Sustainability in demand for Christmas hampers, but higher price tags deter many

Sustainable Christmas hampers are in demand. This year, employees will find a coffee mug or water bottle, a backpack made of recycled PET bottles, ecological food, and less paper filling material in their hampers. But due to the sometimes higher price of sustainable products, many companies that also want a sustainable Christmas hamper ultimately don’t go for it. That emerged from a survey by the ANP of sellers of Christmas hampers.

Many companies put sustainability first on their wish list, said Guyonne Hayden of Company of Gifts, which offers Christmas hampers and other things. Yet customers often opt for the cheaper, traditional variant at the last minute due to the higher price of sustainable Christmas hampers. According to Bart Poierrié, owner of Kerstpakket.nl, a sustainable Christmas hamper is 15 to 20 percent more expensive than a traditional one.

“Customers drop out because the price is leading. The desire and intention for sustainability is there, but it appears not completely intrinsic,” Hayen explained. “We want to help companies with that transition. If they want to become more sustainable with their company, a Christmas hamper at the end of the year should also convey this.”

Sandra Scholten, owner of the webshop Life is a Gift, indicated that it is a difficult decision for companies. “Companies want to give a lot, and often that does not go hand in hand with sustainability.” According to Scholten, it is, therefore, a trade-off between either a package that contains fewer items, or more products that are less sustainable.

A Christmas hamper costs an average of around 45 euros this year, according to the s survey. For some companies, that is slightly more than in previous years. According to Anita Looman of gift package company Stegman, that is partly due to an expansion of the work costs scheme this year, with which employers can give their employees compensation without having to pay tax on it. The extension allows companies to spend more on things like Christmas hampers.

In addition to the classic Christmas hampers, companies also often choose to give their employees a gift voucher or let them choose something themselves. That is also more sustainable, said Looman. “People then choose something they really want.” Last year, a total of around 7.4 million employees in the Netherlands received a Christmas hamper or gift card, according to the trade organization Promotional Products Professionals.