UK consumers weigh up more sustainable real Christmas trees

With Christmas approaching, UK consumers are divided on cost or sustainability when it comes to selecting a tree to decorate. Most households still prefer an emissions-intensive artificial tree, but the tide may be changing according to new consumer analysis.

Despite their colour, fake Christmas trees are a long way from being green in terms of sustainability. An artificial tree of 6.5 feet in height would cause a carbon footprint equivalent to about 40 kilos of greenhouse gas emissions – over twice the impact of a real tree that ends its life in landfill; and more than 10 times that of a real tree which is burnt. Meanwhile, a real tree that is recycled – by chipping – or is kept growing in a pot or the garden, can have negligible or even negative emissions.

However, as environmentally minded as most consumers are said to be now, the rising cost of living seems to be nudging them towards less environmentally friendly choices. A new poll by Statista has found that of the UK shoppers who put up a tree this Christmas, the majority will plump for plastic branches.

Asking more than 1,000 UK residents, Statista found that 81% would be putting up a tree this year. Across the whole population, that would be more than 23 million households. But of those, only 20% of households will use a real tree, while 61% will invest in a fake. A further 3% said they would not use a tree at all this year – potentially due to the costs and emissions involved – but overall it seems most would rather celebrate with a tree, either at the cost of their wallets or the environment.

A contrary study suggests all hope may not be lost, however. According to Christmas tree delivery provider Gophr, an analysis of search-engine data reveals a “greener outlook” on the horizon. The firm’s number-crunchers found that the online search term “Christmas tree farms” received 22,000 searches leading up to the festive period, relating to how consumers research where to buy their festive tree. This would be on par with searches for Argos trees – with the warehousing company selling only artificial and prelit trees.

Tesco and Asda, which sell mixes, received 18,000 searches each. Meanwhile, B&Q, which sells a mixture of potted and cut Nordmann Fir fresh cut Christmas trees as well as artificial trees, meanwhile rounded off the “Top 5” with 14,800 searches.

Graham Smith, strategic account director at Gophr, commented, “Our data gathering suggests that the UK public may be gradually falling out of love with the artificial Christmas tree with searches for “Christmas tree farms” ranking as the top term as consumers research where to buy their tree as we enter the festive season. The rise in popularity of Christmas tree farms could be seen as akin to the Halloween “pumpkin picking” boom that we have seen in recent years, with consumers using it as an opportunity for a family day out as well as picking their own tree.”