What’s More Eco-Friendly - An Artificial or Natural Christmas Tree?

2 minute read

• Natural Christmas trees have a carbon footprint, but it’s generally smaller than that of artificial trees

• Artificial trees are made out of plastic and shipped a far distance from China to the US, creating significant carbon emissions

• Keep your artificial tree if you already have on and if you don’t, buy a potted natural Christmas tree from a local farm 

Environmentalists have been debating whether artificial or natural Christmas trees are more eco-friendly for years. There are pros and cons for each, and there isn’t necessarily one answer. We think natural trees have a bit of an edge, but under certain circumstances artificial trees can be the way to go.

Artificial Trees

The numbers vary by source, but artificial trees need to be used for 6 to 20 years to have a smaller environmental impact than natural Christmas trees. If you already have an artificial tree, don’t throw it away! Use it for as long as you can and if it becomes unusable, consider natural tree options.

Artificial trees are made from polyvinyl chloride plastic (PVC) and steel. PVC, like all other plastics, is made from petroleum and creates hazardous pollutants that are harmful to human and environmental health. These trees are usually made in China and shipped to the US, creating a lot of carbon emissions in the process. Overall, artificial trees have a carbon footprint of 40 kg of CO2e.

Eventually when these trees are disposed of in a landfill, they take over 500 years to decompose. Most artificial trees cannot be recycled. Instead of throwing them away, repurpose the branches as garland or other decorations.

Natural Trees

There are about 350-500 million trees growing on Christmas tree farms in the US. Only about 30 million of them are harvested each year. While these trees are growing, they capture and store carbon, maintain a healthy soil, and provide habitat for wildlife. Most farms plant at least one tree for every one cut down, so deforestation isn’t really a problem in this case. Supporting local farms is also a great way to boost your local economy and help farmers plant more trees in the future. 

Overall, natural trees that decompose in a landfill have a carbon footprint of 16 kg of CO2e. This number can be greatly reduced to 3.5 kg of CO2e by burning the tree in a bonfire, planting it, or putting it through a wood chipper and spreading the chips in your garden. 

Natural trees can be cut off from the roots or potted with the roots intact. Trees cut from the roots cannot be replanted and should be recycled or composted after the Holiday season. Please don’t send your tree to a landfill, while it decomposes it will produce methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Many municipalities have recycling or composting programs for Christmas trees, so be sure to find out what options exist in your area.

Potted trees can often be returned to the farm they were taken from to be replanted for several years. Some farms even let you have the same tree every year, which can make for a special Christmas tradition!

Some people express concern over the emissions required from driving to pick up a natural Christmas tree. While we shouldn’t ignore these emissions, they are generally much less than the emissions from shipping artificial trees from China to the US and then to whatever retail store you buy them from. Try to buy natural trees from the closest tree farm to you to reduce your carbon footprint.

Final Verdict

If you already have an artificial tree, use it for as long as possible. It already exists, and so do the emissions produced from creating it, so get the most use out of it as you can. If you don’t already have an artificial tree and you have the ability to get a natural Christmas tree, that’s what we’d recommend. Use the graphic below to determine which option is best for you and the planet.

Happy Holidays from Ecodrive!