The extract from the article Published on Nov 9, 2022 at 10:00 a.m.
Updated Nov. 9, 2022 at 10:01 a.m.
by Laura Makary
For Christmas gifts, the “furoshiki” trend to counter wasteful packaging
Faced with mountains of single-use paper, consumed then immediately thrown away, new solutions are beginning to emerge, inspired by Japanese zero waste packaging, furoshiki. Objective: a still magical Christmas, but with less waste.
Ah, Christmas. His family meals, his chocolates, his toys by the thousands... and his rolls of wrapping paper! Our habits challenged Winnie Dujeu-Loh when she arrived in France, after growing up in Malaysia. “I discovered it in my husband’s family. At my house, we also celebrate Christmas, but here, there are really a lot of gifts! It’s great for the festive side, but these whole bags full of packaging, which require several trips to the trash, that caught my attention,” remembers this artistic director in an advertising agency.
Like Winnie's in-laws, France loves wrapping paper. A lot, even. We would in fact buy more than 20,000 tonnes each year, according to Ademe. The equivalent of 380,000 trees cut down, estimates TF1. For its part, France 2 mentions the figure of 40 million rolls sold each year, half of which as the holidays approach. A real paradox, when 88% of French people believe that “waste reduction must be a national priority” , according to an Odoxa survey carried out in fall 2021.
So, Winnie did some research, and created Carédeau at the end of 2019. His idea: to take up the Japanese concept of furoshiki, a technique of folding fabric to surround an object in a simple and elegant way. And above all reusable as desired. She now sells her cotton fabrics with festive designs, in store and online. “If I give my other half a nice watch, I don't want to settle for a newspaper or a tea towel to surround it. I wanted to keep this fun, chic, designer side, while being eco-responsible,” explains Winnie, who confides that she has sold 20,000 pieces since its launch.
Read the entire article here:
https://start.lesechos.fr/societe/environnement/pour-les-cadeaux-de-noel-la-tendance-du-furoshiki-pour-contrer-le-gaspi-des-emplois-1877219v