Some gifted and sponsored items.
Christmas is around the corner – well, a few more weeks left until then. This is the best time to think about your Christmas gifts. This year I’m kicking off the season with my Christmas Gift Guide series, starting with these Sustainable and Ethical Christmas gifts for everyone!
I’ve got fantastic items coming from indie brands and small businesses, and most of them are also either eco-friendly or ethically produced – or both! I’d like to create awareness, because making conscious choices when deciding about a purchase is more possible than ever these days. We can do better, simply by making positive choices for people and planet. Money is a vote which you can use every time you go shopping. By using your spending power wisely you can help to create a better, healthier and greener world.
Worldwide Experience Gifts
What’s more greener than no stuff at all? Memories over materialism. Let the giftee to choose what they really want! Experience gifts offer the gift of cherished memories rather than more stuff. They encourage spending quality time with loved ones, promoting togetherness and shared moments. Each experience can be tailored to the recipient’s interests, making it a heartfelt and thoughtful gift. From hotel getaways and spa days to hotel getaways and winery tours, there’s something for everyone. Whether it’s a cooking class or adventure activity, experience gifts can suit anyone, from kids to adults.
Gifting Owl experience gifts can be purchased and booked anywhere in the world! They are also perfect as a last minute gift: the gift vouchers are delivered digitally via email instantly (so they are also waste free), or at a specific date and time selected by the gift giver.
Recycled Silver Necklace from Jana Reinhardt
Jana Reinhardt are a husband and wife team: Jana Reinhardt and Ross Cutting – both master-goldsmiths who are as passionate about hand making jewellery, as they are about animal welfare and green living. All their pieces are hand made (using the old methods of wax carving and fabrication) from 100% recycled precious metals, all gemstones are ethically sourced or lab-grown, and their packaging is 100% recyclable and plastic free. They even offset their carbon output – by planting a tree with Ecologi for every sale. Vegan brand – they’re 100% plant powered, which means a smaller carbon footprint!
RRP: Otter necklace – £95
Handmade Christmas Decoration from Rabbit & Bobbin
Rabbit & Bobbin is a small business making hand made baby gifts and felt creations based in Northern Ireland. This Christmas wreath is plastic-free (aside from the hypoallergenic toy-safe stuffing). Made used cotton thread, cotton yarn, a brass bell and wool-viscose mix felt which is made in the UK. In Rabbit & Bobbin’s Etsy Shop, you can find handmade wool felt creations with plastic-free, FSC Certified packaging and ethically sourced materials. You can even make a custom order.
RRP: £10.00
Mum and Daughter Gift set from Comme des Jumelles
Comme des Jumelles is an eco-conscious, family-led brand providing natural skincare with premium quality ingredients. Their beautiful products are effective, responsible and celebrate the beauty, unconditional love and connection felt between mothers and their daughters. Comme des Jumelles only uses the highest quality ingredients from trusted suppliers, 90% or more are from natural origins. All their products are also cruelty free.
This Dream Box contains:
- Head in the Clouds Pillow Mist (100ml)
- Tiny Dream Drops Massage & Bath Oil (50ml)
- Comme une caresse (mini size) (20ml)
- Petit Coeur Bath Bomb (x1)
RRP: £29 (currently on sale at £20)
Ethical Jewellery form Gardens of the Sun
Gardens of the Sun uses precious metals and gem stoned that are not only conflict-free, but even sourced from locations that aren’t involved in child labour, forced labour or modern slavery; war economies, armed conflict and terrorism; and financing criminal networks. Every step in the supply chain is powered by happy and healthy working conditions.
They use alluvial gold extracted by artisanal female miners. These are sourced directly, paying them a premium for their mercury-free practices, half of which goes to a capacity-building fund that each woman has access to.
Gardens of the Sun also plants at least five trees for every purchase and donates to other good causes.
They ship from Bali (Indonesia) to anywhere in the world.
RRP:
Moon and Back Moonstone and Aquamarine Ring: $59
Borneo Sapphire Ring with Hidden Gems: $99
Grow Your Own Bonsai Tree Gift Box
This Grow Your Own Bonsai Tree is an ideal gift for all nature lovers, gardeners, plant parents – anyone with a green finger! This gift box contains four packets of mixed Bonsai seeds, five starter growing pots made from coconut husk, and five natural coconut husk compost discs (peat free!). Plus, five wooden plant markers and instructions.
Available at Moonpig, Watersones and Gift Republic
RRP: £12.99
Recycled Brass Lamp from Industville
Pillar Cylinder Table Lamp fro Industville is versatile lamp will complement a range of interiors, providing an effortlessly sophisticated silhouette and smooth brass finish. It creates a soft, ambient glow, adding warmth and dimension. You can choose from different shade options.
Industville designs are a modern take on traditional craftsmanship, they are made by hand with the help of classic machinery. They are an environmental and socially conscious company, their products are crafted sustainably and ethically, from natural and 100% recycled glass and metals such as pure brass, copper and iron, with necessary plastic components kept to a minimum. Industville promotes circular economy, by being part of the WEEE European recycling scheme, which aims to improve the collection, treatment and recycling of electrical and electronic equipment.
Christmas Tree Earrings Made with Recycled Wire
A very small, one-woman band business owned by Loretta, True Love Keepsakes sent me these cute Christmas Tree earrings. Her mission is to enable parents and family members to capture the handprint, footprints and fingerprints of those they love. I love this sentiment! And for Christmas she also designed a few different earrings, made using 100% recycled wire.
RRP: £14.99
Allessandro Vitale: Rebel Gardening
This is a true Christmas gift for me! I have been following Allessandro’s wonderful posts and videos over on Instagram for a while. A truly inspiring young urban gardener, based in London, who created a fantastic, down to Earth guide on how to start a small garden, even in the middle of the city. Rebel Gardening is full of handy tips and simple techniques on starting out, wasting less, eating seasonally and healthy plant-based recipes. An absolute gem – I’ll be using it a lot and can’t wait to put in use when we finally move into our house. Follow him on Instagram or Youtube too!
RRP: £18.99
Wildflower Botanicals Bath Oils Gift Set
Wildflower Botanicals is a home fragrance, aromatherapy and skincare products brand, creating wellness products that do not cost the earth and they use sustainable, natural and high-performance ingredients. Each of these wonderful bath oil has its own unique aromatherapy blend in a base of skin-softening sweet almond, grapeseed and olive oils. Everything wrapped in plastic free packaging also completely cruelty – free, vegan and toxin free.
RRP: single bottles starting at £12.50
ReBorn Kitchenware with Recycled Materials
New British sustainable homeware brand ReBorn has a line of kitchen items made with recycled materials and designed to last. ReBorn’s key mission is to address the unsustainable homeware industry. Pioneering the transformation of waste into exquisite homeware, ReBorn significantly reduces the need for virgin materials and breathes life into discarded materials which may otherwise end up in landfill. They do this by collecting discarded waste collected from factories around the UK, together with materials such as stainless steel, which are ‘reborn’ and turned into sleek and stylist homewares in their Wiltshire factory. This innovative use of waste materials slashes carbon emissions by 67% compared to the conventional methods more traditionally used within the homeware industry.
Available from their online shop and John Lewis.
RRP: washing up bowl £34.99 and sink tidy £19.99
Carrie Elspeth Handmade Jewellery from Wales
Handmade in Wales, Carrie Elspeth operates from a studio warehouse on the outskirts of Cowbridge in Llandow. Check their gorgeous Instagram account too: www.instagram.com/carrieelspethjewellery
Mini Haematite Heart Bracelet: this looks great on its own or stacked! Made of haematite hearts, and each bead has a smooth mirrored surface which glitters and reflects light.
RRP: £14.99
Sunstone Gemstone Bracelet: If you believe the power of precious stones, Sunstone is believed to promote optimism and allow the real you to shine. It encourages hard work and achievement. A natural anti-depressant. Choose between a star or heart charm.
RRP: £29.99
Ciwb Bracelet in Sandstone Colour: The beads are 100% recycled glass and these bracelets have already been shortlisted for the Gift of the Year. Their name Ciwb means cube in Welsh.
RRP: £24.99
Plastic Free Nail Polish Gift Set
This is the second set of my Earthy nail polish and me and my daughter can’t get enough of them. These are perfect for adults and kids as well – because they are not damaging to the nail. Earthy is plastic free, natural origin nail polish brand – and even the packaging is as plastic free as possible! They are also vegan and cruelty free. And the colours! The nail varnish colours are amazing, strong and vibrant. They last long – I wore their Poseidon blue nail polish for about 4 weeks this summer with minimal fixing required.
RRP: single bottles £7.99 and gift sets of 4 bottles £24.95
SOS Balm – Natural and Eczema Friendly
Having battled with infant eczema, I can relate to parents in the same shoes – it is horrible to watch a small child suffering. Luckily, natural skincare products, like SOS Balm are now available. This little tin of skin balm is organic, vegan and kind on delicate skin as well as with a combination of pure, effective, natural ingredients helps to soothe the skin. SOS Balm can be used for nappy rash, dribble rash, eczema and psoriasis flares. It can help to soothe cuts, scrapes, minor burns and rashes. It makes a lovely stocking filler.
RRP: from £10.99
Junior Book Gifts from Prestel Publishing
These three gorgeous books by Prestel Publishing (The Wonderful World of Water, By the Sea and Wheels) make a fantastic gift for young people (or even older ones, like me). With beautiful illustrations and interesting reads they are available from Waterstones, Blackwell and Foyles – and other good bookshops.
RRP: from £18.99
Bamboo Socks
I’ve been a big fan of BAM socks for years, I bought a few pairs years ago for my husband. At first, he was laughing at the bamboo socks as if they are just some new hippy thing I happened to found. And then, he started to wear them. .. He’s became a convert in a day. Ever since, he never bought NOT bamboo socks! Bamboo socks are super soft, they last long and because of their antibacterial properties, they solve the problem of smelly feet.
RRP: from £6
Holy Lama Soaps
Hand made in Kerala (India) Holy Lama Naturals Soaps are 100% natural; they contain no parabens or harsh chemicals, no animal fats, are ethically sourced and are registered with the Vegan Society. Their packaging is entirely natural too, made from leaves shed by the areca palm, so there’s no plastic in sight. For luxury soap that’s kind to you and to Mother Earth, look no further. Extra virgin coconut oil is the base for all the soaps and a unique combinations of superior essential oils, known to help balance mind, body and soul, using ancient Ayurvedic principles.
RRP: from £6.50
Vegan Slippers from Heavenly Feet
Love these Mula slippers in beautiful bright yellow! This classic slider design features a soft textile upper with faux fur trim; soft textile lining and textile sock for underfoot comfort. Available from Heavenly Feet, designed in the UK and their team now has over 100 years experience in crafting footwear.
RRP: £17.95
Evolve Organic Beauty Gift Sets
Evolve Beauty products are lovingly handmade in small batches in Hertfordshire to ensure the freshness of the precious antioxidants in the natural oils, butters and extracts. All their products are vegan, cruelty free and eco-friendly.
RRP:
The Radiant Rose Duo £20 (on sale, normally £26)
The Hydration Heroes £39 (on sale, normally £51)
Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA)
The brilliant Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA) – a co-operative of artists who through accident, illness or disability paint using only their mouths or feet – have some stunning Christmas products available which we’d love for you to consider for your gift guides.
The inspiring artists create beautiful designs which are then made into cards and products and sold to provide the artists financial independence. Christmas is their most important period as cards are their most successful product making it a special time for our artists. The 2023 MFPA Christmas Collection has just gone live which you can find from the website.
Products include:
- Christmas puzzle featuring designs by our artists
- pack of playing cards, featuring artwork by our MFPA artists
- Christmas cards – the perfect way to wish your loved ones a merry festive period
- New Year calendar.
- art diary for 2024.
Quoridor Mini Maze Board Game
Designed by artist Mirko Marchesi, Quoridor is suitable for the whole family and terribly captivating, Quoridor has established itself as a classic among abstract games. Also a plastic-free game with wooden bits. Find the balance between moving forward and obstructing your opponent’s travels to be the first to cross the board. Available in Hobby Stores and Amazon.
RRP: £27.79
Laptop Bag from Cycle of Good
Cycle of Good (parent charity Krizevac Project) is a charity and social enterprise registered in England and Wales. It is a trading initiative, based in Malawi and currently employing about 500 local people. Apart from that, they also help to fund children’s centres locally. It’s a hub, that teaches skills, trains people and they create handmade items, that are made of upcycled bicycle inner tubes.
RRP: £16
St. Eval Candles
St. Eval is a B corp and their award winning candles (and diffusers) are completely plastic-free. They sustainably craft candles, diffusers and body care with people and the planet at our heart. St Eval specialises in the art of traditional candle making, using a combination of mineral and vegetable wax (cruelty-free and vegan). They also reuse old packaging in the factory and use FSC Certified paper for the labels. The factory also run on renewable energy based in beautiful Cornwall.
RRP: from £12.99
Sustainably and Ethically Made Men’s Shirts
Rewound Clothing is a men’s sustainable fashion brand focused on designing the highest quality men’s shirts. With 50 years in the fashion industry, their aim is to supply premium fashion that is timeless, tran-seasonal and kind to the planet. All of their shirts are made from either 100% premium recycled fabrics or bespoke blends of 100% premium natural fibres (hemp, lyocell, tencel and recycled cotton) . Every shirt is detailed with natural corozo buttons, recycled linings and trims and is delivered in fully recycled, recyclable packaging.
‘Prescribe The Wild’: a Gift of the Great Outdoors
CampWild offers an exciting adventure gift set for those wanting to gift a unique nature-based experience for their loved ones. “Prescribe The Wild” lets you share the gift of wilderness and outdoor adventure, by prescribing time in some of the UK’s wildest places, to reconnect with nature in all its forms. Prescribe The Wild is the perfect gift for adventurous or nature-inquisitive people, including those who either already love wild camping or have always wanted to try it.
