Real or artificial: which Christmas tree is greener?

2 min read

How the carbon footprint of a real Christmas tree compares with an artificial one, and what makes the biggest difference.

A real tree is usually the lower-carbon choice, but how you dispose of it matters more than most people expect.

The numbers

The Carbon Trust has estimated the footprint of a two-metre tree:

On those figures, an artificial tree needs to be used for around ten or more Christmases to match a real tree that is recycled each year.

Why disposal matters so much

A growing tree absorbs carbon. If the tree is chipped for mulch or composted, most of that carbon returns to the soil or the air as carbon dioxide, roughly balancing out. In landfill, the tree rots without oxygen and produces methane, a far more powerful greenhouse gas. That is why the landfill figure is more than four times higher.

So the greenest thing you can do with a real tree is make sure it is recycled.

Other things worth knowing

• Real trees are a crop. They are grown on farms for around eight to ten years, and growers replant after harvesting. While growing, the trees provide cover for wildlife.
• Distance counts. A tree grown in Britain travels less than one imported from the Continent.
• Artificial trees are mostly plastic and metal, usually made overseas, and are difficult to recycle at the end of their life.
• If you already own an artificial tree, the greenest option is to keep using it for as long as it lasts.

A pot-grown tree

A tree grown in its pot can be kept outdoors and brought in again the following year, which spreads its footprint over several Christmases. It needs watering through the summer and will need a larger pot as it grows.

The practical answer

Buy a real tree, look after it, and recycle it in January. Most councils collect trees or run drop-off points, and the trees are chipped for use in parks and gardens.