitter, foil, and plastic coatings. EcoCenter reports that Americans use 4.6 million pounds of wrapping paper annually—requiring approximately 17,000 barrels of oil to produce—and 2.3 million pounds end up in landfills.

Sustainable wrapping can be even more beautiful and thoughtful.

Consider:

• Reusing last year’s wrapping paper
• Kraft paper (recyclable)
• Fabric wraps (Furoshiki style)
• Upcycled paper from newspapers, outdated maps, etc.
• Reusable tote bags, baskets, or scarves
• Using natural accents like pine sprigs, dried citrus, or twine in place of plastic ribbon and other adornments
• Compostable tape
  

Why it matters: Sustainable wrapping reduces waste and creates a warm, handmade presentation your recipients will love.

5. Reduce Holiday Food Waste With Simple Planning

Holiday meals often lead to surplus food — and enormous waste. This year, ReFED estimated that 320 million pounds of food would be wasted on Thanksgiving alone, equivalent to 267 million meals.

Echo’s approach to nourishment is simple: choose real ingredients, shop local when you can, and honor the food you bring into your home.

Simple ways to minimize food waste:

• Plan portions thoughtfully
• Freeze leftovers or repurpose them into soups, broths, or bowls
• Compost scraps when possible
• Encourage guests to take home leftovers
• Shop local and seasonal ingredients
  

Why it matters: Reducing food waste lowers your environmental footprint while reinforcing abundance without excess.

6. Choose Natural, Reusable, or Compostable Decor

Post-holiday waste often includes synthetic garlands, plastic ornaments, and novelty decor made to last a single season. Natural decor offers warmth, beauty, and a lighter footprint.

Many of our favorite makers create wool, linen, beeswax, and ceramic holiday pieces designed to be reused year after year — heirloom pieces that become part of your story.

Eco-conscious decor ideas:

• Cedar and fir garlands
• Pine cones, eucalyptus, dried herbs
• Dried orange slices or cranberries
• Beeswax candles
• Wool stockings and linen textiles
• Wooden ornaments or handmade pottery
  

Why it matters: Natural materials biodegrade beautifully — and create a warmer, more timeless holiday aesthetic.

7. Choose Secondhand, Vintage, or Upcycled Gifts

Secondhand gifting is deeply sustainable — and often far more unique. Vintage sweaters, thrifted ceramics, handmade textiles, or a first-edition book carry history and heart.
Choosing secondhand also reduces demand for new manufacturing, which remains a major contributor to pollution, especially in the textile industry.

Secondhand gifting ideas:

• Vintage sweaters, scarves, coats
• Beautiful secondhand books
• Antique mugs, glassware, and pottery
• Upcycled textiles or handmade fiber art
• A curated thrift-store “treasure bundle”
  

Why it matters: Every secondhand purchase diverts an item from the waste stream and reduces environmental impact.

8. Give Handmade — A Personal and Low-Waste Option

Handmade gifts carry a unique emotional resonance. They reflect time, care, and creativity, whether you make the gift yourself or purchase it from an artisan.

Many of Echo’s makers are small- and women-owned businesses that produce in limited quantities, choose natural and organic materials, and honor every step of the supply chain. Their work isn’t just “less wasteful” — it’s regenerative, thoughtful, and rooted in craft.

Ideas:

• Herbal bath salts or oils
• Hand-poured beeswax candles
• A knitted hat or scarf
• Homemade cookies, bread, or granola
• A framed photograph or handwritten letter
• A curated “comfort ritual kit” with tea, a book, and cozy socks
  

Why it matters: Handmade gifts honor the maker, the recipient, and the planet — a beautiful triad of intention.

A Final Reflection

Sustainable giving isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence. It’s about choosing gifts that last, wrapping them thoughtfully, cooking mindfully, and honoring the stories behind the things we bring into our homes.

For new members of our Echo community: this is the heart of what we care about. Wellness is not just what you put on your skin or into your body — it’s how you relate to the world around you. It’s how you support local makers, how you choose textiles and materials, how you live in harmony with the seasons, and how you slow down enough to make conscious choices.

This holiday season, may your giving be slow, meaningful, and full of warmth — a celebration of the people you cherish, the planet we all share, and the kind of future we’re creating together.