2021 Sustainable Gift Guide
It’s more important than ever to give with intention and choose sustainable gifts your loved ones will enjoy for years rather than months. Within this 2021 Sustainable Gift Guide I have put together some environmentally conscious gift ideas, from refillable lipsticks to a growable calendar. I’ve chosen products I have personally received or given to others over the holiday period.
Things to consider first
Before you make your gift purchases make sure to shop intentionally and thoughtfully. The easiest ways to do this are:
Quality over quantity
Check second hand first
Support smaller local businesses
THE GIFTS
Naturally died handmade Irish linens
Beautiful handmade Irish linen napkins by VED COOKS. Starting as a lockdown project, owner Verity started experimenting with vegetable skins and leftover food products to see if they could be used as a natural dye. Hand died in her kitchen these gorgeous table cloths come in different colours and make a great gift for home lovers.
Socially conscious wine
For every bottle of wine The Hidden Sea sell, they remove and recycle 10 plastic bottles from oceans and rivers. Their award winning vegan wines are grown in premium vineyards and are located in Australia's most iconic wine growing regions.
BOOKs TO CHANGE YOUR MIND and simplify your life
Zen & The Art of Saving the Planet offers an insightful Zen Buddhist viewpoint and approach to correcting our current climatic and environmental crises. How we see and think about things determines all the choices we make, the everyday actions we take, how we relate to those we love, and how we react in a crisis or when things don't go our way. My book Minimal, featured in the top 10 Best New Sustainable Books in The Sunday Times and 2020 Feel Good Reads in Cosmopolitan. For more sustainability books check out my list of 15 Books to Inspire a Sustainable Lifestyle.
£12.99 for Zen & The Art or £10.55 for Minimal from Hive.co.uk
Adopt a Sloth
100% of the proceeds from your symbolic adoption will go towards funding real conservation solutions in Costa Rica to help save sloths and protect their natural environment.
From $25 as a one off donation or subscription
SUSTAINABLE BEAUTY
Gentle cruelty free beauty products made with the planet in mind. All products are fragrance free and you can get refills for lots of the products so you don’t need to get rid of the packaging.
YALLAH COFFEE ROASTERS
This coffee was shipped under sail power from the port of Santa Marta, Colombia to Yallah’s roastery in Falmouth - reducing transit emissions by hundreds of kgsCO2e. To make this possible, they partnered with New Dawn Traders and The Blue Schooner company, who sailed over 7,500 nautical miles with a carbon footprint that is close to zero. Plus, the price the farmer receives was almost 30% higher than the market price. This coffee is smooth, sweet and will suit any brewing method - a great gift for coffee loving friends and family.
CLEAN BEAUTY GIFT BOX
Worth over £90 this clean beauty gift box makes a lovely gift for anyone trying to clean up their beauty regime. I have tried most of the products and I can confirm that I love them all. Included is Antipodes Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream, REN Perfect Canvas Jelly Cleanser, Ilapothercary Deep Bath Soak, Trilogy Vitamin C Energizing Mist Toner and Evolve Hyaluronic Eye Complex.
REUSABLE CANDLE
Cozy Nook Candles natural handmade soy candles smell absolutely incredible. They are plastic free, plant a tree for every order and are based in an office in Devon which is powered by 100% UK generated renewable electricity. You’ve also got Keep Candles , a zero waste and unique, dual-purpose candle that has been designed to be used as a mug once the plant-based wax has melted down; allowing you to use your ceramic ware again and again. They also do bowl candles, glass candles and egg cup candles!
Refillable lipsticks
Charlotte Tilbury’s Hot Lips 2 is a refillable lipstick you can wear forever. Hot Lips 2 was created in collaboration with 11 incredible icons. Charlotte has created 5 collectible, refillable and interchangeable designs to fill with 11 incredible shades inspired by her favourite icons.
GROWABLE CALENDAR
A growable calendar is the perfect introduction to gardening for beginners. Each month there are interesting facts and tips to make it easy to care for your plants, flowers, herbs and vegetables. Each calendar page contains solid organic seeds inside.Then at the end you will be rewarded with your own home-garden full of fruits, vegetables and flowers!
A COSY WINTER JACKET
Super warm and comfy insulated jacket made with from 100% recycled (GRS certified) polyester. You can count on Finisterre for great quality outdoor products. Alex has one and loves it in the winter!
RECYCLED BEANIE
I love my Finisterre beanie and it would make the perfect gift at Christmas. Made out of recycled cotton yarn and a diamond patch at the front showing their home, and mine, Cornwall!
PRELOVED CERAMICS
One of my favourite things to buy as a gift is second hand ceramics. These can be anything form pots and jugs to mugs and vases. I’ve found some real gems for my new kitchen on Facebook Marketplace, Ebay and Etsy and they make the best sustainable gift for anyone interested in interior design or kitchenware.
ETHICAL JEWELLERY
Lily Flo do the most gorgeous jewellery. I bought myself a beautiful natural Herkimer diamond last year and wear it pretty much every day. It would make the perfect Christmas gift. This necklace is made from recylced Sterling Silver or 9ct Yellow Gold and set on an 18inch Sterling Silver chain. Herkimer Diamond is an unusual double terminated gemstone that has powerful natural energy properties of strengthening people's mind.
BEAUTIFUL DRESSES
I recently bought this dress at an event their held in Cornwall. I can’t tell you how comfortable their dresses are, and great for every size and shape. They come in lots of different patterns and fits and are inspired by Indian patterns and seasonless shapes.
SUSTAINABLE PERFUME
A fragrance brand with sustainability at its heart, from the ingredients right the way through to the packaging. They are 100% compostable, reusable and recyclable, and are the first in the perfume industry to to do. Created in under a minute, they use less energy, with waste water being cleaned and recycled and any waste pulp composted at local farms. Plus, their scents smell amazing! Sign up to their newsletter for 10% off
I hope you enjoyed this post. You might also enjoy my blog post on my favourite zero waste products or if you’re thinking of buying clothes as gifts, you might also like my favourite sustainable clothing brands.
*This post contains affiliate links
