Australians will use more than 150,000 kilometres of wrapping paper this Christmas – enough to wrap around the Earth’s equator almost four times, new research from international aid agency CARE Australia has found.

A survey found Australians use an average of eight metres of paper for Christmas gifts, only for it to be ripped off, discarded and destined for bins and landfill.

CARE Australia’s Campaign Manager, Olivia Zinzan said, “We all know there is a lot of waste and overindulgence at Christmas time but there is also a more ethical gift choice out there.”

Australians demonstrated their generous spirit could be part of the solution to all that waste. Seven in ten of those surveyed said they’d prefer to receive charity-related Kris Kringle gifts than the more popular chocolates and novelty items, banishing wasteful wrapping paper as well as potential junk gifts.

“Australians have shown they’re a really waste-conscious bunch. If we combine that with their generosity, we could make a huge difference,” Ms Zinzan said.

CARE Australia has an online catalogue of virtual gifts – CAREGifts – which provide Australians with a way to cut down on Christmas waste and find meaningful presents which help children and families in poor communities around the world.

“Last year, generous Australians spent more than $600,000 on CAREGifts, enough to send 8,300 girls in developing countries to school for a year or give 10,400 families clean drinking water. And think of the novelty junk Kris Kringle gifts and miles of wrapping paper that are kept out of the rubbish bin!” Ms Zinzan said.

CARE Australia Ambassador and author Jamila Rizvi said, “Earlier this year, I travelled to India to experience firsthand the benefits CAREGifts can bring to communities. I can’t imagine anyone would rather have a gift voucher than the chance to make a real impact in the world.”

And it can all be done on a budget. Just $10 can buy a child school books, $15 can give a family a chicken, and $30 can provide medical care for a newborn and her mum. In fact, there are a number of gifts priced at less than $50.

CAREGifts can be bought online at caregifts.org.au

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Note to editors: Data and statistics taken from CARE Australia research surveys of more than 1,000 Australians conducted by Lonergan Research.

• A survey of 1,032 people commissioned by CARE Australia found:
• Collectively, Australians will use 150,391 kilometres of wrapping paper this Christmas;
• Just 11 per cent of people used no wrapping paper at all;
• A quarter of people thought Kris Kringle presents were often rubbish and nearly a third said they donated most of the gifts received from workmates to charity; and
• 68 per cent said they would be happy to receive a charity gift, despite only a quarter of people having given one in the past.

For more information, high res images or to organise interviews, please contact:

Chriss Mannix at Soda Communications T: 0418 408 035 | E: chriss@sodacommunications.com.au