Balsam Hill leads in design and quality of artificial Christmas trees and holiday decorations. Inspired by nature, we invented True Needle® technology, and we have a premium warranty for artificial trees. Everything we make is reusable and crafted to last for many years. We continue to innovate by moving toward recycled plastic and plant-based plastic, while exploring solar-powered factories, recycled steel, and recycling options for artificial trees. For more information about what makes Balsam Hill trees sustainable, visit our sustainability page.
What Does Sustainability Mean for Christmas Trees?
If you’re looking for more sustainable Christmas trees or eco-friendly Christmas trees, you might ask: What does sustainability mean for artificial Christmas trees? For us, it means making trees that are reusable, while using more sustainable materials each year.
Since our founding in 2006, all Balsam Hill trees have been inspired by nature and designed for reuse over the years, for all your Christmas celebrations.
In 2025, we rolled out our reNEW™ commitment across all our True Needle® technology, transitioning to 30% GRS-certified, post-consumer recycled plastic or 95% plant-based plastic, reducing our reliance on virgin, fossil-based resources and reducing our carbon footprint.
Eventually, we want our customers to be able to recycle Christmas trees. Post-holiday recycling programs exist for real trees; at Balsam Hill, we aspire to provide end-of-life options for artificial trees. In 2025, we are exploring Christmas tree recycling with a pilot in Dublin, Ireland. If successful, what we learn will inform our expansion plan for recycling in other regions. We are also exploring ways to expand resale or refurbishment options for trees.
Since 2023, we have invited our customers to participate in light recycling at our San Francisco Bay Area outlet. In future years, we plan to pilot tree and light collection in places beyond our retail locations–with efforts focused on customer drop-off or curbside pick-up.
Going forward, we’re doing our best to make trees that are new and more sustainable, by moving beyond reusability toward post-consumer recycled content, plant-based renewable resources, and end-of-life recycling options. For more details, see our sustainability page.
Is There an Environmentally Friendly Artificial Christmas Tree?
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation focuses on sharing, reusability, refurbishment, and recycling as aspects of the circular economy. They say: “There are significant material, energy, labour and carbon savings to be made by reusing, rather than remaking, a product.”
Balsam Hill’s Christmas trees are crafted with heirloom quality, allowing you to reuse them for many years of Christmas celebrations. According to the American Christmas Tree Association (ACTA), through this lens, artificial trees can be considered a sustainable choice.
Advancing our trademark True Needle® technology, we’re developing materials from recycled content and plant-based polyethylene with Balsam Hill’s signature quality and realism.
We have also been working closely with partners ready and willing to explore and invest in sustainability for artificial trees. We spent two years researching and developing technologies and systems required to recycle artificial trees. Starting in 2025, we're exploring an artificial tree recycling pilot in Dublin, with plans to expand globally.
These questions help us think about new ways to make Christmas and Christmas trees more sustainable and better for the planet:
Can artificial trees be part of the circular economy? Can we discover or invent recycling technologies and infrastructure to make new trees from old trees?
What carbon footprint is required to make a tree and how can we achieve carbon equivalence between real and artificial trees or reduce our carbon intensity?
What raw materials, manufacturing processes, lighting technologies or end-of-life options have less environmental impact on the planet?
How can we completely eliminate the use of single-use plastic in our packaging so that it is recycle-ready and is less likely to go to landfill or escape as pollution?
How can we maximize the level of post-consumer or post-industrial recycled content in our manufacturing without sacrificing quality?
How can we increase the reusability of our trees, significantly reduce our carbon footprint per year, and increase the value of investing in an artificial tree?
What level of refurbishment of old trees is better for the planet than making new trees? How can we plan for remanufacturing and achieve our high-quality standards?
If something technically can be recycled, will it be recycled, and how can we design trees that are ready to be recycled and easy to recycle?
How Long Does an Artificial Christmas Tree Last?
On average, Balsam Hill U.S. customers expect an artificial tree to last ~10 years, according to our consumer research. Longevity lowers the carbon footprint of an artificial tree. So, we’re designing trees to last, making them with more sustainable materials and pursuing circular recycling and refurbishment systems wherever possible. For more details, see our sustainability page.
Here are some additional ways to make your reusable tree last longer:
Store Properly – After the holiday season, disassemble your tree carefully and store it in a cool, dry place. Use a sturdy storage bag or box to protect it from dust, moisture, and pests. Avoid crushing the light strings that are perfectly placed on each branch.
Clean Regularly – Dust and clean the branches before and after storage and periodically during use to prevent buildup that can degrade the tree’s appearance over time.
Handle with Care – Gently shape and arrange the branches when setting up and taking down your tree to avoid bending or breaking the limbs or twisting light strings.
What Is the Best Way To Dispose of an Artificial Christmas Tree?
Our trees can last for many years, but they do have an end-of-life, eventually. In most places, right now, artificial trees must go into the landfill, but ours last for many years so if you love your tree, keep it. According to the American Christmas Tree Association (ACTA), as of 2025, recycling programs for artificial trees don’t currently exist—so we’re working with local partners to create them in our key sales markets.
In 2025, we’re taking our first steps toward tree collection and tree recycling with a pilot in Dublin, Ireland. If successful, what we learn will inform our expansion plan for recycling in other regions and refurbishment options for trees.
We’re working to expand awareness and access to recycling programs for holiday light strings, when you buy or recycle your tree. At our Balsam Outlet in California, we collect unwanted Christmas light strings from local shoppers.
We’re also transitioning to recycle-ready packaging. We started by eliminating bubble wrap and moving to paper tape in most of our tree packaging, and now we’re working to shift away from expanded polystyrene (EPS) and polybags in both trees and decor.
For more details, see our sustainability page.
Is It Better To Buy a Real or Fake Christmas Tree?
Every tree is a different shade of green. Cut, farm-grown trees have environmental benefits, like compostability and a lower carbon footprint in the first year, but they’re not reusable. When you buy a farm-grown tree, every year a new tree needs to be cut, transported to your home, and disposed of after Christmas—either composted, sent to a landfill, or incinerated. When you buy a reusable tree, you can save time and money by using the same tree, year after year—and we’re exploring how to design and build sustainable systems so you can recycle it, too.
If your choice between real or artificial depends on a measurement of carbon, the carbon footprint of an artificial tree is higher than a cut, farm-grown tree in year one. However, because Balsam Hill prioritizes reusability and realism, we design and make premium, heirloom-quality reusable trees that last and are heavier than mass-market artificial trees.
When compared to a typical, mass-market artificial tree, the carbon intensity of a Balsam Hill tree is lower. According to two third-party verified life cycle analyses (LCAs)—a 2017 ACTA Comparative LCA and 2022 Balsam Hill LCA—a typical 6.5-foot, mass-market tree, unlit, with packaging has 3.63kg CO2e/kg carbon intensity, while the equivalent Balsam Hill reusable tree has 2.26kg CO2e/kg carbon intensity. From our 2022 baseline study, it is estimated that Balsam Hill’s reusable trees have ~40% less carbon intensity than a typical artificial mass-market tree.
Carbon intensity measures the carbon required to produce each kg of tree. Our trees are heavier than artificial mass-market trees, but that’s how they achieve the signature realism and quality that Balsam Hill is known for, and high quality drives our reusability. We’re working to lower the carbon intensity and carbon footprint of all our trees by 2030 (from our 2022 baseline). We’re also working to create artificial tree recycling systems for ourselves, our customers, and everyone. For more details, see our sustainability page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Balsam Hill is dedicated to sharing joy every holiday season, including new ways to reduce waste. Our trees are reusable, and our customers appreciate this as a key attribute of sustainability. Here are answers to other common questions on this topic.
Are Artificial Christmas Trees Sustainable or Eco-Friendly?
Balsam Hill’s trees are designed and built with heirloom quality, so they are reusable for many years. Now made with more sustainable materials including 30% recycled or 95% plant-based True Needles®, Balsam Hill is a more sustainable alternative.
Are Artificial Christmas Trees Made of Sustainable Materials?
As of 2025, Balsam Hill’s True Needles® are made with 30% recycled or 95% plant-based plastic, so you can celebrate with the planet in mind.
Are Artificial Christmas Trees Recyclable or Recycle-Ready?
For artificial Christmas trees, recycling is not yet available, but Balsam Hill is working on it. Balsam Hill has partnered with global leaders in recycling to design and build the technology and infrastructure that is necessary to recycle artificial trees.
Are Artificial or Real Trees Better for the Planet?
If you measure what is friendly to the environment or the planet by its carbon footprint, and you only plan to use your tree for one year, then a real tree is the better choice. According to the ACTA, if you plan to use your tree for ~5 years, then an artificial tree that will last several years is the better choice. For details on the expected lifespan of Balsam Hill trees and their carbon footprint, see our sustainability report.
In 2017, the ACTA conducted a comparative Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of a typical, artificial mass-market tree. The study found that this tree had 3.63kg carbon intensity and a break-even point of 5 years compared to a cut, farm-grown tree. In 2022, Balsam Hill collected data for an LCA of our trees. We found that, although our premium trees weigh more (and therefore have a higher carbon footprint in year one) than mass-market alternatives, they have ~40% less carbon intensity than a typical, artificial mass-market tree.
Inspired by nature and designed for the future, our trees are now made with more sustainable materials. As of 2025, Balsam Hill True Needles® are made with 30% recycled or 95% plant-based plastic.