Why FSC® Wrapping Paper & Recyclable Cards Matter
According to Waste Mission, the UK uses around 227,000 miles of wrapping paper at Christmas alone — enough to circle the Earth nine times. We also exchange around one billion greeting cards in the festive season. Sadly, much of this beauty ends up in the bin, unable to be recycled due to glitter, foils, plastic coatings or excessive tape. The same is true for up to 75% of greeting cards. It’s a fleeting beauty with a lasting environmental cost.
Luckily there is a better choice: FSC-certified and fully recyclable papers and cards — beautiful to give and kind to the planet.
1. Protecting Forests for Future Generations
When you see the FSC mark, it means the paper comes from forests managed with care under rigorous environmental and social standards. Trees are harvested responsibly to reverse deforestation and maintain old-growth forests. Wildlife habitats — from rare birds to woodland wildflowers — are preserved. All workers and native communities receive training and are paid fairly. Your wrapping becomes more than packaging; it’s a quiet pledge to protect nature’s future.
2. Keeping Plastics Out of Our Soil and Water
A shimmering paper might look lovely in the moment, but glitter, laminates and metallic foils mean it cannot be recycled. These coatings linger long after the celebration, breaking down into microplastics.
3. Lowering the Carbon Footprint of Celebration
Recycling paper uses around 40% less energy and 50% less water than producing new paper from raw pulp. When your gift wrap starts life as FSC-certified paper, it’s already part of a cycle that respects forests, reduces waste, and treads lightly on the planet.
4. A New Kind of Luxury — Thoughtful Giving
Sustainability is the new measure of luxury. A beautifully wrapped gift, free from wasteful materials, says you’ve thought about more than just the present inside. It tells the recipient you care about them — and the world they live in. In our mind, there is no bigger gift than caring for today — and tomorrow.
5. Small Swaps, Big Impact
One household’s choice might seem small. But multiplied by millions, it means fewer trees cut down unsustainably, less waste in landfill, and cleaner air, water, and soil. It’s a quiet shift with a powerful ripple effect.
How We Design for Joy — and for Reuse
At The Life Cycle Design, we believe a beautifully wrapped gift or a thoughtfully chosen card has the power to delight many times over.
It begins when you select the perfect wrapping paper — one that reflects the personality of your loved one in addition to the gift. With the unwrapping, delighting with the whole package: the thoughtfulness of the best present and perfect wrapping paper. Reuse the wrapping paper for another gift, turn it into paper chains or origami, use it for scribbles or painting. Frame those greeting cards, cut them for journalling or making new cards. Finally, pop them into your household recycling bin to be regenerated into something new yet again.
Our Standards at The Life Cycle Design
- 100% recyclable. The Life Cycle Design was established in late 2024 and, during our learning curve, produced greeting cards which we discovered were not recyclable. We rectified this in December 2024 and all new cards fit our standards. We are phasing out the last remaining stock of Christmas cards.
- Printed on FSC-certified paper.
- Always free from glitter, foils and plastic coatings.
- Designed and printed in small batches in the UK.
- Wrapping paper and greeting cards will always be recyclable.
- Curated gifts on our website are chosen because they bring us joy and align with our eco-beautiful ethos.
- All packaging is compostable/recyclable.
- Designed for longevity: to embrace happiness in the moment, live a longer life through reuse, and be gentle on the planet afterwards.
Because we believe in doubling (if not quadrupling!) the joys of giving and receiving.