M&S to remove glitter from its entire Christmas celebration range this year

M&S announced it has removed glitter from its entire Christmas celebration range this year, including greeting cards, wrapping paper, tags, gift bags, calendars and crackers, in a bid to improve recyclability and reduce the impact of microplastics on the environment. 

All designs which previously featured glitter are now widely recyclable and have been replaced with paper patterns or minimal foils.

M&S has added clear back-of-product recycling instructions to its Christmas wrapping paper rolls with helpful tips, for example removing tape and any add-ons such as bows, to further encourage customers to recycle more.

The move is part of M&S’ commitment of ensuring its entire year-round range of cards and gift-wrapping products will be 100 per cent glitter-free by the end of 2020.

Paul Willgoss, Director of Food Technology at M&S, said: “We know reducing single-use plastics is as important to our customers as it is to our business, so removing glitter from our cards and wrap range will make it easier for them to celebrate Christmas in a more sustainable way. This is a step in the right direction as we continue working on our plans to completely remove glitter from the range next year.”