The difficulties in which the fight against the climate crisis is trudging globally, as demonstrated by Cop28 in Dubai, once again highlight the importance of not shying away from small (but big) individual changes. In this sense, the Festivities also provide an excellent opportunity to enact lifestyles that support the services that forests perform-from carbon capture to biodiversity and soil preservation to water cycle regulation and the recreational opportunities that responsible forest management can provide. Responsible forest management, certified by the FSC Forest Stewardship Council “sticker,” is an important choice opportunity that every citizen intent on preserving the global forest heritage can support. In fact, FSC is the NGO that has been promoting forest raw material supply chains for 30 years that protect not only the environment, but also local communities and economic sustainability.
Trees enter our homes in many forms, particularly in the form of paper and wood, and this poses a great challenge for domestic sustainability. Here then, even the choice of Christmas gifts can be directed toward sustainable packaging and forest-based raw materials from responsible management of forest systems.
On the toy side, Chicco’s (Artsana) ECO+ line deserves a mention: made with 80 percent recycled plastic, they are a Made In Italy line designed by Chicco with respect for the environment. The boxes are recyclable and the paper used comes from forests responsibly managed according to FSC standards.
For those who instead choose to give (or give themselves) a diary as a gift, the “motivational” ones for 2024 LifePlanner are made from FSC-certified paper and are available in both 12- and 16-month versions (September 2023 to December 2024) and come in different sizes: small, large and Limited Edition.
On the clothing side, the sportswear range of the Bolognese brand Macron has FSC certified packaging: the paper used for the packaging of t-shirts, shorts and tracksuits (for leisure, individual and team sports) comes from a transparent and certified according to the international standards of the Forest Stewardship Council.
The choice of packaging sustainability is also a strong point in the field of cosmetics. Starting with L’Erbolario: for almost ten years to reduce its environmental impact, along with other practices the brand has decided to use paper certified according to international FSC standards for packaging, calendars, agendas, brochures, leaflets and catalogs. Forest-friendly packaging also for Omia ecobio laboratories, a cosmetics brand of Manetti&Roberts and Bioclin (Istituto Ganassini): 100 percent of the paper material used comes from FSC-certified forests and other controlled sources.
Finally, if you choose to give something sweet as a gift, you can opt for the sought-after Perugia-based brand of chocolates Vialetto 1893 (Colussi Group), which likewise uses only FSC-certified paper for its highly original packaging of bars and pralines.
Once the holiday season is over, the packaging of these products can be sent for recycling, thus promoting virtuous systems of reuse: according to Comieco data, 3.6 million tons (+0.6 percent) of paper and cardboard were collected in our country in 2022, with a recycling rate exceeding 80 percent. Recycling these materials also means less pressure on the world’s forests, as some of the fiber obtained can be used to create new paper and cardboard.
