Conscious shopping is becoming a lifestyle for so many – and for good reason! So, in an effort to help you make socially conscious and eco-friendly gift choices this holiday season, I’ve compiled a list of 10 of my favorite innovative, responsibly-created, and sustainably-sourced products below. Happy Gifting!
Note: This guide includes affiliates links, meaning I may make a small commission if you make a purchase. As always, I have only included brands that I truly believe meet high standards for eco-friendliness and quality.
Recycled Billboard Tote: The sustainable fashion brand, Remember Me Green, upcycles NYC billboards into one of a kind eco friendly accessories keeping vinyl out landfills and micro-plastics out of our environment. This brand offers a variety of products such as wristlets, tote bags, and backpacks, and each piece they create is one-of-a-kind!
Handmade MacramĂ© Home DĂ©cor: MacramĂ© home decor is timeless, and the perfect gift for your beachy, boho friend. I always turn to Yemalla for my MacramĂ© pieces because this brand’s products are created by artists in Nicaragua, and each purchase supports those artists, their small communities, and the planet, because with each sale, five trees are planted through Ecologi.
Growing Candle: These candles, created by the small family business Hyggelight, are made to prevent waste from used candles entering the landfill. The labels around these candles are embedded with wildflower seeds, so when the wax is gone, the seed paper label can be planted in the container and wildflowers can be grown!
Zero Waste Lunch Kit: This is a great gift for the eco-conscious foodie or snack-queen who is always on the go. Net Zero’s Plastic Free Lunch includes a stainless steel lunchbox, a bamboo cutlery set, stainless steel sauce containers, and beeswax wraps in various sizes – basically everything you need to keep food fresh and waste to a minimum!
Cork Yoga Mat: Cork is versatile, renewable, and can be used to make countless diverse products, and this cork yoga mat is extra thick, beautifully designed, and the perfect gift for the yogi in your life.
Spunky Pup Sustainable Dog Toys: These chew toys are made from 100% recycled plastic water bottles, making them the perfect gift for the eco-conscious dog mom or dad in your life.
Lively Bikini, Bike Short, or Bralette: Lively no-wire bras may just be the most comfortable on the market, and now they have an eco-friendly line made of 75% recycled polyester. Use my code AMB-happilyeveraleah for a sweet discount.
EcoEvie T-Shirt: All EcoEvie clothing is inspired by endangered animals and made from recycled water bottles. Cooler yet, this brand was founded by a 10 year old animal-lover, Evie, and a portion of each sale is donated to animal conservation efforts.
Bold Box Sustainable Subscription Box: This is the perfect gift for someone who is just starting their sustainability journey. With a Bold Box subscription, your loved one will be sent 8 full-sized eco-friendly products (many of which are sustainable swaps) each season. Usually I steer clear of subscription boxes because they encourage the accumulation of things that aren’t really needed, but when I was gifted a Bold Box a few weeks ago, and found only products that I will use constantly inside, my outlook changed.
The brilliant tones in this matching blue opal set sparkle in the sun and transport me to Lanikai Beach in Hawaii each time I put it on.
Ocean-Inspired Jewelry Set: Jewelry is the ultimate stocking stuffer, and a jewelry set that supports marine conservation, makes it a responsible one as well! The brand Madison Ashley creates beautiful blue opal jewelry that is inspired by the ocean and gives back to it too – 10% of all profits from this brand’s pieces are donated to support marine conservation efforts. I have several sets from this brand, and when I wear them, I feel like I’m wearing a little part of the sea.
Alternative/Donation-Based Gifts: If you are looking to give something that is not a material gift, a great alternative is to make a donation in your loved one’s honor. Many nonprofits offer virtual gifts in exchange for a donation. Engage Globally, an organization that supports community-led sustainable development in Northern Ghana, for example, offers gifts like a native tree planted and raised by youth for $25. In exchange for your donation, you’ll receive a certificate explaining the impact you’ve made that you can forward to your loved one virtually or print and insert into a card.
