Morrisons to remove glitter from Christmas products this year - this is why

Morrisons has removed glitter entirely from its own-brand ranges of greetings cards, gift wrap, seasonal items and horticulture in all of its stores.
All Morrisons cards, crackers, wrapping paper, present bags, flowers, plants and wreaths are now 100 per cent glitter-freeAll Morrisons cards, crackers, wrapping paper, present bags, flowers, plants and wreaths are now 100 per cent glitter-free
All Morrisons cards, crackers, wrapping paper, present bags, flowers, plants and wreaths are now 100 per cent glitter-free

This means that all Morrisons cards, crackers, wrapping paper, present bags, flowers, plants and wreaths are now 100 per cent glitter-free. Glitter is made from tiny particles of plastic and is an ecological hazard if it becomes dispersed on land, rivers and oceans, where it takes hundreds of years to degrade.

The decision extends to non-seasonal as well as seasonal lines, meaning Morrisons shoppers can shop more sustainably all year round. Soluble inks, foil and paper reliefs will instead be used to decorate Morrisons FSC certified paper cards, wrap and bags to give them a festive feel.

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The Bradford-based firm has also removed all plastic toys from its Christmas crackers, which will be completely plastic-free this year.

All contents - such as games and gifts - will now be made out of paper, metal or wood and are designed to be kept and reused. The cracker shells will be made from FSC accredited cardboard and decorated with a metallic based ink - which means they can be recycled at the kerbside, along with their packaging.

In order to make Christmas more sustainable, the retailer has also reduced the amount of plastic packaging on cards and decorations. The majority of Morrisons cards will come boxed in recyclable cardboard and 100 per cent of packaging on cards and decorations can be recycled by local authorities.

The supermarket is also introducing a wide range of non plastic felt, hessian and wooden Christmas decorations.

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The move to ban glitter and reduce plastic in Christmas ranges means that Morrisons will be removing more than 50 tonnes of plastic from its shelves during the festive period, and more across non-seasonal lines all year round.

Christine Bryce, Morrisons' home director, said: “Every time a cracker is pulled, or a card is opened, plastics have been used, but just the once.

"So, we’ve taken glitter and plastic out of our festive range this year so that our customers can enjoy their festivities without worrying about the environmental impact.

"This means that we’re now 100 per cent glitter free across all our own brand ranges which is an important step in the fight against plastic pollution.”

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Morrisons glitter-free Christmas cards are in store now. Crackers, decorations, wrapping paper and gift bags will be appearing on shelves throughout October and November.

In May, Morrisons increased its target to reduce own-brand plastic packaging from 25 per cent to 50 per cent by 2025.

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