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Last summer, I was running late for a friend’s baby shower and grabbed a gift bag out of the closet. As we were walking to the party, I realized that I caught the bag on something in my apartment, and the gift was now hanging out of an ugly, ripped gift bag.

It was a little embarrassing.

Gift packaging is often a single-use waste. Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, Americans throw away 25% more trash than usual. Even if you try reusing paper gift bags, they can bend, rip or plain old look old after one use.

One local woman has found a sustainable, trendy and fun solution for your gift-giving needs.

Meet VZWraps.

Isabelle Vesey noticed the frustration of how much waste was generated from Christmas wrapping paper and decided to start making fabric gift bags instead. Once she completed one holiday season, she realized what a time saver (and reusable solution) she had created and had the idea to start her own business. She wasn’t even a big sewer at the time but found a solution to a waste problem she wanted to solve.

Vesey thought, “Where is all this stuff going to go? We only have one planet, and we can’t keep loading it up.”

After two years of making her own fabric wrapping, Vesey started an Etsy store and stocked it with bags for Christmas, weddings, birthdays, and baby showers. As sales on Etsy grew, she launched her own site (the Etsy shop is now closed) and began selling on Amazon a few years ago. Her sales skyrocketed after placing her bags in the Amazon market. As a businesswoman and mother, she liked the flexibility to stay home and have more control of her lifestyle. Next for Vesey, she’ll be moving into MaKen office space in Kensington.

A sampling of the Christmas bags

VZWraps: give with Less of an Impact

Vesey ensures the whole process is sustainable – from creating the bags locally in Philadelphia, no-waste cutting design, and cotton materials. If you’re ordering from Amazon, which requires the gift bags to be in clear poly bags, those bags are made in Colorado from 100% recycled plastic.

The best part (and extra incentive to order directly from VZWraps) is that no packaging, except maybe a paper clip to keep the ribbon neat, is used on the gift bags. The gift bags shipped directly from VZWraps are wrapped in tissue paper made from recycled content and shipped in reusable (two sealing strips) envelopes made in the USA from 100% recycled content.

Her customers have fun with the different designs of the bags. People get more excited about the bags instead of the present. Or, they’ll use the bag designs to differentiate the gift receiver, like a design for each child.

Another interesting gift idea? One woman stuffed a bag with tissue paper and money to make the gift a treasure hunt. (As long as they don’t throw out the money…)

Where to Buy VZWraps

Whether you’re buying a gift for a bridal shower, Mother’s Day, Housewarming or another occasion, VZWraps are a handy solution.

The Mother’s Day collection is bright and colorful, whether your Mom is more of a flower show (Organic Orchid is gorgeous) or a classic Parisian. If you purchase directly from the VZWraps website, you can get 20% off using the coupon code GreenPhilly through 5/31/18. (Excludes Super-sale items.) 

You can buy VZWraps on Amazon too!

VZWraps Giveaway

To show how easy sustainable giving can be, we’re partnering with VZWraps to give away gift bags to TWO lucky readers! Perfect for Mother’s Day, the first place winner will receive a set of six all occasion bags, including the Flowers and Swirls design. The 2^nd place winner will receive a set of six holiday bags perfect to hold on until December.

Here’s how to enter.

1. Visit this link to enter your name and email.
2. For an extra chance, leave a comment on Instagram with 2 friends that inspire you to live sustainably.
3. Share the post on Facebook (make sure it’s public) for an extra chance to win.
4. Share a tweet about the contest for another chance to win!

Enter to win before May 7th. Winners will be selected at random, and each receives 6 bags.

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Julie Hancher is Editor-in-Chief of Green Philly, sharing her expertise of all things sustainable in the city of brotherly love. She enjoys long walks in the park with local beer and greening her travels, cooking & cat, Sir Floofus Drake. View all posts by Julie Hancher