Six sustainable Christmas ideas for 2024

The Christmas period is a great opportunity to get involved in creating a more sustainable future. There are many things you can do to have a more ocean-friendly festive season. From reducing your plastic use to mixing up the seasonal menu, we share our top sustainable Christmas tips.

Make this holiday season single-use plastic free

11 million tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean every year, but small steps can help reduce this and make a big difference to the health of our seas.

Could you make a pledge to avoid single-use plastic this season? From the cards you send and the gifts you buy or make to the wrapping paper and gift bags you package them up in, there are plenty of plastic-free options for more sustainable gifting.

Look for cards without plastic film or glitter and opt for recyclable wrapping paper, such as FSC-certified brown paper, old newspapers or magazines, or opt for re-usable wraps instead. You can also reuse paper gift bags from past presents, removing or leaving the gift tag blank so your recipient can reuse it again!

Use gentle but effective eco-friendly cleaning products

If you're hosting festivities at yours, you may be cleaning up in advance of guests (and Santa) arriving. You don't need to use countless bottles and sprays containing bleach and harsh chemicals to tackle dirt and grime - there are more ocean-friendly products which will leave your surfaces sparkling.

Why not visit your local refill store and stock up on their refillable cleaning products? These are a great way to cut down on plastic waste and allow you to only buy the amount you need.

Whichever products you buy, try to opt for those with minimal plastic packaging - but ensure to use up any products you currently have first.

Fish-friendly washing up

We all dread tackling the piles of Christmas dinner dishes, but some simple swaps can make the post-meal clean-up a bit kinder to the ocean.

Swap your plastic dish brush for coconut or sustainable bamboo alternatives, and replace your dish cloths with natural, compostable sponge alternatives.

Opting for a dish soap made with natural ingredients, such as olive and coconut oil, helps prevent chemicals washing down our drains and into our waterways. These often come in recyclable cardboard packaging, rather than single-use bottles, so it's another win for our seas.

You can get refillable washing-up liquid, too.

Credit: Sarah Chai

If fish features on your festive menu or you're thinking of swapping turkey for something a bit different this year, check our Good Fish Guide to see sustainable seafood options. Download the Guide straight to your phone from www.mcsuk.org/goodfishguide

Here are some great options to make your festive feasts more ocean sustainable:

Swap smoked salmon for smoked farmed trout – available in most supermarkets and farmed in freshwater ponds here in the UK. Trout has a similar taste to salmon, and your guests might not even notice the difference!
Serve farmed shellfish - choose hand-dived or farmed scallops for minimal impact on the seabed, or impress with classy canapés of stuffed mussels.
Pick the right prawns - Make sure the prawns in your prawn cocktail are from more sustainable sources; look out for the small pink prawns with the MSC blue tick label, or the larger tiger or king prawns, labelled Organic.

For more information check out our article on sustainable seafood tips for Christmas

Do a Boxing Day beach clean or litter pick

For many, a long walk on Boxing Day is a festive tradition. Or, you might be thinking of getting out in the fresh air for a while in the hours before your Christmas dinner.

If you’re lucky enough to be based by the sea, why not get family and friends involved in a bracing beach clean? This is a great way to make a positive impact and give back to the environment this festive season.

If you’re unable to get to the coast but still want to do your bit, why not clean up your local area instead? Simply take a bag and gloves with you and clear litter as you stroll around. You can do this anywhere: streets, parks or along rivers. So much of the litter found in our seas originates inland – so you’d be cleaning up the ocean if you take part in a Source to Sea Litter Quest!

Don't forget to record what you find for us as your cleaning data helps us campaign for change to reduce pollution.

If you are heading out, please make sure to wear something with high visibility, so you can be easily seen in the dark and dreary weather.

Making a difference this Christmas

By following some of the sustainable Christmas ideas suggested, you can celebrate the season knowing that you've made a positive difference. Though they may seem small, these changes will reduce your overall effect on the ocean at a period where our impact on the environment tends to be highest.

You may even adopt some of these changes beyond the festive period, further reducing your personal impact on the seas and their marine wildlife.

Show the ocean some love all year round

If you want to go one further and give a present to the ocean this Christmas why not also consider becoming a Marine Conservation Society member? Your support will allow us to set our sights on ambitious yet achievable goals for our sea and fund larger-scaled projects that will make a greater difference to the marine landscape and its inhabitants for years to come.