Who doesn't love an advent calendar at this time of year?
The rest is history
The advent calendar was first mass-produced in Germany in the 19th and 20th centuries, where a series of religious winter scenes were put behind little doors, climaxing with the familiar nativity scene. Only after the 2nd world war did brands like Cadburys come up with the innovation to also include chocolates behind those doors, to captivate kids’ attention in the build-up to the big day.
The Good, the Fad, and the Ugly
Fast forward to today and there’s been a proliferation of products in this sector for your friends, family but also for your co-workers and colleagues. And whether you’re the boss of your business or the boss in your own home, one can’t help but notice this growing trend for choosing the best gifts and gadgets to conceal within. From miniature whiskies to wines, jewellery and even seasonal socks! In 2024, there’s literally an advent calendar for anything and in any home or work environment! But how sustainable are these branded boxes of seasonal joy?
Beauty and the beastly waste
There has undoubtedly been a huge amount of creative energy expelled upon this packaging in recent years, with retailers trying to outdo themselves. Whether it’s scented, singing or light up packaging the unboxing experience now adds to the theatre.
However, the single-use packaging waste it inevitably creates is significant, especially with businesses counting the cost of EPR fees for all associated materials, not just the plastic. At risk of being the Christmas Grinch, the sheer amount of material needed to deliver relatively small volumes of product isn’t ideal. Just take the beauty industry, as an example. They will put 24 tiny top-ups of product into single-use plastic before locking each item in a cardboard cell, then wrap the whole thing in plastic. The pots and tubes are too small to be captured in the recycling system, the boxes in which they hide are so strong they can’t be flattened to allow the recycling system to recognize them as Fiber and the soft plastic film is not yet widely recycled.
Have your Christmas cake and eat it
As with a lot of things you don’t need to create unnecessary waste to enjoy this tradition. Innovations in sustainable calendars are quickly catching up; from ethically sourced chocolates to edible calendars themselves for example. So the advent calendar of the future may not necessarily lead to poor environmental outcomes, unless of course the edible bit is then wrapped in unrecyclable material!
Online content countdown
One idea which has helped replace the need for physical gifts in recent years is the digital version of our favourite festive countdown. There are now many more online versions delivering virtual treats to your inbox daily in a more sustainable way. And as the December days tick by, these pictures can unlock funny messages, memes, or even animations.
In your good books
Then there’s the more altruistic examples of using Advent as a way of doing something positive for your community. We’ve seen literary twists using public libraries as a way to donate bundles of 24 individually wrapped books, curating selections for different age groups. Creating bundles of joy for younger children as well as for adults and at no charge.
Eat, Sleep, Gave, Repeat
The best countdown to Christmas is with one of the many refillable or reusable ideas. You can bring the same set of 24 compartments out each year and add your own little creative twist inside. People who try these, fill them with the most tasty, topical, or sustainable gifts of the day. There’s a wide range of sustainably sourced wooden and fabric styles available with the ability to personalize for loved ones.