// Dunelm is scrapping glitter and plastic this Christmas in a bid to be more sustainable
// The retailer is also promoting reusable products for the festive season
Dunelm has announced it will be ditching glitter this Christmas in a bid to reduce the amount of plastic in its festive range.
The retailer has also pledged to completely remove plastic packaging from its baubles which, according to the company, amounts to 1.8 tonnes less plastic being used than in previous years.
Alongside these measures the retailer will also be eliminating plastic from all wrapping paper and reducing 400kg on shrink-wrap, making the range completely recyclable.
The move away from plastic comes as a report found that an estimated 114,000 tonnes of plastic packaging is thrown away every year over the festive period in the UK.
Dunelm senior sustainability manager Shriya Pancholi says: “Ensuring sustainable business practices remains a key focus for us at Dunelm and as our customers’ interest in sustainable and conscious shopping grows, we’ve been working hard to make sustainable living affordable and accessible to our customers.
“At Christmas, as a nation, we are notoriously guilty of wasting huge amounts of plastic and so our aim is to be part of the solution, not the problem.
“We hope the changes we have made to our Christmas ranges will allow our customers to enjoy their festivities without worrying about the environmental impact.”
Instead of using glitter, Dunelm has also committed to using alternatives such as lurex threads and metallic threads and paints to add shimmer.
Dunelm’s Christmas range also includes hanging paper decorations which can be refolded down and reused, gift bags made from recycled plastic bottles and stuffed toys filled with recyclable fillings.
The retailer is promoting reusable products too, right down to the Christmas crackers with a selection that have been made from fabric so customers can use them over and over again, year after year.
The Christmas range will launch on Dunelm’s site from September.
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