Eco-friendly Gift Ideas

Top Trending Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas for Any Occassion

We've foraged and frolicked and rounded up a selection of eco-friendly gift ideas, so you can be generous with your friends and family without feeling the guilt throughout the year. Whether plastic-free, long-lasting, sustainably sourced or compostable, these eco-friendly gifts represent present-buying with a conscience.

Whether you're looking for a gift for family or friends, we've sought eco-friendly gift ideas for everyone. Glance through our thought-provoking range of eco-friendly gifts ideas for every occasion. See our ideas for:

• Eco-friendly gift  ideas for Sisters
• Eco-friendly gift ideas forBrothers 
• Eco-friendly gift ideas for your Best friend 
• Eco-friendly gift ideas for your Mum and Dad 
• Eco-friendly gift ideas for that special someone in your life

We've made sure to include plenty of perfect eco-friendly gift ideas for everyone! We've got something they'll love! Our range of sustainable, ethically sourced, eco-friendly gift ideas is also bound to be a hit with eco-warriors everywhere.

And while you browse the selection of eco-friendly gift ideas, consider these tips on how to shop more sustainably. 

Click the link to read a little bit more:

• Look at gifts through a sustainability lens.
• Do the same with the brand or shop from where you are buying.
• Visiting the store vs ordering online.
• Buying in one place or multiple sites. 
• Be organised.
• Why use recyclable gift wrapping paper vs traditional giftwrapping?

Look at Gifts Through a Sustainability Lens.

Questions to ask yourself and the shop assistant:

• What materials is your chosen product made from?
• Where was it made, and where did the gift originate?
• Will it last, or will it be out of fashion quickly?
• Is the item cruetly-free?
• Does your item contain any toxic chemicals (i.e. varnish or toxic paint)?

Don't be afraid to ask these questions. It's not against the law; in fact, why not insist your local shops begin to ask the same questions. It has to start somewhere, so why not let it begin with gifts that are eco-friendly and sustainable. It's a great way to feel even better when giving a gift, and it's a great place to start to help save our planet.

Brand or Shop's Sustainablity Pledge. Do they have one?

Do the same with the brand or shop from where you are buying from. Ask them where they are buying from, their commitment to the environment, and their steps to help the planet.

• What are their eco-credentials?
• What is their sustainability statement?
• Do they use sustainable packaging for deliveries?

These are all questions you are perfectly in your right to ask. You never know; you may impact how your local shops start to think about their supply chains, manufacturing processes and carbon footprint of what they are selling.

Visiting the Shops vs Ordering Online.

If you live close to the shop in question, it is more sustainable to walk there/travel via public transport rather than order online. If you don't live close, weigh up the question of what would cover fewer miles, you driving to the shop or having each item delivered.

If You are an Online Shopper...

Buying in one place or multiple sites. If you are an online shopper, try to purchase gifts from a few retailers as possible to deliver fewer orders. Not only will you save money and trips to the shops, but you'll be cutting way down on packaging.

Check your diary, if you know there are more birthdays or other celebrations in one month, then buy for multiple people, there is no shame in buying the same gift for different friends. 

Be Organised instead of Relying on Next Day Delivery.

Ask yourself the impact of all this online shopping on the environment? You might think that online shopping is greener than in-store shopping. After all, an online store does not use the electricity that a traditional store might use, and it doesn't require the customer to drive anywhere.

Be organised instead of relying on 24 hour or next day delivery. Look for the option to have a slower delivery time, and there are green initiatives out there. More and more companies are adding a green button to their delivery options. Look for the Big Green Button.

Use of Recyclable Gift Wrapping Paper vs Traditional.

Traditional wrapping paper is a single-use item used once and sent to a landfill or recycling. Most traditional gift wrap isn't recyclable due to foil or glitter, meaning that it either heads straight to landfill or gets mistakenly placed in the recycling bin where it can spoil entire loads of recycling.

Over 12.5m tonnes of paper and cardboard are used in the UK every year. It takes 24 trees, 10,000KW of energy and 54,000 litres of water to make 1 tonne of paper. However, each tonne of recycled paper saves 17 trees, 1,725 litres of oil, three cubic meters of landfill space, 4,000 KW of energy and 32,000 litres of water and 73% less air pollution.

In addition, 60% of wrapping paper is unable to be recycled due to plasticised coating, metal, glitter & other additives.

An extra 55,000 cubic meters of wrapping paper waste ends up in landfills every year (enough wrapping paper to reach the moon). Resulting in colossal waste, both in our precious trees and other resources needed to replenish this paper. 

Using just 5% more recycled paper in the UK would save 2.5M trees from being cut down every year. So join the wrapping revolution and only use eco-friendly alternatives to wrap presents for your friends and family that look one hundred times better than dull old Kraft paper. Let's help save our planet together.

There are a thousand and one good reasons to look at eco-friendly gift ideas for family and friends. But the most crucial reason is to give our planet a share of those care instructions to make sure our world lasts longer. 

Have Your Say...