Experts warn against Christmas trend that could cause enormous waste

New research shows that thousands of Brits are expected to hop on a new Christmas tree trend for 2024, but the green energy provider 100Green has a warning for Brits wanting to emulate the popular look. 100Green have predicted that a new Christmas theme from John Lewis, coined Dawn & Dusk, could be encouraging thousands of Brits to purchase brand new trees for the year, or even mean that more natural trees go to landfill, with the theme centring around a snowy Christmas tree straight out of a forest scene.

The researchers spotted that since the launch of the John Lewis theme, Google searches for “snowy Christmas tree” and “frosted Christmas tree” both saw a 5,000% increase. “What is a flocked Christmas tree?” also saw a 5,000% rise in searches, suggesting Brits are looking into the new trend ahead of the festive season.

However, the sustainability experts warn that while a snowy tree looks great for a festive scene, those buying into the trend with an artificial flocked Christmas tree will need to commit to using it for at least 15 years to make it as environmentally friendly as purchasing a real tree and recycling it at the end of the season.

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The warning comes as 100Green research reveals that 61% of British adults want to have a more sustainable Christmas - suggesting many people might not be aware of the true environmental impacts of trend-hopping. However, 100Green has also issued an additional warning against Brits looking to flock real Christmas tree.

While flocking powder is fine for fake branches, flocking a real Christmas tree makes it unable to be properly recycled at the end of the festive season, forcing it into landfill. This is because flocking powder and fake snow sprays are made up of materials such as tiny fibres, paper or fatty acids and will be mixed with a form of chemical emulsifiers or adhesives, meaning if you spray them on your real tree, they’re no longer recyclable

The result is that is adds to the already 6 million Christmas trees that end up in landfill in the UK each year. Even those choosing to make their own homemade mixture of glitter, baking soda and glue will still see their tree go to landfill as collections will assume it is covered in chemicals.

Amy Barker, Head of Marketing at 100Green said “For any natural trees, remember to recycle these come January! Real Christmas trees without any added coatings can be recycled and shredded into chippings, which are then used in parks or woodland areas.

“Some charities and hospices also have ‘treecycling’ schemes which can see your old tree used as flood barriers around the UK. Your local council will often have collection days for trees, so look for these on your local authorities website, equally, you can drop off your tree yourself at a recycling centre.”