POLYETHYLENE FAKE TREE

Ultra mountain pine, from £89.99, christmastree world.co.uk a NEWER kind of artificial tree uses polyethylene (PE) plastic to create realistic needles. Melted PE is poured into a mould from a real tree, then branches are clipped on.

while more plastic is needed for it than a scrawnier polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tree, it’s a safer choice. ‘I’d choose PE over PVC, as it doesn’t contain toxic chlorine,’ says Emma.

It’s hard to find a PVC-free tree, but this one is 70 per cent PE. while these tend to be more expensive, they are usually better quality, so should last longer. ‘reuse it, then pass it on,’ says Emma. LOOKS: 4/5 ECO-FRIENDLINESS: 2/5 SCORE: 6/10