Top 10 Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas

By: Joseph Akintaju on April 30, 2013 @ 12:46 pm

If you’re struggling to find the perfect gift, then check out these ten eco-friendly gift ideas. Not only will these gifts delight their recipients, they’ll also help the planet too!

Ceramic Travel Mug

If your friend is fond of hot beverages, then why not get them a travel mug! Their drinks will stay warm for longer and it will save the use of hundreds of paper cups. Don’t think you’re limited to boring stainless steel – you can get some really funky designs!

Organic Cotton Shopper Bag

Buy your friend a cotton shopper bag, and she’ll have a reusable, foldable bag to carry shopping! You can buy plain cotton shoppers very cheaply, so you could buy one and then use fabric pens to decorate it with your own design. Fewer carrier bags will be wasted, and your friend will have her own personalised bag!

Organic Soap

Everyone loves pampering presents, and you can get some really beautiful organic soaps. The Little Soap Company is one brand that has a lovely range. They source their ingredients locally and are also against animal testing. Very cute packaging too!

Plants and Seeds

Whether your friend has acres of land or just a windowsill, seeds and plants can be a great idea! For people that don’t have much space, buy seed pots for plants like basil or chillis. You can put these on windowsills or balconies, so you don’t need much space at all. If you have a few weeks until you need to give the gift, you can even start the plant of!

Sundial

If your friend spends a lot of time in their garden, a garden ornament can be a nice idea. Sundials look great and you can get ones that attach to walls, so they act just like a regular clock – minus the batteries of course! You can even buy sundials made from recycled coffee cups!

Soy Candles

Image by Marcie

Everyone loves candles, and soy candles love the environment too! Candles are traditionally made from paraffin, which isn’t renewable and creates pollution during its production. Soy candles on the other hand are made from natural plant wax. If you have several presents to get, you could make your own candles from soy wax flakes!

Recycled Notebook

Whether your friend is a budding poet or just writes shopping lists, a recycled notebook is a lovely gift idea! You can get notebooks made from everything from a car tyre to elephant dung!

Reusable Gift Wrap

It seems a shame to buy an eco-friendly present only to wrap it in paper that will get thrown away, but Evergreen Wrap has a different idea! Initially you use the fabric in place of wrapping paper, but afterwards it has a multitude of uses; you can make it into a scarf, a bag, or even a sarong!

While it may seem like a new idea, it’s actually based on an ancient Japanese tradition!

Organic Wine

If your friend is partial to a bottle of bubbly, then buy them some organic wine! Organic wine is made from grapes that are grown without the use of fertilisers; beneficial for both our bodies and the planet! You can buy organic wine for only a little more than regular wine, but it definitely looks more posh!

Gift Basket

If you’re up for being a bit creative, why not make up your own gift basket. You can fill it with whatever you like! When choosing a basket, make sure to choose an eco-friendly material. Despite many people just associating rattan with outdoor rattan furniture, you can get rattan gift baskets too. Other great options are wicker or jute.

Hopefully you now have lots of ideas for the perfect eco-friendly gift! Do you have any more eco-friendly gift suggestions?

Estelle Page is an interior designer with a passion for all things green! She loves eco-friendly designs, gardening and going for long walks in the countryside. On a mission to make the world a prettier place, she’s also a blogger for Out There Interiors.

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