Christmas is coming and the question of buying a fir tree is prevalent. Nearly six million of these trees are sold every year, including one million in plastic. But what's the best choice for the planet? We would be tempted to say that not cutting a tree is the solution, and yet buying a plastic tree is less environmentally friendly.
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The plastic fir trees are made with petrol. As a result, a two-metre artificial tree has a carbon footprint of 40 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions, which is twice that of a natural tree that's thrown away after the holidays. The carbon footprint is even ten times higher than a real fir tree that's burned.
You would therefore need to keep your artificial tree for twenty years to compensate for this difference. Moreover the recycling of a natural tree is very easy; it can also, for example, be replanted.
Check out the video above for a full explanation of why real Christmas trees really are better for the environment!
