Ad. Contains PR products and affiliate links. All opinions are honest, as always.
How is your Christmas shopping going? If you’re looking for ethical and eco friendly gifts for loved ones, and want to support small businesses, read on! If you’re keen to buy from small, UK founded businesses, you’ll find some great gift inspiration in my ethical and eco friendly Christmas gift guide.
This gift guide has lots of ideas for ethical gifts, which you can buy with a clear conscience. I hope youโll be inspired to give something with meaning, that won’t wreak our planet. I think you’ll also find some lovely things to put on your own wish list…
Some of these products have been gifted to me for inclusion in my ethical and eco friendly Christmas gift guide, and they are labeled as (gifted), everything else are things I already own that would be great Christmas gifts. So if you’re looking for the perfect ethical, eco friendly Christmas gift, read on for some inspiration!
Eco Friendly Christmas Gifts for Tea and Coffee Lovers
As a nation of tea and coffee drinkers, gifts with this theme are bound to be appreciated.
Tea Typography Print from Latte Design
Buying for a tea lover? I recommend this simple and stylish typography print from Latte Design (gifted for review). If the person you’re buying for is a slave to caffeine, this ‘but first, tea’ monochrome print will bring a smile to their face as they lunge for the kettle in the morning! You can also buy this design on a cushion, and in a white on black version.
Latte Design is an independent art and homeware print brand, based in Oxford, UK, founded by artist Amalia Lopez. She prints on FSC certified heavyweight paper using archival pigment inks for art that lasts a lifetime. Each piece is a one-off giclรฉe fine art print of museum quality, and is posted in a biodegradable cello bag.
Latte Design have a wide range of gifts and prints, and there are plenty of options for coffee lovers too. Her geometric designs are gorgeous too.
Reusable Cup from Shole
I am constantly surprised to see so many people still drinking from the non-recyclable plastic coated paper cups that the big chains hand out. If your loved one isn’t drinking from a reusable cup by now, why not give them a simply stylish stainless steel one? This reusable cup from Shole keeps drinks piping hot for ages. I use mine on the school run and if I go to London for the day as it’s lightweight and can be thrown in my bag without breaking.
Shole are dedicated to helping us kick our single-use plastic habit, by swapping them for more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives. Their packaging is 100% recyclable, made from recycled materials, and plastic free.
“Food grade stainless steel is long lasting, recyclable, doesnโt stain, and most importantly, itโs safe. The added bonus is that stainless steel coffee cups keep your beverage hotter for longer, and the double wall construction means there is no need for an additional sleeve as it remains cool to the touch, even when filled with boiling liquid.”
Shole
These cups are available in two sizes and four colours including coral and turquoise.
Shole partner with 1% for the Planet, and are committed to donating 1% of sales to Plastic Oceans UK.
Tea Infuser
I’ve made the switch to tea leaves from tea bags, due to most tea bags containing micro plastics. Loose leaf tea also tastes so much better, and now I can use this reusable, recyclable, double-walled, glass Infuser from Global WAKEcup. This light, heat-resistant double-walled cup has a sustainably sourced bamboo lid and a stainless steel screw top infuser that’s suitable for loose leaf tea, tea bags or fruit. and keeps hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold for an hour.
Pin me!
Eco Friendly Christmas Gifts for Home Lovers
If you’re looking for environmentally friendly and ethical gifts for the home, here are a few ideas.
Home Fragrance and Skincare Gifts
If you’re looking for luxurious yet eco-friendly home care products, made in the UK, you’ll love Norfolk Natural Living. They have sent me a few of their gift items to review, including a luxurious hand soap and hand cream and this beautiful natural lavender diffuser.
Co-Founder Bella Middleton explains their ethos:
“We wanted everything to be safe for use around pets, children and those with sensitive skin or allergies. So we left out chlorine, petroleum, phosphate, phthalate, bleach and artificial colours that are so prevalent in standard household products… What youโll find in our products is a blend of essential oils, the mildest natural ingredients and carefully crafted, botanical formulas, safe for use for everyone from pets to babies.
Norfolk Natural Living
Their stylishly-packaged botanical hand wash, available in several natural scents here combines modern plant-based technology with naturally derived active ingredients. The matching hand cream contains coconut oil and shea butter to nourish your skin, and aloe vera to soothe.
The PET bottles are easy to recycle, and you can pop to their shop in Holt, Norfolk for refills if you’re lucky enough to live nearby.
Eco Friendly Christmas Gifts for Walkers
If you are buying for a keen, or wannabe walker, you could consider some beautiful artwork to inspire them. Alex Foster is an illustrator based in Margate, UK. He specialises in map illustration and has a stunning portfolio of projects from children’s work to editorial and print.
I chose this beautifully illustrated monochrome ‘Walk the UK and Ireland’ walking map print, (gifted for review). It features 11 different routes across the UK , and one in Ireland.
The design is stunning, and the routes have dashed lines, so you can either leave them as they are, or join the dots as you complete the walks. This print is giclรฉe printed on 300 gsm heavy matt paper, and has a limited edition of 50. Alex will even add a hand drawn name or title if you let him know when you order.
“I make and post them all from my UK studio using cardboard and easy to recycle packaging. I work as eco friendly as possible with it (even small things like walking to the post office!)”
Alex Foster
I love monochrome art, but if the person you’re buying from prefers something more colourful, Alex Foster has a beautiful range, do pop over and check them out. He also created stunning house portraits, so that could be the perfect Christmas gift for a home-lover.
Ethical and Eco Friendly Christmas Gifts for Candle Lovers
In my opinion, candles are a great Christmas gift, and these ones handmade by Suffolk-based Concrete & Wax are really special. These gorgeous slim natural wax candles are hand poured and scented with lime, basil and mandarin. They sit in hand-poured concrete holders and make the perfect pair. They are wrapped in bright tissue paper, in sturdy concrete tubes, all easily recyclable.
The packaging is lovely, but check out the gorgeous candles in action!
The Tealight Trio concrete holders can be stacked up, and come with soy wax tea lights too so you can mix up your look. They smell gorgeous (even when not lit), and Concrete & Wax have a special Christmas fragrance too.
I chose the matte black concrete holders for our monochrome home, but they also come in white, grey, olive, green, blue and several camoflage colourways. Along with these tealight holders, which also fit their slim candles, there are many other sizes available, up to a stunning three wick candle version. Other fragrances include Tobacco & Oak, Sandalwood & Black Pepper and Amber Noir.
Ethical and Eco Friendly Christmas Gifts for Beauty Lovers
I have reviewed a wide range of clean beauty products over the years, and you can see the archive here if you need a few ideas. But here are some of my latest discoveries from two of my favourite ethical and eco friendly British beauty brands.
PHB Ethical Beauty Gifts
PHB Ethical Beauty are one of my favourite clean beauty brands. I have recently been sent a few of their products to review from Mother Nature Skin, with great results. Their brilliant mascaras would make the ideal gift, and you can read my review of their original All In One Mascara here. But I think their new Mesmerise Mascara may be even better – read my full review here.
Here is how this mascara looks on my lashes, with one and two coats.
This mascara comes in an aluminium tube, instead of plastic, which makes it much more eco friendly.
PHB are a fantastic ethical British company, and have a really robust policy on the environment, ingredient sourcing and animal protection.
Green People Beauty Gifts
I’ve been sent a few Green People gifts, which come in festive cardboard cartons.
Their Fruitful Nights Gift is the perfect night cream and was one of the first I discovered when changing to green beauty. This organic night cream is Vegan-friendly smells gorgeous, leaving skin so happy. The Green People Cosy Hands Gift is an ideal stocking filler or Secret Santa present. This organic hand cream contains marshmallow and chamomile to soothe and pamper dry hands.
Green People have a gift set for men too, in the shape of this Grooming Ritual Gift Set.
It contains a simple three step ritual for the perfect shave: a face scrub, soothing shaving gel and cooling moisturiser. As always with Green People organic beauty products, the ingredients are sustainably-grown and clinically proven to care for your skin.
Mutiny Shaving Safety Razor
Speaking of shaving, a sturdy, traditional stainless steel safety razor is a fab environmentally friendly gift. Whether they are shaving legs or faces, this razor not only gives a great shave, it’s also plastic free and will last a life time. I recently bought my husband a traditional stainless steel safety razor from Mutiny Shaving, and he loves it.
Reusable Bamboo Make-up Pads
These beautifully soft bamboo make-up remover pads from Cornish textile designer Helen Round, would make a lovely stocking filler. (Gifted for review.) Made using two layers of super soft bamboo, they are ideal for eye make-up remover or toner, and don’t drag skin.
As they can be used again and again, they are an eco friendly alternative to single use wipes and cotton pads. Bamboo towelling, made from the pulp of the bamboo grass is produced from the environmentally sustainable and fast-growing bamboo plant.
Eden Vegan Perfumes
Did you know that conventional perfumes generally contain a lot of animal ingredients? If the person you’re buying for is a vegan or vegetarian, then how about gifting them a vegan version of their favourite scent? Eden Perfumes create vegan-friendly fragrances inspired by the big brands, and hand make them in the UK.
“In EDEN, we use vegan ingredients… then blend them and create perfumes similar to your favourite popular fragrance. Botanical cruelty-free perfumes consciously crafted with respect to the planet and all beings. No nasty synthetic preservatives, no parabens, no phthalates, all this for only ยฃ18.”
Eden
Eden sent us a women’s fragrance inspired by my old favourite scent La Vie Est Belle, called No.405 La Vita Ed Bella. It has notes of bergamot, blackcurrant, orange blossom, vanilla and praline, and smells gorgeous. They sent No.210 Bomb Spices, similar to Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb, for my husband to test. It has notes of bergamot, pink pepper, cinnamon, paprika, tobacco and vetiver. He’s also really pleased with the fragrance.
Aside from the bottles being much less fancy, they smell the same to me. They don’t last quite as long, but they are so much cheaper and more eco friendly, so that more than makes up for it. You can also save your bottles and send them back to be refilled. 30ml is ยฃ18, and you can type your favourite scent name in the search bar on the Eden website to find an equivalent.
My Paper Tote Cosmetic Bag
If you’re buying for a beauty lover, chances are they’ll need a big cosmetics bag. I was so pleased to discover this huge make-up bag from My Paper Tote . I have finally found one that fits everything in! And this one is vegan-friendly as it’s made of washable FSC certified paper. Yes, you did read that correctly – you can actually wash these bags, as they are so strong!
Founder Chloe says:
“Our bags are tear resistant, reusable, washable and beautifully crafted from strong paper in a modern and functional way. The paper we use is strong and flexible which makes it a rival to leather in feel, look and durability.”
Chloe, founder of My Paper Tote
I think they are great value, and so hardwearing. This make-up bag is ยฃ10 and can be washed when it gets grubby. I love the pink zip too.
Eco Friendly Christmas Gifts for Fashionistas
Fashion, and fast fashion in particular is a thorny issue if you are looking to be more eco friendly. My approach is to buy less, and buy second hand if I can. I also buy sustainable fashion made of organic or recycled materials to try and minimise the effect on the environment. Here are some of the sustainable brands I recommend.
Ethical and Eco Friendly Clothes
Who doesn’t love a good t-shirt or sweatshirt? I am being much more careful about where I buy ours. I try to make sure I’m not buying from companies that exploit their workers, or the environment. Here are a few ethical and eco friendly t-shirt and sweatshirt brands that should be on your radar.
Birdsong London Sustainable Fashion
I recently supported a crowdfunding project for sustainable fashion brand Birdsong. Their products are designed in the UK, sourced sustainably and crafted ethically by talented women paid a fair wage.
“Wearing our collection of original wardrobe staples is a protest in itself โ against the fast nature of the fashion industry, against the obsessive pursuit of trends and against the systematic abuse of women in the production line.”
Birdsong London
My Dress in Protest embroidered t-shirt is made with fairtrade, organic GOTS certified cotton, using renewable energy, for decent wages in India. Designed in house by Birdsong. It was embroidered by women paid a fair wage in East London.
Mutha.Hood Empowement Fashion
I bought myself and my daughters these brilliant Strong Girls Club t-shirts from Mutha.Hood earlier this year. They have been in constant use ever since.
Every Mutha.Hood t-shirt is manufactured under Fair Wear standards. This makes sure that conditions are safe and healthy with no forced or child labour. They use organic cotton, which is produced sustainably and dyed with GOTS approved chemicals. The organic ethical empowerment t-shirts are printed in the U.K. using eco-friendly water based ink. You can read more about this brand on my blog post here, and you can shop more ethical clothes and accessories at Mutha.Hood.
With Narrative Organic Sweatshirts
With Narrative was founded by Debbie Fielding (disclosure: she is my sister) and designs and hand makes her super cosy sweatshirts using GOTS certified organic fabric and cotton thread. You can find With Narrative here.
“Each piece is designed and made with love and to last from my sewing room near Milton Keynes, and comes with a copy of one of my short stories.”
Deborah Fielding, founder of With Narrative
With Narrative use Royal Mail for all deliveries because it is an existing delivery network, which keeps her carbon footprint lower.
Ethical and Eco Friendly Jewellery
Jewellery makes the perfect Christmas gift, and here are a few of my recent discoveries. This ethical and eco friendly jewellery make great presents.
Nikki Stark Recycled Jewellery
Earlier this year I reviewed ethical recycled rings from independent jeweller Nikki Stark (gifted). They are hand made to order in Nikki’s South West London studio. As a certified Fairtrade Goldsmith, she uses eco gold and silver wherever possible. This means itโs 100% post-consumer recycled solid precious metal.
Her skinny rings are made of recycled sterling silver and rose gold. She uses solid precious metals, as they last much longer than metal plating or filled gold. Itโs also more easily repairable, and even recyclable, eventually. You can read more about my recycled skinny rings in my full review. I think they would make a fantastic ethical and eco friendly Christmas gift.
Ethical and Eco Friendly Bags
This classic tote bag looks like leather, but is also made of hardwearing tan paper. It can even be hand washed, or machine washed on a delicate cycle.
These paper bags have the durability of leather bags, with an environmentally-conscious material. It is lighter than leather but rivals itโs strength so wonโt need replacing quickly. Itโs washable, so will last longer. The washable paper is sourced from the USA, where a non-harmful synthetic polymor coating is added for water resistance. MyPaperTote do not use Pentachlorophenol, PVC or BPA, and their products are completely safe for the environment and humans.
You can read my review of their gorgeous rose gold tote bag here. The handle of my first one finally broke after years of heave use, and I immediately replaced it. I repurposed the old on into a cover for a plant pot and it looks brilliant.
Experiences are the Perfect Eco Friendly Christmas Gift
In a world full of stuff, the gift of time can be the best present. How about checking out a site like buyagift.com for inspiration? They have gift experiences for grown ups, couples and families, with loads of ideas like spa days, afternoon teas, adventure events and more. They are great value and make such a nice gift.
Give a Weekend in London
We took the girls for a weekend in London with a buyagift package, which included a night in a hotel and tickets to The Tower of London. Read about our fun family weekend in London here.
Give a Sustainable Bread Making Class
We have done a great day trips with Red Letter Day (gifted for review). You can read about our sustainable bread making course here. It was great fun and we learned a lot.
Give a Creative Workshop
With this ethical and eco friendly gift idea, you can help the recipient create something beautiful, have some ‘me time’ and support a women-founded independent business in one! I am lucky that I have been to lots of brilliant creative workshops, so if you’re in the Milton Keynes area, check them out! If you’re not, I bet there will be another talented creative who wants to share their skill in your area if you do a search.
Earlier this year I went to a fab workshop to learn how to screen print on to paper, and then use the paper to make origami.
Run by Steph from Flat 102 and Esther from Origami Est, it was brilliant to learn two skills in one. You can read all about this screen printing and origami workshop here on this full review. Pop over to Est’s website for details of upcoming workshops here. I’m putting her lampshade workshop on my Christmas wish list.
If you’d rather give an expert-made gift instead, Flat 102 have amazing bold and bright screen prints, all created with eco-friendly inks. I’ve bought this lovely neon heart plaque.
I’ve also got this brilliant A.A. Milne quotation in the girls’ playroom.
Some other creative workshops on my radar are by British jeweller Alex Monroe, who have a Jewellery School where you can make your own necklace. And ethical and eco friendly bag brand Elvis and Kresse have a workshop where you can make a bag from decommissioned fire hoses.
Send Eco Friendly Christmas Cards
If you’re sending Christmas cards this year, why not make them an environmentally friendly option? 1 Tree Cards are an independent design brand making 100% recycled cards, printed in the UK using vegan inks and with renewable energy. They sent me a pack of Christmas cards to review, and you can buy them here. Aren’t they beautiful?
Each card includes a seed token the recipient can plant to grow into bee-friendly flowers.
“We strive to be as eco-conscious as possible. Our cards and envelopes are 100% recycled and printed with vegan vegetable-based inks. Our optional compostable sleeves for retailers are made of corn and yam- we are plastic free!”
1 Tree Card
Every 1 Tree Card bought plants a tree through their partner charity, Eden Reforestation Projects to help re-populate an area of mass-deforestation. And of course they avoid using of foil, glitter and other products that make cards un-recyclable.
So there you have it: my selection of ethical or environmentally friendly Christmas gifts. I hope it’s given you some ideas for the perfect ethical, eco friendly Christmas gift for your loved one, or maybe even to add to your own wish list!
Why not pin my ethical and eco friendly Christmas gift guide for later?
Absolutely love this! Those little plants are adorable and the sweatshirt with the coloured cuffs is gorgeous!
Ruth x
Thanks so much Ruth, there are some very talented people out there arenโt there! Xx