- Food planning: A lot of food ends up in the trash at Christmas. The first step is therefore to optimize food orders and purchases.
- Manage food waste: Despite good planning, food may be left over. Don't throw it away if possible. Instead, donate it to employees or introduce a food-sharing system.
- Use compost bins: Introduce compost bins for your organic waste and encourage employees to separate their waste. This prevents food scraps from ending up in regular trash. These solutions make composting easier: wormsystems, Komposter and Damn Plastic.
The "better" gifts for employees and customers Quality over quantity – this also applies to gift giving. After all, one in seven Europeans receives material gifts they don't need. Christmas gifts for employees and customers are a nice gesture. If you absolutely want to give them gifts, at least make sure that the gifts are truly useful. In addition, wrapping physical gifts usually requires a large amount of wrapping paper. In Vienna alone, around 300 tons of paper are thrown away during Christmas week.
Here's how:
- Give experiences: Non-material gifts produce less waste and are gladly used. Kill two birds with one stone by gifting a workshop or training on climate protection or other topics relevant to your company. This raises awareness within the company and among your stakeholders.
- Give second-hand or homemade gifts: Already-read books, homemade candles, tea blends, jams, or juices are something that can bring great joy to colleagues and loved ones. Willhaben, refurbed, and other virtual marketplaces are also ideal for giving products a second life.
- Give a donation as a gift: Easily support measures to mitigate climate change and donate money to an environmental organization in the name of the gift recipient.
- Choose sustainable brands: Non-material gifts are more environmentally friendly. If you still want to give material gifts, you should opt for second-hand items or sustainable and local brands. These products and providers will support you in purchasing sustainable gifts: Sunnybag, Waterdrop, Das Merch, Soulbottles, ...
- Avoid wrapping paper: Recyclable paper is a good alternative to classic wrapping paper. An old newspaper can also serve as alternative wrapping paper. Caution: Tape and glitter make recycling wrapping paper almost impossible!
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas… Thanks to sustainable decorations! A decorated Christmas tree, sparkling string lights, festive decorations – all this creates a Christmas atmosphere in the company. However, when decorating your office, be sure to pay attention to which Christmas decorations you use!
Here's how:
- Choose the Christmas tree carefully: Around 30 million Christmas trees are purchased in Germany every year. If you opt for a natural tree, make sure it can be recycled or even replanted after Christmas. There is also the option of renting a Christmas tree for the holiday season and having it picked up and replanted. If you're considering buying an artificial tree, you should be sure to use it for at least twelve years. That's because the CO2 footprint of an artificial tree is 12 times higher than that of a natural one that is subsequently burned as firewood.
- Reuse decorations: Don't buy new decorations every year – reuse them. Another idea is to make tree decorations yourself. There are many DIY tutorials online – the ideal team-building activity!
- Think about the lighting: Use LED lamps for your Christmas decorations. They are 75% more efficient than incandescent bulbs. Remember: saving energy avoids greenhouse gas emissions!