Whether it’s the holiday season or you’re looking for something to say thank you or happy birthday to your staff or clients, gift giving often goes hand in hand with success and celebrations. They’re a gesture of thoughtfulness and care, a universal language used for letting others know that you appreciate them. Sadly, there is also a common downside to the practice. Whilst most gifts spark joy in the moment, many are disposable and short-lived. They can lack usefulness or longevity. In addition to this, they’re often also accompanied by wrapping paper or plastic packaging, creating a lot of rubbish ultimately making the wonderful action of gift giving a terrible contributor to environmental pollution. According to recent findings, the average person purchases 32 gifts every year, while every Christmas we dispose of over 227,000 kilometres of wrapping paper. Though it may seem small, making eco-friendly swaps when it comes to gifts can be a sizable step in a greener direction.
What are Eco-gifts?
Eco-friendly gifts allow us to combine the act of giving with a needed respect for our planet. They are commonly sourced from natural, sustainable materials and strive to be reusable. Focusing on functionality, eco-gifts often reflect the current needs of the recipient. Apart from fulfilling practicality, ecological gifts can be an invitation to a more sustainable lifestyle! Inspiring the recipients to implement greener principles and consider a change of habit they can be a great way of recruiting new eco warriors!
Here’s our list of popular ecological business gifts, as well as one’s you might not have thought of!
- Reusable coffee cups and water bottles – With sustainability on the rise there are hundreds of reusable alternatives to choose from! Take your pick from stainless steel, glass, and silicone products- with many brands opting for recycled materials.
- Reusable straws and cutlery travel set – Governments all over the world are banning single-use plastics, making reusable straws and cutlery travel sets a great permanent alternative to help reduce rubbish pollution. Various companies such as Sho make reusable cups and flasks and donate a portion of the profits to charity.
- Vegan & cruelty-free beauty products – Many beauty companies are making a push to limit testing cosmetic products on animals or using animal products in cosmetics. Look for companies with green certifications and certified cruelty free logos on their packaging.
- Seed-planting and home garden kits – With gardening growing in popularity over recent years, seed-planting and home gardening kits are great gifts. Explore companies such as Treebombs with their 101 trees pack.
- Organic snacks and treats – Look out for foods with the organic label! Organic foods are more friendly to the environment because of the lack of synthetic pesticides and fertilisers which often have negative consequences for surrounding organisms. With online retailers such as Abel & Cole finding organic snacks and treats has never been more accessible!
- Experience vouchers – Instead of buying a physical gift, why not think about an experience? Physical gifts take materials and energy to manufacture, whereas there is no waste involved with experiences. Why not consider experience packages working alongside charities or giving back to communities?
- Recycled material cards – Use cards that contain recycled materials in their construction, or alternatively forego a card altogether. Consider eco-friendly sellers such as “WashedUpCards” which use recycled plastic waste found from beaches to make cards.
- Kitchen herb plants – Herbs are a great natural gift – they are useful for any cook and can transform a dish. They are an eco-friendly alternative to dried herbs in jars, cutting out the picking, drying, and packaging steps while promoting growing your own produce. You can find herbs at most larger supermarkets, garden centres and online retailers.
- Reusable makeup pads– Time to ditch the single use skincare and utilise organic makeup wipes! Made from organic bamboo cotton they are both reusable and kinder to the skin.
- Recycled notebooks and stationery – There a many beautiful and recycled alternatives. Did you know there are sustainable notebooks that are fully compostable? Our recent favourite is the “vegan leather” bound notebook made from sustainably harvested Teak leaves and ecological materials. Visit Etsy and explore endless sustainable options!
Our team at MOMENTUM are constantly looking for ways to improve our effects on the environment! If you’d like to discuss other eco-friendly ideas or want to find out more, we’d love to share ideas! Get in touch: E: makeithappen@mbsmih.com T: 01903 688789