As the months get colder, the excitement for this year's Christmas party fills the air. We’re all looking forward to letting our hair down, putting on our ugliest festive jumpers, and singing Michael Buble’s ‘White Christmas’ (badly and without shame). And yet, there’s a genuine possibility that it may never snow at Christmas again. And it’s not just snowflakes and snowmen, with cacao farmland shrinking more and more each year, even your Terry’s Chocolate Orange is at risk too.
While we all strive to make more sustainable choices day to day, the holiday season poses a significant challenge. The festive period sees a staggering 30% increase in waste across the UK, much of which stems from Christmas parties. Just think of all those uneaten mince pies, non-recyclable glittery cards, and masses of tangled Christmas lights frustratingly tossed away.
Public awareness and consumer demand for more sustainable Christmas parties have skyrocketed. This year, it’s not just about exchanging plastic cups for paper ones; we’re diving deep into festive decoration ideas, delicious food menus, and sustainable Christmas venues. Whether you’re planning a large eco-friendly event or a smaller more intimate festive soiree, we’ve rounded up the top tips for a sustainable Christmas party.
Some waste will always be inevitable, but now more than ever there are plenty of ways to make your event sustainable. Many of our sustainable Christmas party ideas are not only more aesthetically pleasing than the conventional festive repertoire, but with a little extra planning, they can save you some money. From opting for eco-friendly decorations to mindful gift-giving, we can transform our holiday celebrations into a force for good. Scroll on to discover our favourite ways to make your Christmas party more sustainable.
Why make Christmas parties more sustainable?
The simple fact is, as great as all the excess and luxury of the festive period is, most Christmas parties today involve unnecessary waste. It’s not just in the form of unwanted gifts and uneaten food, at almost every stage - from the party invite to the taxi trips home - festive events contribute to global climate instability. So why not put a little more thought into it, and be kinder to our planet this year?
How hard is it to make Christmas parties more sustainable?
Sustainable Christmas parties aren’t one size fits all. Just a few minor changes can have a big impact, you don’t have to change every aspect. Some choices might seem obvious, like choosing the right venue, others simply take a little communication between you and your guests so you’re all on the same page. These are just a few ideas that will hopefully spark some inspiration.
Top tips for making your Christmas party more sustainable
Eco-conscious ways to reduce waste, have fun, and minimise your carbon footprint without compromising on festive cheer. Whether it's digital invitations or an accredited venue, just a little extra planning can go a very long way.
1. Send paperless invitations
Paper invitations can be pretty pricey, and let's be real, most of them end up straight in the bin after the event. Digital invitations are a fraction of the cost, less likely to get lost, and can be added directly to the recipient’s calendar - so you can get RSVPs almost instantly.
Good paperless invites are never boring, and there are plenty of websites and apps that allow you to create a bespoke invitation, meaning you can also let guests know about any sustainable Christmas party ground rules.
![Blue digital invite and white one with cartoon santa]()
2. Encourage waste-free gifts
Each year, we use enough wrapping paper to stretch around the world nine times, and that’s just in the UK. Much of the paper at this time of year is backed with foil or peppered with glitter. We all love sparkly gifts, but more often than not shimmery wrapping paper isn’t recyclable. It causes major malfunctions in recycling facilities and contaminates the recyclates produced, preventing them from resale.
Old newspaper sheets, colourful magazine pages, or brown parcel paper tied up with twine or a little cloth ribbon are just as cute - and more charming too. Remember to set up a recycling station nearby, and for extra brownie points, why not encourage your guests to buy second-hand Secret Santa gifts?
![Pile of brown paper wrapped gifts tied with ribbons]()
There’s also the option to wrap the presents in a scarf or handkerchief, which then becomes part of the gift too!
3. Consider a sustainable dress code
Whether the dress code is casual, smart, or goofy, everyone wants to dress up and splash out for a sparkly getup or whacky Christmas jumper - probably one they’ll never wear again. After all, it’s the event of the year. Instead, consider implementing a dress code that encourages charity shopping, hand-me-downs, borrowed Christmas jumpers or clothing made from recycled materials. It’s a great way to minimise environmental impact (and maximise closet space while you’re at it).
4. Promote low-emission travel
Few people want to cycle to a Christmas party, and with sparkling wine toasts and glasses of Port post-dinner, it’s probably not a good idea anyway. But there are safer ways to minimise transport emissions.
When venue-hunting, consider locations with good transport networks, ask guests to make use of public transport and encourage carpooling or shared cab rides. Alternatively, you can organise an electric or hybrid coach to ferry everyone to and from the location.
![Central london with Christmas lights and red bus]()
Top tip: use your digital invites to recommend alternative travel routes and arrangements.
5. Find a suitable venue
A surefire way to host a sustainable Christmas party is to find a venue well-versed in eco-friendly events. Now more than ever, event venues are designed with energy-efficient lighting, bio-diverse roof gardens, and recycled materials. All you need to do is look out for sustainability awards when you're assessing your options. Some venues might even have their own renewable power supply.
![Table with Christmas decorations and view of London]()
Rose Court Events, for example, has incorporated recycled materials throughout and installed 130 square metres of rooftop solar panels
Others, like Techspace venues The Lightwell and The Loading Bay, advocate for sustainability by integrating eco-friendly practices into their core operations. This holistic approach fosters a workplace culture dedicated to achieving net zero alongside low-carbon event management strategies.
‘At Techspace our vetted caterers are dedicated to reducing waste and lowering their carbon footprint too, so our events business has a lower carbon footprint day in, day out. Eliminating single-use plastics and serving on ceramic platters we've chosen local suppliers and ensured their deliveries are made using carbon-neutral methods like electric bikes.’
- Alanta Gregory, Event Manager at Techspace.
6. Think about the food and drink
Part of the charm of a great Christmas venue is that the festive feast is all taken care of. It’s no different with environmentally friendly Christmas parties. Green & Fortune, the catering team behind Rose Court Events, King’s Place and Sea Containers Events, is known for its sustainable seasonal sourcing - drawing ingredients from local well-managed crops, domestic producers, and its own farm in Northumberland.
![Bartender grates nutmeg on Green & Fortunes drink]()
All too often, drinks menus aren't paid the same attention when it comes to sustainability, so it's always worth looking that too.
‘Across all three of our venues, we have increased our efforts for Christmas parties to be more sustainable. Our cocktails focus on making use of ingredients that would otherwise go to waste - such as a cutting board syrup made from citrus tops and tails and a flat sparkling wine syrup which makes the most of opened bottles. We’ve also added many B-Corp and Fairtrade products to our lists.’
- Rebecca Eatough, Marketing Director at Green & Fortune.
7. Forego the turkey
Christmas dinners are synonymous with turkey and gravy, but our tastes are evolving. Now, you’ll find plenty of vegetarian and vegan alternatives that are just as good (if not better than) a traditional meaty roast and have half the environmental impact. As a country, we’re blessed with a whole host of delicious seasonal vegetables, from pumpkins and potatoes to carrots and cabbage all waiting to be spruced up a little. A butternut squash Wellington, or mushroom pie can be just as satisfying.
![Table with veggie pie, asparagus and candles]()
8. Plan for food waste
When catering for large groups of people, some waste is inevitable. This is even more true when it comes to Christmas parties, the one calendar date in the year when you can indulge to the max. There are ways, however, to ensure that as little as possible ends up in the bin the next day. Precise head counts are a good start, particularly if you can get all the information you need about dietary requirements, but it makes sense to look into nearby food banks and local distribution schemes in advance. You can also set up a table for leftovers and offer recyclable takeaway boxes at the end of the main course so your guests can take a few bits home!
9. Avoid single-use plastics
The perils of single-use plastics are well known, so it makes sense to limit their use or replace them entirely. For more formal sit-down meals, it’s always best to provide regular cutlery and wash them, but for standing events and more informal fare paper plates might be a better option. Just look out for biodegradable paper plates, once soiled or oily, paper plates can’t be recycled. Think about the napkins too, cloth napkins are great for formal feasts, but a paper napkin from recycled materials might suit your Christmas party better.
10. Use sustainable crackers
Each year, roughly 40 million Christmas crackers end up in the bin. Up to 99% of miniature gifts, toys, and trinkets (most of them plastic) are thrown out immediately after use. And that’s all before we get into the realm of excessive packaging and glittery microplastics. That being said, Christmas crackers are a whole lot of fun, and fortunately, we’ve got some sustainable alternatives to get your Christmas dinner started off with a bang.
![left, cuboid cracker on table, right metal cracker gifts]()
Recyclable Christmas Cracker
Opt for plastic-free recyclable crackers, so you can throw the packaging, cardboard, paper ribbons and all straight into the recycling. Along with other festive goodies in the Marks & Spencer Christmas range, M&S offers Christmas crackers at a variety of prices, many of them recyclable and with plastic-free gifts inside. Keep an eye out for crackers with the FSC certification, these are products made with paper sourced from sustainably managed forests.
Reusable Crackers
If you’re looking for an even more eco-friendly option, reusable Christmas crackers are a good way to go. Some are recycled cloth crackers, which you simply untie, others have refillable ‘snaps’ so you can still have a little excitement. Not only can you personalise the contents for each guest, but you won’t have to worry about buying new crackers each year.
Christmas cracker alternatives
Christmas crackers serve one crucial purpose - delivering colourful Christmas hats. Making your own Christmas crackers can be a little time-consuming, but it’s worth considering different delivery systems. Perhaps a cute little box or gift bag with cloth Christmas hats, handwritten jokes, seed packets, keychains, and other goodies?
11. Rent a Christmas tree
Rent-a-tree services can deliver a real potted Christmas tree for you to spruce up with lights and look after, then collect it post-party and replant it for next year. Other sites allow you to rent pre-loved plastic trees, or buy second-hand ones at a fraction of the cost.
The UK dumps an estimated 160,000 tonnes of natural trees every January. Artificial trees need to be used ten times to justify their footprint, in reality, they’re thrown out after just four uses. So why not lend fake trees a second lease of life, or guarantee a natural pine can see another year?
![wooden horse bauble handing on pine tree]()
12. Forage your decorations
While we all love some sparkle now and then, there’s a lot to be said for the rustic charm of the more traditional festive decorations. Why not deck the halls with boughs of holly, strings of ivy, and sprigs of mistletoe this year - it’s all biodegradable and totally plastic-free. Plus, holly thrives best when pruned in December so grab your secateurs, or head down to your local florist
Just steer clear of your neighbours' gardens, collect in moderation, and check local bylaws! If you’re in need of some group festive cheer, making your own decorations can also be a great pre-party activity to get everyone in the mood.
![Left greenery in restaurant, right natural wreath]()
Stem+Stem, for example, offers wreath and centrepiece-making classes using British foliage so you can craft your own bespoke arrangements.
13. Choose seasonal flowers
If you’re short on time, organising deliveries of seasonal flower arrangements is another great option that’s more sustainable. Most cut flowers in the UK come from the Netherlands, but homegrown varieties can introduce all the Christmassy reds and greens you need to bolster your party atmosphere. We recommend Christmas roses and poinsettias.
It’s also a good idea to look out for greenhouse-grown amaryllis and chrysanthemums too, but keep an eye out for ethical certifications and producers with environmentally responsible production practices.
Christmas parties are all about fun, but it doesn’t have to be the same drinks-dinner-dancing routine as years gone by. Try something different, introduce some brilliant Christmas party games, and make sure everyone (even the scrooges) gets their share of festive spirit.