Sustainable gift ideas: your complete guide to the holidays
‘Tis the season for gift-giving, and you better believe we’ve got sustainable gift ideas for you. Gift shopping can be counter-intuitive for eco warriors who’ve made it their life-mission to cut down on waste. The holidays can be an especially wasteful time, with wrapping paper overflowing in the trash bin and gifts that never get used.
But the good news is that you can give gifts that are in alignment with your values with our sustainable gift ideas. You can feel good about giving away these unique eco friendly gifts that are sustainably packaged, locally produced, and made with all-natural ingredients. Your eco friendly gift might even be the inspiration someone needs to start reducing waste in their life.
To make it easy, we’ve broken down these sustainable gift ideas into 5 main categories:
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Eco friendly gifts for her
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Eco friendly gifts for him
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Eco friendly gifts for kids
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Eco friendly stocking stuffer ideas
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Eco friendly gifts for a group
This gift guide is guaranteed to make a potentially stressful situation easy and fun. Without further ado, let’s dive straight into our sustainable gift ideas guide!
Sustainable gift ideas for every person in your life
Eco friendly gifts for her
We have some great eco friendly gifts for her, ranging from multi-purpose clean makeup to addictive-smelling deodorant. Here are our top picks.
1. Elate Better Balm
Elate Better Balm is more than just a lip balm. This tinted lip balm doubles as blush, with a lightweight, non-greasy feel that’s suitable for applying to your cheeks. With antioxidants, vitamins and nourishing oils, it actually improves your skin.
2. Bamboo brush set by Plantish
The Bamboo Brush Set by Plantish is there for you whether you’re styling, de-tangling, or just plain brushing your hair for the day. The bristles on the hair brush feel soothing on the scalp and improve circulation.
Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants on the planet, making it a sustainable, biodegradable alternative to plastic.
3. Sexy Sadie deodorant by Routine
Sexy Sadie deodorant, one of Routine deodorant’s most popular scents, is the perfect eco friendly gift for her. With a blend of ylang ylang, vanilla, and cinnamon, it doubles as a solid perfume. You can put it on your wrists and neck for a natural, light personal scent.
This deodorant uses magnesium instead of baking soda for no irritation. It actually works to fight odours and keep your pits dry.
4. Reusable cotton makeup rounds by Simple Farmer
This 16-pack of reusable cotton rounds can be used again and again to remove mascara, eye shadow, eye liner, and more. Plus, they add a natural beauty to your bathroom!
Eco friendly gifts for him
Sustainable products tend to be marketed more to women than men, but who says men can’t have a piece of the sustainable pie? These eco friendly gifts for him will get him excited about clean products and waste reduction.
1. Henson safety razor
The Henson reusable safety razor makes for a smoother shave with less irritation and in-growns. Choose between black, blue, tan, copper, silver, and red. Complete the gift with the Men’s Shaving Soap by Pure Heart Essentials.
2. Beard Oil by Woods & Blooms
If you’ve got someone in your life with a glorious beard, I’m Lichen Your Beard Oil by Woods & Blooms is the perfect gift. Beard oil conditions your hair while also moisturizing the skin.
3. Moustache Wax by Woods & Blooms
Keep your moustache supple and healthy-looking with Cedar Sage Moustache Wax. The cedar sage scent is the epitome of ‘manly musk.’
4. Gentlemen deodorant by Pickle & Bee
Not all men like to smell like cinnamon and vanilla, and there’s a natural deodorant for them. Gentlemen Deodorant by Pickle & Bee contains cedar wood oil for a woodsy, clean scent.
Eco friendly gifts for kids
Sustainability is fun, and nobody appreciates fun more than kids. These sustainable gift ideas for kids are sure to inspire and spark creativity.
1. Eco friendly pencil case
Let your kid lug their pencils and crayons to school in style. This pencil case made from recycled plastic bottles comes in 4 funky patterns to choose from.
2. Artisan soap by Happy Hippie
Make hand washing and bath time fun with Artisan Soap by Happy Hippie, featuring gators, hippos, and piggies.
3. Bath bombs
Bath bombs are a great eco friendly gift for kids, but in a way, they’re a gift to parents who struggle to get their kids in the tub.
We carry all sorts of fun bath bombs, like the Stranger Things waffle bath bomb and the Pumpkin Spice Latte bath bomb. The Surprise Inside dino egg bath bomb will make bathtime a riot. If you can’t decide, you can always go for the Sesame Friends bomb box featuring Sesame Street characters.
Eco friendly stocking stuffer ideas
Don’t forget about stocking stuffers! Stocking stuffers are those little joys that feel weird if gifted on their own, but are just as awesome as the big gifts. As the old saying goes, good things come in small packages (or no packages at all!).
1. Change Toothpaste oral care essentials
Change Toothpaste oral care essentials will make you enjoy brushing your teeth like never before. They use eco friendly packaging, biodegradable ingredients and materials, and all natural flavourings. Change Toothpaste Tablets with Fluoride foam like a dream, with beautiful flecks of spearmint throughout. For a kid-friendly or non-fluoride option, check out their toothpaste tablets in Cinnamon and Bubblegum. Change Toothpaste also makes a bamboo toothbrush, and when you buy one, they donate one to someone in need.
2. Jack59 shampoo and conditioner bars
Everyone washes their hair, which is why Jack59 shampoo bars and conditioner bars are great sustainable gift ideas. Jack59 makes formulas for every hair type, from greasy, to dry, to coloured hair. They’re package-free, and you can toss them naked into a stocking.
3. Zero waste soap offcuts by Soap So Co.
Soap So Co. is famous for their fun, candy-coloured artisanal soaps. When they chop off the ends of their soap blocks, they save their soap “butts” and sell them at a discount. Zero waste soap offcuts by Soap So Co. is great if you’re looking for unique eco friendly gifts.
Eco friendly gifts for a group
These kits are perfect if you’re looking for a gift that’s fun for the whole family (or a bunch of roommates).
1. Sustainable kitchen kit
The sustainable kitchen kit is your one-stop shop for eco friendly kitchen cleanup. The kit contains a long lasting Swedish dishcloth, a bamboo-handled scrub brush, a concentrated dish soap block, and a soap block tray.
2. Sustainable laundry kit
Make laundry day sustainable for good with this sustainable laundry kit. It includes Good Juju concentrated laundry strips, a solid stain stick for tough stains, and 3 dryer balls to cut drying time.
Be sure to send along our sustainable laundry day blog post to your giftee!
3. Grow your Card Kit
Plant your plantable greeting cards and watch your flowers grow day-by-day with the Grow your Card Kit by The Good Card. The biodegradable planter is 3D printed with plant-based material, and the soil wafer expands when you add water for fluffy, rich soil.
The gift of sustainability
We hope these sustainable gift ideas take away your holiday stress and replace it with joy. All of these sustainable gift ideas are rooted in practicality. They’re things that people actually need, with the added benefit of beauty, durability, and clean ingredients. Inspire your loved ones to join the sustainability movement, and make them forever fans of these beloved brands.
Still stumped, and need more sustainable gift ideas? Browse our sustainable gift ideas section for more inspiration!