Eco and Ethical Gift Ideas

Are you looking for gifts to give this year with less plastic, that are cruelty free, vegan or from ethical companies that give back. Then grab a drink and have a look through this post with a whole range of gift ideas for all the family.

There are so many lovely beauty companies that provide organic products in eco friendly packaging. One of them who we are big fans of is Green People whose products are natural, organic and ethically sourced, with a whole heap of awards and recognitions for being cruelty free and eco friendly.

Green People have some of their popular items available to buy as stocking fillers and gift sets this Christmas. They also have sets and products for the little ones and their sensitive skin, like this Organic Children Fruity Favourites including their Citrus Crush Shampoo, Lavender Burst Conditioner, Berry Smoothie Bath & Shower and a Citrus Hand Sanitiser. All with no nasties!

Evolve Organic Beauty are another fab company who are favourites of mine. I have been using their products for a few months on my face and they have transformed my skin. Evolve Beauty products are lovingly handmade in small batches at their studio in Hertfordshire, England to ensure the freshness of the precious antioxidants in the natural oils, butters and extracts. Their products are vegan, cruelty free and eco-friendly. Their glass bottles are made from fully recyclable glass and they use recycled card for all of their cartons.

When it comes to plastic, they opt for 75% to 100% recycled PET plastic, which (unlike PVC) is fully recyclable and if it is put into landfill, it degrades without leaching any chemicals into the soil. Not only that, their labels and packaging are printed using non-toxic soy and vegetable-based inks. Some of my favourites from them are the Gentle Cleansing Melt Balmthe Daily Renew Natural Face Cream

Secret Project offer unique and ethical gifts. All their products are made and sold to empower women in India. We were sent the secret pillow £40+ which is a duvet that folds up into a cushion shape. Perfect for sleepovers and travelling. I absolutely love what the company does, have a read….

” Our goal is to empower women in India and at the same time ensure we behave responsibly and make as little impact on the environment as possible. We take care to source the raw materials, used to make our products, as close geographically to our Maker Groups as possible. Secret Projects empowers women in India in a number of truly positive ways. We work with marginalised women in 5 Indian states, who already have excellent sewing skills, but are living in communities where there is little opportunity to earn an income. By producing Secret Products, they not only have a chance to make a living, but are also given the tools and training to help take their expertise forward. “

You get a letter in with your product letting you know who made it and where they are from. 

Librio offer unique personalised books in 18 different languages. But not only that, they are a company with inspiring ethics.

Their books are printed on high quality 100% recycled FSC quality paper by the award winning, sustainable printers, Pureprint Group. And as if that wasn’t good enough, Librio also plant one tree through Trees For The Future every book published. They also donate one book for every book purchased to roomtoread.org who seek to transform the lives of millions of children in low-income communities by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education.

You can read my full review of The Tree The Key And Me £19.99 a beautiful unisex story featuring your child as the lead character. I have also recently ordered A Tale Of Two, £21.99, for Ava and Finlay as a joint present this Christmas. If you are quick head over to Instagram where you can enter my giveaway to win two hardback books of your choice.

Buying chocolate this year? Of course you are. Pleas have a look at The Other Bar a chocolate bar that challenges consumers to take direct action against poverty.

“The first step in radical equality is to buy The Other Bar, the second is scan the token in the pack and help a farmer buy a cocoa tree. When scanned it’s equivalent to a quarter of a cocoa-producing tree. So for every four bars bought, a farmer can grow more, earn more and feed his family thanks to a fairer system.

There’s a twist. You don’t have to spend the token on a tree, you could use it to get 25p off your next purchase. Either way, it’s a win win for farmers.”

Available in dark or milk chocolate and priced at £2.99 each for 2, 50g bars, in a pack. Or you can get a pack of 4 for £12.04.

Or how about a warm, 100% Merino, ethically sourced wooly hat, hand knitted in the north of England by a team of Nannas. Yes you read that right, have a look at this fab company, FUNI. 

You can get beanies, bobble hats and headbands in a variety of colours and designs. You can also request a custom design. My had is called The Baker (Scarlet) and costs £33.

Ethique, a raved about brand from New Zealand, is now available in the UK and I’ve been so pleased to get my hands on some of their products. There products would make great zero waste, cruelty free, presents for all the family.

If you aren’t sure what bar to go for, whether you are looking for your body or hair, there is a little quiz you can do and then you will receive some recommendations. Or you can get yourself a trial pack for either dry, normal or oily skin and hair. Trial packs are from £11 to £17.

Their shampoo bars are from £11 and conditioners £14 or a body wash is from £5. Having used these for a while now, I love them and they last a lot longer than your regular bottles.

Instead of buying a candle this year for a friend, have a look at these Eco Soy Wax Candle Making Kits (£25) from Hazel and Blue

Their candle making kits are all eco friendly, vegan and sustainable, with 100% recyclable packaging and natural ingredients. Everything you need is included in the box to make two natural soy candles. The ingredients are weighed out, so all you need to do is follow their simple easy-to-use instructions or watch the video tutorial.

You can choose between their fragrance or essential oils and you can choose to get the box eco gift wrapped. I can’t wait to have a go at making these, keep your eyes peeled for a review and giveaway.

For hand crafted, high quality, wooden toys Melissa And Doug have a huge range that stimulate pre-school children’s imaginations with their bright and simple designs. All the toys we have had from them have been great quality and they last and last.

This wooden cutting fruit set £14.99, would be a great addition to any play kitchen. 

You can get a whole range of gifts from Earth Bits, a family run one stop shop for all your eco friendly, zero waste items. I particularly like the organic cotton shopping bags £6.99 from their on the go range.  And the reusable cotton and bamboo facial rounds pack of 10 for £7.99 would make a great gift.

Earth Bits fully vet all their suppliers and products, most of which are local to them, in Yorkshire. They also fully investigate the sustainability of each product.  All their packaging is plastic-free and completely recyclable, and they make sure that all their products are not just environmentally friendly, but they are also durable and high quality, to avoid unnecessary waste whenever possible. 

Looking for a foodie gift then check out this lovely Foodie Favourites Eco food hamper from Yumbles, £25.

This hamper is made by Charlie and Ivy and arrives stylishly packed using recycled and recyclable materials. No plastic in sight.

Bringing you our favourite selection of flavours, helping you dip, dress, drizzle and dunk your way into a foodie frenzy, not to mention adding some serious flavour to your cooking too! All brilliantly British and made with tender loving care by us on our farm in the heart of Yorkshire. Perfect for all the Foodies in your life!

This Foodie Favourites Eco Food Hamper includes; 200 ml Garlic, Oregano & Balsamic Bread Dipper, 200ml Lemon, Balsamic & Juniper Berry Bread Dipper, 190g Mustard & Ale Mayonnaise, 250ml Mango & Chilli Dressing, 250ml Beetroot & Raspberry Dressing. All products suitable for vegetarians and 100%GM free!

If you are sourcing gifts for Vegans have a look at these vegan gifts from Yumbles. 

Another great place to look for eco friendly gifts for little ones is PomPom. An online boutique of imaginative and well-designed plastic free products that children will love, play with and use, again and again.

Cecily and Katherine, two Mums and friends who launched the business together, hand pick items created by brands that love design and creativity. They do the research for you and have a lovely range of eco friendly, plastic free, items available.

Like this lego alternative by BioBuddi. It looks like Lego®, it builds like Lego, it lasts like Lego, it’s compatible with your existing Duplo but BiOBUDDi blocks are made from sugar cane.  A wonderful plastic free toy.

The play set police station £19.99 consists of 41 different parts, made from remains of the sugar cane plant. The packaging is also designed so that it forms part of the product. It is made of FSC cardboard and with a simple “push” you can easily take out different cards and put them in the enclosed card holders for even more playing fun.

For the stylish person in your life how about some classic clothing items, perfect for that capsule wardrobe. Wolford Aurora range, available at Luxury legs, offer these innovative and sustainable items of clothing. The cycle of nature is their main concern when it comes to these items. Produced from – and with – biodegradable components, they are Cradle to Cradle Certified™ at the gold level and, as the name suggests, a symbol for new beginnings.

This means: all our components biodegrade or depolymerize to start a new life after their time as fashion pieces has come to an end.

All ingredients used in the biological cycle can compost. After its life time you bring your product back to our store. We are finally closing the loop by composting them into biogas used for our production facility and humus that will nurture our beautiful planet. When you return one of these items to our store, the materials used for the technical cycle will be depolymerized. Decomposed to its single components, the yarn will simply be processed into a new yarn again.

The BY SARAH LONDON Festive Body & Hair Care Gift Box is the perfect vegan gift this festive season. £55

This beautiful gift box includes the handmade multi award-winning Organic Body Oil and Organic Hair Oil, hand-wrapped within a sustainable gift box with a bespoke festive sleeve made from crushed grapes – a UK skincare first! Vegan and certified cruelty free, this gift is perfect for family or friends who loves plant based body and hair care.

With all of the natural and organic ingredients listed in full on the front label and every ingredient chosen to support the health of the skin and hair, this gift is suitable for all skin types and both men and women.

We hear so much about plastic straws and the damage they do. So get yourself, or someone you know, a set of these premium glass straws from Vaso. They are reusable, recyclable and offer 100% natural taste. This pack of four comes with two longer and two shorter straws with nice soft rounded edges.

Currently selling for £11.99.

 The British Library online shop has loads of unique gift ideas. From educational, to homewares, to jewellery, to sustainable items like this rCup £14, a reusable coffee cup made from recycled cups. A book about saving the planet is another great Christmas present idea. You will definitely find a gift on there for even those hard to buy for relatives!

Looking for the perfect environmentally friendly gift but aren’t quite sure what the lucky recipient needs or wants? No problem! Their gift cards are 100% redeemable online and require zero plastic.

Of course if you can source second hand gifts they are a great way of gifting sustainably. Some of my favourite items to find second hand are clothing, vinyl, books and toys. All the items pictured below I have bought second hand at great prices that look like new. Have a look through your local charity shops, online market places, local selling pages and eBay!

Last year I made a vlog of some of the items and ideas of gifting more consciously if you would like to watch it here …..