Toys by the thousands, excessive meals, sawed-down Christmas trees, illuminations around every corner and long journeys to reunite with family members: The holidays are no gift for the climate. During this season, the French emit nearly 6.3 million tons of CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e), or 1% of all annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, according to the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME).

To measure the carbon impact of the holidays, and offer some advice about how to "celebrate a greener Christmas," the ADEME used two types of indicators:

• Economic sector data (how many tons of food consumed, how many items of clothing sold, etc.)
• Information on the behavior of the French, based on a survey conducted in June 2022 by the ObSoCo consultancy among a sample of 1,252 people representative of the population.

The detailed data from this study, provided to Le Monde by the ADEME, has revealed some surprising (and sometimes counter-intuitive) figures on the carbon footprint of our holiday gifts and meals – and therefore on the changes we can make.

Gifts (57%): Jewelry and electronics have highest carbon footprint

There's no Christmas without gifts: The French give or receive 368 million gifts over the holidays, corresponding to an average of 10.2 gifts per child and 4.5 per adult.

Under the tree, the packages most often contain clothes and other textile products, toys or books. But while these three categories account for three-quarters of gifts exchanged, they only represent half of the greenhouse gases emitted. Books, in particular, have the lowest impact on the climate: For 18% of gifts exchanged, they emit just 2% of GHGs.

Conversely, electronics and jewelry have a disastrous carbon footprint. For 4% of gifts given, they account for 30% of emissions.

What could be improved?

The ADEME has several ideas for a greener Christmas, the most effective being to simply reduce the number of gifts. These are two possible ideas:

• Organizing a Secret Santa, in which each adult gives and receives a single gift through a draw, secret or not. Going from 4.5 gifts to just one can reduce emissions by up to 77%.
• For children, limiting the number of gifts to four, compared with 10.2 on average, reduces emissions by 62%. One British idea is to give one thing (object or activity) they want, one they need, one gift to read and one to wear.

Choosing a second-hand or reconditioned object can double its lifespan. According to the ADEME, 55% of emissions can be avoided for a toy, 48% for a pair of jeans, and up to 57% for a smartphone. To avoid waste or resale, you can also choose useful gifts and non-physical presents.

Transport (25%): Driving remains indispensable

Travel accounts for a quarter of CO₂ during the holidays, and is the second largest source of emissions after gifts.

The French travel 3.9 million kilometers at Christmas and 2.1 million at New Year's, or almost 200 km per family. The overwhelming majority of households opt for the car (94%).

Three-quarters of trips are made by car, accounting for more than half (62%) of emissions. Air transport presents a very unbalanced ratio, making up up 37% of travel-related emissions, while it concerns less than 2% of trips, and 17% of distances traveled.

The train is the option with the smallest carbon footprint, and also the least used, by only 4% of households.

Meals (15%): Desserts heavy in CO₂

It's hard to separate everyday food consumption from Christmas and New Year's Eve meals. That's why the ADEME chose to calculate the environmental impact based on the year-end sales surplus of flagship holiday products: 30,449 tons of chocolate, 10,015 tons of foie gras, 11,000 tons of snails, 12,194 tons of game meat, 2,603 tons of Yule logs and 636 tons of leg of lamb.

In terms of quantity, meat represents the largest item of consumption, ahead of desserts, alcohol and seafood. However, desserts are unexpectedly the largest source of greenhouse gases. Indeed, chocolate and butter have a carbon footprint of the same scale as foie gras, and two to three times higher than poultry or game (lamb remains the food with the highest CO₂e emissions).

Conversely, in terms of quantity, alcohol accounts for a quarter of holiday meal consumption, but only 6% of emissions (which doesn't stop you from drinking in moderation).

What could be improved?

The most effective way to reduce the carbon footprint of a meal is to adapt the menu, replacing the foods that emit the most carbon. Based on a traditional meal (foie gras and scallops, guinea fowl with mushrooms, cheese, and Yule log), the ADEME has suggested the following alternative:

• Replacing foie gras with smoked salmon and the Yule log with an ice cream version reduces emissions by 43%
• Preparing a vegetarian meal (warm goat's cheese puff pastry with honey, mushroom risotto with smoked tofu and Fourme d'Ambert, cheese, and ice cream Yule log) reduces emissions by 65%

By avoiding food waste, you can also reduce emissions from a meal by up to 20%, according to consulting firm Goodwill Management and ADEME.

Christmas trees, decorations and gift wrap (2%): A symbolic impact

The dilemma of whether to buy a natural, artificial, or even wooden Christmas tree is one of the classic end-of-year environmental debates. Studies have found that on average, a natural Christmas tree emits more than 15 times less than an artificial one over its entire life cycle. In any case, Christmas trees account for 1% of total emissions linked to the holidays. Gift wrap (over its entire lifecycle) is the smallest emission item (0.37%), while waste as a whole tops out at 1% of emissions.

Beyond individual practices, what about collective decorations and events in public spaces? Lighting installations emit 57,000 tons of CO₂e, the 440 or so outdoor ice rinks in France emit 37,000 tons, and waste from Christmas markets 780 tons. Broken down individually, these emissions would add 1.5% to the holiday balance sheet for every French person.