Zero Waste Gifts For A Sustainable Holiday Season

The holiday season is approaching and with it, a wave of overconsumption and, unfortunately, a lot of waste. As online shopping becomes easier and in-store prices drop to compete with websites, the vast amount of packaging and plastic waste that is generated each year increases, peaking during the period from Black Friday to Christmas. As of 2017, France generated the third-highest amount of packaging waste in Europe (FR), with an average of 173 kgs per person. There is thus an urgent need to reduce the ecological footprint throughout the year, but the holiday season is a great place to start. In this video, the team of Sciences Po Environnement Reims walks us through their European Week for Waste Reduction project that took place from 19-27 November 2019, and shares its tips on buying and consuming more responsibly, both on a daily basis and for the holiday season.

Sciences Po Environnement was founded in 2007 as EcoCampus, before taking its current name and form in 2010 as a permanent association. The association is present on six campuses in total (Paris, Dijon, Le Havre, Menton, Nancy and Reims). The European Week for Waste Reduction, organised in collaboration with the French Network of Students for Sustainable Development (Réseau Français des Etudiants pour le Développement Durable), was celebrated across the different chapters, with events ranging from DIY workshops, zero-waste breakfasts, debates and conferences.

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