All Cheer, No Waste: Preventing Waste This Holiday Season


As the holidays draw near, so do festive decorations, family gatherings and holiday shopping. Disrupted but not slowed by the pandemic, holiday shopping moved almost completely online in a matter of months, with retailers offering heavy incentives to purchase and ship holiday gifts to loved ones. The often unconsidered cost of holiday shopping, however, is environmental.

According to the National Environmental Education Foundation, Americans throw away an average of one million extra tons of trash in the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s – 25% more than usual. While the wrapped presents and holiday meals that generate extra waste may not be reaching the same capacity this year, online shopping presents its own set of environmental challenges. The Guardian reports that in the U.S. alone, nearly 30% of solid waste comes from e-commerce packaging. With many predicting that this will be the busiest online shopping holiday season yet, the resulting waste could be monumental.

Beyond the environmental impact of holiday gifting, returned gifts or unused gift cards result in economic waste. According to CBS, $3 billion in unredeemed gift cards will be wasted this year. Seen as a quick gifting solution, gift cards are often forgotten or misplaced, benefiting the company they were purchased from more than the recipient. Gift cards also lack sentimentality, providing an underwhelming gifting experience that fails to make an impact.

At GiftCast, we are proud to provide a gifting solution that is both friendly to the environment and memorable for the recipient. As the first digital video gifting mobile application, our virtual personalized gifts pose no environmental threat and save users the use of wrapping paper or cards. Additionally, recipients can send the gift money directly to their bank account, ensuring it will not go unused or forgotten. By sending a personalized video message and cash gift with GiftCast, you can be sure that your holiday gift will be eco-friendly, helpful and unique.

Who are you sending a GiftCast this holiday season? Let us know on Instagram @GiftCast! #EcoFriendlyGifts #GiftCast #HolidayGiftGuide #HolidayGifting


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