Few things signal the beginning of Christmas like a beautifully dressed tree. But as more of us try to make sustainable choices, the idea of discarding a real tree come January can feel wasteful. The alternative – artificial trees – presents both a solution and a problem.
Each type of tree – real, potted, rented or fake – has its benefits and drawbacks, while the right fit for each household will come down to various factors, including space, cost, care and lifestyle. As the Carbon Trust puts it: “The most sustainable choice will depend on the tree, your plans for reuse, then options for disposal.”
With that in mind, we’ve delved into each option and spoken to horticulture and sustainability experts to help you make the best environmentally friendly choice that works for your home and budget.
And when you’ve found that perfect tree, here are some of the best baubles with which to adorn it. Merry Christmas!
Tips for buying a real Christmas tree
What you need to know
A real tree looks and smells fantastic, and picking one out is a much-loved Christmas tradition for many people.
Real Christmas trees are readily available from garden centres, growers and supermarkets. Firs, spruces and pines are the most common types, and the thick, bushy branches and slow-dropping needles of the Nordmann fir make it among the most popular.
The British Christmas Tree Growers Association (BCTGA) advises finding one grown nearby. Its website has a useful search tool where you can find local suppliers by postcode and the types of trees on offer. The Soil Association also has a handy guide to how to source a local, sustainable and organic Christmas tree, with an explainer on what all the different certifications and labels mean.
“Look for one that is fresh – check the needles, they should be flexible, and the tree should have a vibrant colour – with good overall symmetry,” says Mairi Devlin, head of Christmas at B&Q. And don’t forget to take care of the tree once it’s home. “Help it rehydrate – don’t forget to cut an inch off the base of the tree and stand in a bucket of fresh water overnight. When thinking about where to place it indoors, keep the tree away from fireplaces, radiators and direct sunlight to help it last longer.”
Cost
Expect to pay between £25 and £65 for a 6ft (1.8m) fir tree, the BCTGA advises. Supermarket trees tend to be much cheaper, often available only in stores or for click-and-collect.
Sustainability
Growing real trees provides many environmental benefits, from the absorption and storage of CO2 to habitat provision, explains Dr Stuart Walker, a senior research fellow at the Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures at the University of Sheffield. But when it comes to assessing their environmental impact, he says, “it’s never quite that simple”.
If excessive fertilisers are used, or real trees are transported particularly long distances, environmental impacts significantly increase, Walker says. Studying the comparative impact of a 6.6ft (2m) real Christmas tree against an artificial one, he found that opting for a living tree was the best option, but failing that, using the same tree as many times as possible was crucial.
Make sure it’s grown sustainably by looking for either the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or Soil Association logo, advises Friends of the Earth.
FSC-certified trees are grown in a responsibly managed way and often minimise pesticide use. The Soil Association recommends sourcing Christmas trees from an organic, independent retailer or farm shop, as it says these providers are more likely to opt for growers who avoid pesticides. It has a helpful list of independent retailers and farm shops, broken down by region.
Once the festivities are over, you’ll need to dispose of your tree. Depending on where you live, this could involve lugging it to a collection point, leaving it out on the street for the council to pick up, or breaking it down for a garden waste bin.
Trees that are sent to landfill will produce methane gas, which is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide, as it decomposes, says the Carbon Trust. Instead, it advises having your Christmas tree chipped. It’s worth looking into how your local council disposes of Christmas trees because it can differ by area.
Best real Christmas trees
Suitable for: a house with plenty of space
120cm-150cm small Nordmann fir, £20
(B&Q gives £1 to Shelter for each tree sold)
diy.com
5ft-6ft Nordmann fir, £49.99
dobbies.com
Potted Christmas trees
What you need to know
Potted trees are generally smaller than cut ones because this makes them easier to move. There’s also a limit to how long a tree is happy in a pot – Patch Plants, which sells them, suggests keeping your tree potted until it gets to about 6ft. You’ll need some outside space, however small, if you want to keep your spruce for the following year.
Potted Christmas trees need more watering and attention than fresh-cut trees, says Devlin of B&Q. And it’s worth considering whether you have the time, space and inclination to care for one year-round.
Look for trees labelled as “pot grown” rather than “potted”: the latter tend to have been dug up from a field, which can result in root damage and a short lifespan.
If you can’t hold on to the tree, disposal through garden waste or composting is more sustainable than sending it to landfill.
Sustainability
Potted trees don’t need to be thrown away at the end of the festive season, but the environmental impact depends on whether they are produced locally or imported, and how they are produced.
Michael Dariane, operations director at London-based florist Blooming Haus, says another benefit of potted Christmas trees is their contribution to carbon absorption during their lifecycle. Repotting them after the festive season preserves the tree’s life and reduces waste, he adds.
Cost
Prices for a potted Christmas tree can range from about £10 to £15 for a tabletop version to between £50 and £90 for more substantial options.
Best potted Christmas trees
Suitable for: a flat or small house with outdoor space
Pot grown Norway spruce, £55 for 80-100cm tree
patchplants.com
Pot grown Serbian spruce, £20 for 100-125cm tree
(B&Q gives £1 to Shelter for each tree sold)
diy.com
Pot grown Korean fir, from £47.99
jacksonsnurseries.co.uk
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Rented Christmas trees
What you need to know
Rented, real trees are also usually pot grown, and perfect for those who prefer a real Christmas tree but don’t want to buy a cut tree that needs disposing of come the new year.
As well as specific Christmas tree rental companies, such as Green Elf Trees, Lake District Eco Christmas Trees and London Christmas Tree Rental, some garden centres and nurseries offer Christmas tree hire services over the festive period. Lanjeth Nursery in Cornwall, the Walled Garden in Hertfordshire and Rudies Roots Nurseries in Lincolnshire are worth checking out.
A rental tree is a good option for those without storage space or a large garden. Suppliers often provide a rollover service, so you can get the same tree back next year, and see how it’s grown.
A living tree requires care, so factor this in if you plan to travel during the Christmas holidays. London Christmas Tree Rental advises giving trees a pint of water daily, and against placing them in front of a radiator. You should also raise the pot off the floor if you have underfloor heating.
While the availability of Christmas tree rentals has increased, they’re not as readily available as cut or artificial Christmas trees. Many rental services will ask you to reserve a specific type and height of tree, with the most popular options being snapped up quickly.
Cost
Rental Christmas trees are not cheap. That can be somewhat explained by the costs brands face in growing and maintaining them – from the labour involved in caring for them year-round to transporting them from the farm and back again.
The price can vary depending on the height of the tree, the rental company and whether you need it delivered. You also have to factor in a refundable deposit, which is taken as a guarantee that the tree will be returned in a healthy state. Although the cost of renting a tree for the festive season can differ a fair bit, expect to pay between £30 and £60.
Sustainability
Renting a Christmas tree preserves its life because it is returned and continues to grow after the festive season. In Dariane’s opinion, it is a “more sustainable option than single-use trees”.
Try to shop with local suppliers with eco-friendly practices to minimise transport emissions, says Dariane. And look for the FSC or Soil Association logo.
Best rental Christmas trees
Suitable for: city dwellers with no car
Dancer 150-160cm pot grown tree, £119.99 (price includes collection and replanting)
greenelftrees.co.uk
Windermere 150cm tree, £50
ecochristmastrees.co.uk
Mr Kensington 90cm tree, £45
londonchristmastreerental.com
Tips for buying an artificial Christmas tree
What you need to know
Artificial Christmas trees have come a long way from sad, pale imitations of the real thing. You can now choose anything from realistic-looking natural models all the way through to trend-led pastel topiaries, trees covered in fake snow or decorations and those with in-built fairy lights.
Be warned, though: the all-singing, all-dancing trees may not stand the test of time. If the lights go or your taste in decorations changes, will you still want to roll it out each year?
Artificial trees can work out cheaper than buying a real one each year, and many people don’t miss the fuss of cleaning up dropped needles.
“When buying an artificial Christmas tree, consider trees with a strong base and hinged branches for stability and an easy setup,” says B&Q’s Devlin. “And for longevity, store the tree properly back in its box in a cool, dry location.”
Sustainability factor
The Carbon Trust says an artificial tree used over seven to 20 years (depending on the weight and materials used) results in fewer emissions than buying a new, commercially grown tree every year.
The manufacture of the plastic from oil creates most – about two-thirds – of artificial trees’ carbon emissions, according to the Carbon Trust. But if other environmental impacts, such as ecotoxicity – biological, chemical or physical stressors that affect ecosystems – are considered, says the University of Sheffield’s Walker, they fall behind real trees. Dariane of Blooming Haus puts it succinctly: “If opting for a fake tree, everyone should consider the longevity of use and weigh it against the inability to recycle at the end of its life.”
The Carbon Trust says the carbon footprint of a 6.5ft artificial tree is equivalent to about 40kg of greenhouse gas emissions – more than twice that of a real tree that ends its life in landfill and more than 10 times that of a real tree that is incinerated. Reusing an artificial Christmas tree year after year can avoid the annual environmental impacts of transport and disposal associated with real trees, says Dariane.
The wear and tear of artificial Christmas trees over the years is a source of microplastics that can pollute indoor air quality and end up in sewage water and from there to rivers and seas, says Feliciano.
Cost
Artificial Christmas trees vary hugely in price, from about £10 for a basic style to upwards of £800 for a plush option. The larger and more realistic looking the artificial Christmas tree, the higher up the price scale it is generally.
Best artificial Christmas trees
Suitable for: those on a budget, and with storage space
Try Freegle, Freecycle, eBay or Gumtree for pre-loved artificial trees. A quick scroll of Vinted shows many options, from smaller tabletop versions (£2) to a 7ft Nordmann fir style with hookable branches (£40).
Habitat 6ft natural upswept artificial tree, £90
argos.co.uk
Eiger 4ft artificial tree, £20
diy.com
Canadian 6ft blue-green spruce, £299
balsamhill.co.uk
Wooden tree, 180cm, £70
diy.com