In Germany alone, up to 30 million fir trees are sold every year, decorated at home, admired at Christmas and disposed of again after New Year’s Eve. Even though it may be a nice tradition to dress the Christmas tree in its festive garb, it also has a negative side: felling the trees is – from an ecological point of view – not at all sustainable unless the tree was bought (including the roots) to protect it to dig in the garden after the party. For this reason, there are now a variety of Christmas tree alternatives made of wood, metal or plastic, and we would like to introduce a few of them to you.
Except for the missing pine needles, a reusable wooden Christmas tree is significantly more sustainable than a real Christmas tree. Even though most models are significantly smaller than the originals, they can be presented decoratively: with glowing balls, lots of Christmas tree decorations and a chain of lights, you can create the right Christmas atmosphere at home. And in the end, it’s the thought that counts – and not the size or authenticity of a fir tree that ends up in the trash after the holidays.
If you’re not a fan of natural materials and don’t want to put a real fir tree in your living room, you can use another alternative: a metal Christmas tree. Its biggest advantage is that it is particularly stable and durable. On the other hand, what would probably be negative is that metal seems rather cold and simple, which means it lacks a bit of coziness. Nevertheless, this model can also be easily decorated for Christmas. Or you can use a ready-made metal stand with fairy lights.
An LED Christmas tree is also a nice alternative to the real Nordmann fir. In contrast to the models made of wood and metal, most models are already equipped with numerous light sources in advance, which makes them ideal as decoration on the terrace and garden – plus you can save on tree decorations. The only drawback here would probably be that it is a tradition in many families to decorate the tree together. Unfortunately, this part would be omitted, so an LED Christmas tree is probably better suited to single households.
The idea of using a Christmas tree over and over again has boosted sales of plastic fir trees in recent years. But no matter whether in classic green, pink or white: Nordmann firs made of plastic are not a really good alternative to real trees, even if they look in no way inferior to the originals. The fact is that most models are imported from the Far East – and therefore not only have long transport routes behind them, but also increase CO2 emissions. Apart from that, a Christmas tree made of plastic (such as PVC or PE), which often also contains harmful substances such as plasticizers, must be disposed of separately.
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