Post by bonnasuttadhar225588 on Feb 15, 2024 5:54:23 GMT
It is said that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. But lots of unwanted gifts and piles of ribbon and wrapping paper left behind mean it's also one of the most wasteful holidays . A 2021 survey by the IBM Institute for Business Value found that 93% of global respondents changed their opinion on sustainability as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a more recent one from early 2022 , it was found that environmental sustainability is more important to them today than it was a year ago. But how true is this in relation to the environmental impact of last Christmas? Consumerism on the prowl It is a fact that people intend to be more responsible with their purchases and consumption habits. According to IBM data, today, more than 2 in 3 global respondents say environmental issues are significantly important to them personally. A similar share of people focus on social responsibility issues, with about 3 in 4 consumers saying that access to education and ensuring good health and well-being are important to them. 72% said the same about ending poverty and hunger. This alignment speaks to the reality of achieving social and environmental goals.
Good health is not possible without clean water, and nature cannot be protected without also addressing poverty. However, several studies in recent weeks indicate that the ghost of Christmas past continues to haunt us, at least when it comes to waste generation. christmas-responsible- Christmas environmental impact, in numbers According to Allison Ogden-Newton, CEO of Keep Britain Iceland Email List Tidy, an independent environmental charity based in the United Kingdom, Christmas is not only a time for families and festivities, it is also the season when waste is produced the most. , mainly through packaging. The truth is that many of these waste and gifts all too often end up in a landfill, thrown in the trash, burned or in a set of disastrous results with devastating consequences for people and the planet. But, if you still think that it is exaggerated when talking about the environmental impact of Christmas, take a look at the following data on the damage of Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom.
Britons buy 227,000 miles of wrapping paper every year. We could wrap the island of Guernsey with this amount of paper. Additionally, most are not recycled as they contain glitter and/or have been taped together. £42 million of unwanted Christmas gifts go to landfill every year in the UK. More than 40 million Christmas cookies are thrown away on the 25th, along with the gifts of 99% of them. Around 30,000 tonnes of Christmas cards are thrown away each year, equivalent to £2.8 million of landfill costs. Christmas food waste Food waste is a major problem in the UK. To understand what is defined as 'food waste', it refers to food fit for human consumption that is left uneaten, unused or discarded, either after it has been kept beyond its expiration date or have been spoiled. In addition to the financial implications and the reality that those affected by poverty go hungry, food waste opens many holes in our planet. According to the charity's Waste and Resources Action Program (WRAP) , this waste would be associated with more than 25 million tonnes of Greenhouse Gas emissions, responsible for climate change.