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Christmas used to be about buying as many throwaway items as possible, from plastic toys to single-use wrapping paper and cards. But as we’ve become more engaged with sustainability, there’s been a rise in eco-friendly Christmas presents too: things that will make you smile without costing the earth.
Read on for some last minute ideas for the green-eyed giftee in your life.
Eco Bathroom Starter Kit
This BBC Earth collection aims to eradicate single-use bathrooms items. It also promotes the reduction of bathroom waste more widely, featuring things like a body wash bar and shampoo bar, neither of which require plastic packaging as per normal shampoo. And it’s all comes into a cute ocean-blue wash bag.
Sustainable Crafting Kit
Either go monthly or buy a three-monthly membership from these folks, who send everything you need to make your own homeware items, all of them eco-friendly. One month, try making a beeswax candle, another some jewellery, then some string art. Gifting options are easy to set up from this award-winning site.
Pastel Brekky Bowls
We reckon these simple breakfast bowls in colours that pop will brighten any morning – lockdown or otherwise. They’re made from bamboo but they’re durable. Just don’t pop them in the microwave. Use them to serve hot or cold food, or lay them out on your table simply to give your mood a lift.
The Gift of Life
Okay, so that sounds a little dramatic, but it’s actually true. Why not gift someone with the opportunity to buy a luscious plant they can watch grow? Plant purveyors Patch Plants offer gift cards from £30 if you’d rather let your giftee choose their own, or order delivery of a certain plant to a pal’s house.
Accessible Art
This site celebrates original art by talented artists at a range of prices – its gift cards start from as small a figure as £5, a great bet if you’re unsure of your giftee’s tastes. Or browse the new artists tab and support burgeoning talent. Pieces range from paint on canvas to digital art, sculpture, mosaic and collage.
Sustainable Fashion
Thousands of designers make sustainable clothing, often using upcycled materials, to sell on Depop. You can also find vintage items, most of which are one-offs so great for gifting. The site is easy to browse, with recommendations on the homepage leading straight through to the pages of individual designers.
Frank Green Coffee Cup
We may not be on-the-go so much for work, but park strolls with friends in the biting cold of winter require the soothing warmth of coffee in a trendy cup. We’re into these Frank Green ones, made sustainably, and in a range of colours. Design your own on the website; we’re really into this coral and blue combo.
Journal For Good
In an ordinary year, buying someone a journal may feel like a bit of a predictable move. But if 2020 taught us anything, it’s the need to express ourselves and keep mentally occupied. Journalling, even if that means a sentence or two a day, is an accessible way to remember each day as it passes. Let’s face it, these months have been memorable. It’s worth documenting them.
Friendly Little Blob Person
Not everything needs to have a purpose: some of the best things in life are just for fun and these handmade, hand-finished, little, erm, creatures are joyous additions to any work-from-home set-up from Studio Arhoj. Perfect for someone who appreciates craft but frankly isn’t going to get their hands dirty themselves.