Artificial Trees: A Green Solution or a Plastic Curse?
Apart from their cost and allergy-provoking effects, artificial Christmas trees have the potential of causing an adverse impact on the environment.
However, sightline reports that manufacturing is responsible for almost 70 percent of the greenhouse gas pollution generated by faux trees.
Flocked trees are made from metals and petroleum-derived materials, such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and PE (polyethylene). But none of these is biodegradable or even recyclable.
The Dirty Truth About the Manufacturing and Disposal of Artificial Trees
Based on a report conducted by PE Americas on behalf of the ACTA in 2010, keeping an artificial Christmas tree for three to four years is just like purchasing a live tree every year, though this depends on its final destination (i.e., incineration, compost, or landfill).
The report further emphasized that “…with both real and artificial trees, no matter how they were ultimately disposed of, Christmas trees accounted for less than 0.1% of the average person’s annual carbon footprint.”
This means the impact on the environment is negligible, and can be easily minimized by changing other lifestyle factors, e.g. driving less, recycling more frequently, purchasing items with less packaging, etc.
Real Trees vs. Artificial Trees: Which Is, in Fact, More Eco-Friendly?
A final environment factor that isn’t quite as terrifying as you might assume, according to Laura Morrison of PE International, is that 80 percent of flocked Christmas trees are brought in from China.
In a National Public Radio article from 2012, she stated that trees are brought from China to the United States in a fairly efficient way.
“The distance consumers must travel to obtain their tree should be of more concern to them. Even if the tree was shipped in from another state, the personal drive home is what significantly increases carbon emissions. And in the end, truck transport is still much more efficient than driving your car” she added. Now that you’ve got the hang of likely impacts of artificial Christmas trees on your environment, put these details to use and decide which is best for you.