Sustainable Gift Shopping Guide: Gifts for Every Occasion

Shopping for Christmas, Mother’s Day or birthday gifts? Finding just the right thing whilst making sure your gift doesn’t harm the planet can be tricky. Luckily, we’re here to give you the lowdown on gifting responsibly, whatever the occasion, with our sustainable gift shopping guide. Read on for sustainable shopping tips and a range of sustainable gifts sure to wow their recipients.

Buy Vintage

The stigma around gifting second-hand items is starting to lift. We all know that consumerism is bad for the environment. And with so many wonderful second-hand items sitting on shop shelves it seems silly not to take advantage. So give an item a second life and go vintage gift shopping.

Local second-hand shops are a great place to look. But increasingly, it’s possible to search out exciting vintage finds online. EBay is an obvious place to start. But check out social media platforms like Facebook Marketplace and newcomer vintage sites like Vinted for high quality vintage gifts.

Make Something

Taking the time to actually hand-make a gift is really special. It shows how much you care. So if you have crafty talents, put them to good use.

Bake a vegan cake. Knit a jumper. Make some candles. You can guarantee that your present will be 100% unique!

Give to Charity

Buying for the friend or relative who already has everything? You could forget buying something for them and instead make a charitable donation in their name.

Visit the website of their favourite charity and they (with your help) could contribute towards tree planting, clean water or child education initiatives all around the world.

Gift Experiences

Treat your loved one to an experience rather than an object. It’s much more likely to be a gift they’ll remember. There are plenty of websites where you can buy exciting gift experiences. But why not plan your own?

An expedition to a favourite location. A craft or cookery workshop. A day of sporting activities. Wine tasting. A yoga retreat. You can pick something you know they’ll love and make memories together.

Buy Green

If you really do want to buy something new for your loved one, try to find quality items that will last for a long time. This minimises the effect they have on the planet.

And be sure to buy sustainable items from ethical brands. Take a look at a few of our favourites below for some gifting inspiration.

Everyday Eco Items

WATER BOTTLES. Everybody needs a reusable water bottle for when they’re on the go. Dopper has stylish steel and glass water options, with not a scrap of plastic in sight.

COFFEE CUPS. For an eco-friendly brew, there’s no better option than Keep Cup. It’s the perfect gift for any friends or family with a love for caffeine.

SHOPPING BAGS. Design a reusable shopping bag for a loved one at Doc Cotton. This sustainable textile brand offers a wide range of prints for you to choose from.

PHONE CASES. Pela sell plastic free smartphone covers in a range of beautiful colours and for pretty much every handset. There are even limited edition collections including mandala and turtle designs.

Little Luxuries

LUXURY BATH PRODUCTS. The plastic free range of soap, bath oils and hand lotions at Soap Co. is paraben-free and bee friendly. And it looks pretty beautiful too!

CANDLES. Using plant-based wax and recycled glass jars, The Very Good Candle Co. specialise in creating gift-worthy candles in a range of delicious scents.

FOODIE TREATS. Any foodie friends are sure to love a hamper from Social Stories Club. Chocolate, coffee, tea and other tasty treats are all sustainably sourced and fairly traded and there’s a social initiative behind each item.

Fashion and Accessories

BACKPACKS. Check out the stylish and super eco-friendly backpacks at Lefrik. They’re vegan and made from 100% recycled plastic PET bottles.

LOUNGEWEAR. Shop cosy, high quality loungewear at We Are Thought. Sustainably sourced materials and carefully crafted prints make each item a real joy to behold and oh-so comfortable to wear.

JEWELLERY. Bring a bit of sustainable bling into someone’s life with one of Wearth’s exquisitely crafted jewellery items.

T-SHIRTS. Komodo is a brand that has been championing eco-fashion for decades. Check out their stylish men’s and women’s wear, ranging from tees to socks to bamboo sunglasses.

Homeware

PLANTERS. For the green-fingered friend in your life, take a look at the unique indoor planters at ethical and sustainable brand, Nkuku.

BLANKETS. As you can guess from the brand name, long-lasting, sustainable items are the speciality at Buy Me Once. These beautiful handwoven blankets tick both boxes.

CERAMICS. The Future Kept’s perfectly imperfect ceramics make a striking addition to any home. From vases to tumblers to teacups, there’s something for everyone.

GLASSWARE. Lucir Mas is the place to go for handmade, recycled glass products. This Spanish brand is all about caring for the planet without compromising on style.

Kids

ROMPERS. Wonderfully soft and simply designed rompers are the order of the day at Mini Mioche. Short sleeves for summer, hoods for winter and sizes from 0 to 8 years.

TOYS. Play doesn’t have to involve plastic. Check out Fabelab’s range of sustainable playthings, from puppet theatres to dolls’ prams to dress up.

HOODED TOWELS. These hooded towels from sustainable brand, Panda, are made from a super soft blend of cotton and bamboo. The perfect bath time accessory for little bear cubs.

GAMES. For babies up to big kids, a gift from Babipur’s range of wooden games and puzzles is sure to be a hit. Aesthetically pleasing, educational and kind to the planet. What more could you want?

We hope these sustainable gift shopping tips have given you inspiration for your next present-buying occasion.

And don’t forget you can make your sustainable gift shopping experience even more eco by installing the TreeClicks plugin. Every time you shop with one of our 50,000+ partner stores, we plant trees. Find out how it works here.