Inspiring Climate Action Since 2009
The world goes on a shopping spree for holiday gifts between Black Friday and Christmas every year. But mindful shoppers are getting aware of the adverse impacts of fast fashion, mass-produced gifts and now want to take a learned decision when it comes to buying gifts. So here is the post dedicated to finding eco-friendly gifts.
Here are some parameters you should check before deciding the best green gift.
We all get some unwanted gifts, which lie around in the storage area for years at our home and become clutter in the end. So the first and most important criteria for selecting a gift should be the usability of the gift. We need to find a gift that will be used and won’t end up gathering dust somewhere in the corner. Try to choose functional gift items instead of display or decor items after all our aim shouldn’t be increasing clutter in gift receivers home.
So I will suggest going to a timeless and as much universal gift instead of a trendy one, which will be outdated in a while. Gifts specially created for one occasion like a mug with Santa’s picture on it become useless for the rest of the year for most people. So better to gift something which can be used average times during a year and not very occasion specific. I even take it a little ahead and try to find a unisex gift, which will be used by someone in the receiver’s family.
When gifting kids, don’t just buy some noisy toys or toys which they get bored quickly. You can always look for some age-appropriate engaging, educational, learning gifts. On one of the birthday, I gifted Ruhaan this binocular, it’s fully functional, specially made for kid-size. He likes to take it with him for outdoor trips and travels.
The gift needs to be good quality and durable, so that can be used longer. Even if your budget is low for certain gifts, you can always find a good quality, durable sustainable gift. Remember, when you invest in quality and durable gifts, you are also investing in the resources used for making that gift. Also, give a though of waste created by that gift and what will happen when the gift is no more usable. This is the reason I never gift anyone anything made of plastic.
Safety Factor:
Another aspect of quality is health and safety. Especially when gifting pregnant women, infants, kids, and elderly you need to be a little more cautious. When choosing gifts, consider if any toxic substance is present, if the gift could be hazardous in anyways or if the gift is age-appropriate. For example, it’s not a good idea to give a gift with tiny detachable objects to babies, they can swallow and suffocate. Avoid gifting toxic toys or sharp objects to children. Toxic fragrances, candles can affect adversely pregnant women. You definitely don’t want to gift something which may harm the receiver. A little research before buying gifts can go a long way.
It’s best if you could gift someone a zero waste gift or gift which can help them in living more sustainable. Think of zero waste kit like the one in the below image, or zero waste shopping kit.
Reusable bottles, bags, etc can be great gifts for almost anyone. Here is a list of must-have sustainable items for every home for some gift inspiration.
Buying gifts made from recycled and repurposed material or buying even a second hand, pre-loved is one of the most sustainable gifts. This way you give another life to the piece of material which was previously manufactured and used. This way you extend the life of resources invested in creating the original material. These gifts are not just environment-friendly but also are creative and cool gifts. Think of lamp made from plumbing material, wine made from a skateboard, jewelry made from tools, decorative furniture made from reclaimed wood.
If you ask me, I love receiving gifts made with love. It could be as simple as a pot made on the wheel or something repurposed at home, or even some edible gift like homemade jams, etc. These hand made and homemade gifts are always special so do not hesitate to give a gift which you created. On Ruhaan’s first birthday, we gave these return favors home-made from his baby food jars. They went well with our farm-themed birthday party too!
Here are some more handmade gift ideas & DIY recipes and methods.:
Another of my personal favorite categories of gifts is a plant. You can gift a plant on any occasion to anyone. Just make sure to give an easy to care type plants, it could be indoor plants, succulents, edible herbs. Also, do not forget to attach plant care instruction with the gift to make sure plant lives. Over the years I have gifted so many plants to friends, family and also have heard back from a few that they developed a new hobby of gardening after receiving a gift of a plant.
Nowadays my favorite gift in this category is my home-made compost made from my kitchen waste or saved seeds from my last year’s harvest.
Seeds in reusable packing by Wendy
Another alternative could be plantable seed paper gifts like seed paper cards or even plantable pencils. These green gifts could perfect for people with green thumbs or plant lovers.
Some people like to give treats as a gift, especially to kids. Treats are almost essential in return gifts for kid’s birthday parties. My recommendation is always to opt for a healthy treat, as human health and wellness is a big part of sustainability. I generally prefer fruits, dry fruits. My rule of thumb is don’t gift unhealthy, junk treats that you won’t eat. I make sure during any parties to keep healthy treats including the return favors for my son’s birthday parties. (Read here about hosting an eco-friendly birthday party)
When gifting a kid a bag of chocolates or candies, it’s wise to first check with parents if it is allowed. Do not forget food allergies when selecting an edible gift. Another thing to remember when food gifting, the portion size. If you gift a small family a big box of sweets, it will surely get wasted. To avoid food waste, give a though beforehand when you are choosing edible gifts.
If I come across gifts that can support a social cause or initiative I prefer to stock it. Gifts that are made by rural women association or special needs students or tribal communities fall under this category. If you could find socially sustainable gifts locally well and good otherwise lookout for such gifts when traveling. Supporting the local community of your travel destination will make your travel sustainable too!
It is a great idea to support the local economy, local startups, and small businesses by buying gifts from them. You can find many such businesses in Ripe Market or Arte Market. Some of them stock zero waste gifts, socially sustainable gifts, or even great edible gifts. Buying a locally-made gift can decrease the carbon footprint of your gift and encourage local artisans and ethical businesses.
If you are after less is more, gifting experiences is the best way. Because of so many parameters involved when finding the right gift for me; my dear husband has been gifting me; experiences; right from travel, adventure to learning something new. You can be as creative as you can under this category, you can either know the interests of gift receivers or for dear ones it’s a great way of encouraging them to new experiences and widen their horizon. Right from some tickets of shows, classes like painting, cooking to educational course, travel itinerary, and what not? Here are some great ideas of gifting experiences for nature and adventure lovers. One of the easiest gifts in this category could be a photoshoot package for family or individuals.
This is a last-minute gift shopping savior. If you are in doubt then just purchase a mall gift voucher. sometimes we don’t know what the interests are or what will be appreciated or useful and then sometimes life takes over and we are pressed with time. Buying a gift voucher for a wider shopping avenue is a great idea, the person who receives it has more freedom selecting their own gift.
In a worst-case scenario, if they don’t like anything from the shopping mall, the voucher could always be used for grocery shopping.
Eco-friendly or less waste gift wrapping people forget all the time. I have been reusing the gift wrappings from my received gifts for many years, for re-use, it’s better if the gifts come in boxes or bags. For wrapping, I prefer using either waste paper like newspaper or scarf or beautiful fabric. Furoshiki is a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth technique, you can find many interesting gifts wrapping with fabric tutorials online. Furoshiki is the best zero waste gift wrapping solution. Surely, people won’t dump a good fabric in the trash bin after opening the gift, they can either find creative use of that fabric or can re-use it to wrap their gift and pass it on to the next person, both are absolutely great probabilities!
To select eco-friendly gift wrapping, think how many times sit can be reused. For example, if you are wrapping a gift in a scarf, the scarf can be another gift and used as a scarf.
I hope these guidelines have given your enough green gift ideas to choose the right Christmas gift, Diwali gift, Eid gift, birthday gift, anniversary gift, teacher gift, gifts for men or gifts for women; did I miss anything? 🙂
Amruta Kshemkalyani, an expert sustainability professional turned social entrepreneur, is the founder of the Sustainability Tribe, AK Sustainability
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