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News & Blog

Have yourself a sustainable Christmas

Posted: 1st December 2020

Although the Christmas season is a time full of magic, gift giving, decorations and delicious food, it is also a time that, unfortunately, results in a lot of waste going to landfill.

Research has shown that in Scotland alone 19,000 tonnes of wrapping paper is expected to be used this Christmas and around 95 million Christmas cards will be bought. When it comes to the food 264,000 turkeys are thrown away every Christmas, 7.5 million mince pies end up in the bin and 11.3 million roast potatoes will be wasted. Sadly, even our Christmas trees contribute significantly to the levels of waste with roughly 8 million real Christmas trees bought each year, with several million of them estimated to end up in landfill as a result of not being recycled correctly. These are just some of the facts that highlight Christmas isn’t always the most magical time of the year!

After an unprecedented year where the continuous threat of the climate emergency and the importance of a green recovery were widely discussed, The Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, along with Circular Edinburgh, want to highlight some of the ways you can help create a more sustainable Christmas and contribute in helping tackle the climate emergency.

Our campaign highlights some top tips and provides some ideas to help you reduce your environmental footprint while still maintaining the magic of Christmas. Whether that be deciding you will shop local this year, finding ways to reduce your food waste or deciding to get crafty to reduce the amount of packaging and wrapping paper that unfortunately ends up in the bin, we hope these suggestions provide some inspiration. Small but simple changes can have a large impact and will help you do your bit to protect the planet this Christmas.

The Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce and Circular Edinburgh wish you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas!

   

Business Comment

Business Comment is the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce’s bi-monthly magazine. It provides insight on Edinburgh’s vibrant business community, with features on the city’s key sectors, interviews with leading figures and news on new business developments in the capital.
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