Oh real Christmas tree, oh fake Christmas tree

On the 11th day of Christmas Cedrec gave to me, the most sustainable Christmas tree.

Putting up a Christmas tree signals the start of the festive season for many of us, but do we ever consider the environmental cost? With the choice of real or fake trees, and many variations in between, it's hard to know the best option!

Here we'll consider some of the pros and cons to help you make the best decision for this year, and the years to come...

Real Christmas trees

Many households prefer a traditional real Christmas tree, which can be seen as the better option if you do not already own a Christmas tree. Here are some things to consider when deciding to purchase a real tree...

Some of the good things about a real tree include:

• the option to recycle or upcycle the tree once you have finished with it;
• starting a compost pile, shredding it for chippings to use in the garden or using your old tree as firewood, once dried and seasoned;
• most Christmas trees are sustainable as they are not taken from natural forests but grown specifically to be used as a Christmas tree, and another tree will be planted to replace the one taken - make sure to check before you buy where your tree is from;
• if you really want to minimise your impact on the environment you can plant your tree into a pot and keep it all year around in the garden, bringing it back in at Christmas time;
• before they're chopped down, fir or spruce trees release oxygen throughout their life;
• the option to help the bugs and birds by making a shelter out of your old Christmas tree.

Some of the negatives of a real Christmas tree are:

• making a large journey to buy a Christmas tree can actually increase your carbon footprint making it less environmentally friendly;
• when not disposed of properly a real Christmas tree can end up in a landfill, which then becomes a yearly problem. Make sure your tree is disposed of responsibly which can be done through a local Christmas Tree collection service;
• if you already own a fake Christmas tree, you may better off keeping it rather than disposing of it and buying a new real tree.

Forestry England has a list of trees that are grown responsibly on their website.

Mike Childs, head of research at Friends of the Earth said "Locally grown real trees are the best option if you can get one".

Fake Christmas trees

Although a fake Christmas tree may not seem like an environmentally friendly option, there are still some situations where it could be okay.

Some of the times a fake Christmas tree may be an option include:

• when you already own one, and buying a real tree would involve sending the plastic one to landfill or incinerator;
• if you are willing to keep your tree for ten years or longer it may be worth it. It is estimated a 2m tall fake Christmas tree has a carbon footprint of around 40kg, which is up to ten times higher than a real tree which is burned and double one that ends up in landfill, therefore it is better to buy a good quality fake Christmas tree and keep it for years;
• good quality fake trees could be bought or donated to a charity shop, protecting them from being landfilled or incinerated.

The downsides of fake Christmas trees include:

• making them takes a lot of high-energy production and they often have to be shipped across large distances before we can buy them rather than being sourced locally;
• there is no way to recycle a Christmas tree so all of them will end up in the landfill or incinerator once they are no longer used.

Final thoughts

So in summary:

• if you already have a fake tree, keep using it;
• if you are looking to buy a real tree, buy organic, locally and FSC Certified, then dispose of it responsibly.

Happy picking... Now you just have to navigate how to decorate your tree sustainably!