Target Australia has introduced an industry-first range of 100% recyclable, plastic free range of Christmas wrapping paper, cards, tags and bows. Giving Australians a better choice for their gift wrapping, the range is now available in Target stores nationwide and online.

It is estimated that Australians tear off around 150,000 kilometres of gift wrap every festive season – enough to wrap around the earth nearly four times.

While many consumers believe paper-based wrapping is recyclable, a lot of gift wrap, ribbons, cards, gift boxes and gift bags contain plastics and foils that prevent them from being recycled, meaning they end up in landfill each year.

Each product within the range will be 100% plastic free and recyclable right down to the packaging, which means that the entire Target brand product range can be recycled via kerbside collection bins, and easily identifiable for shoppers through the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) Program on-pack labelling.

As part of its sustainability program, Target alongside Kmart has committed to phasing out loose plastic glitter from own-brand hard goods by the beginning of 2025, as well as working towards all packaging in own brand products being recyclable by the end of 2025.

Kmart and Target CEO, John Gualtieri said this new range was testament to Target’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and striving to find ways to bring products to market that customers could feel good about.

“We have a strong commitment to reducing our impact on the planet, and this initiative is just one way that we can make a big difference. We know that wrapping gifts is such an important ritual at Christmas time, so it was important for us to use this as an opportunity to drive our product innovation and give our customers an option that is ultimately better for the environment.”

Some of the range’s unique innovations include:

  • Single Christmas wrapping paper rolls protected with tear-strip paper packaging rather than shrink wrap.
  • In a category first, the cover and seal for all single Christmas paper rolls has been designed to peel off without the use of any plastic or sealant products.
  • Multi-pack rolls of wrap are packaged in paper boxes rather than with shrink wrap.
  • Christmas gift bags feature paper hooks and paper cord handles, with barcodes printed directly onto the bags.
  • Similarly, Christmas gift tags and cards are contained in paper envelopes or paper window boxes with paper seal labels, in place of the polybags and PVC boxes of years past.
  • Lamination has been removed from gift bags, gift card boxes and cards – doing away with all the original hallmarks of the category.