In California, artificial Christmas tree maker Balsam Brands will launch a new line of trees for 2025’s holiday season that use needles made of 95% biobased ethylene. Dubbed BH Balsam ReNew fir, the biobased content comes from sugarcane.
“While our trees have always been reusable, these advances are a game-changer for the Christmas tree industry,” Mac Harman, founder and CEO of Balsam, said in a press release quoted by Plastics News. “Not only did we create the first artificial tree from plant-based polyethylene and innovate over 85 percent of this year’s new tree production, but we also recently tested making a new tree from old Balsam Hill trees that we recycled.”
The company is also starting a recycling pilot program.