Sustainable Gifting Guide 2021
It's the holiday season and for many this means in addition to fun winter markets, joyful parties, lots of chocolate and Christmas cookies also one thing: lots of stress!
Either stress because of work (as somehow this season seems to always be the most busy time for many...), lots of appointments and meetings, or because of one thing that should actually bring more joy than stress: gift shopping.
Somehow marketing made us believe that we HAVE to get the perfect present for our loved ones every holiday season and that shop till you drop is the only way to achieve this. But this is not what the holidays are about. It's about love, spending time with your (chosen) family and friends and making them happy with a little something from the heart. And this little something does not have to be expensive, a big thing or not even a thing!
Here are a few ideas what to sustainably gift this holiday season:
Activities
This is probably mentioned in every eco gift guide: Gift your time and do an activity together. But the key is to make it a little bit more tangible. It is a nice thought to gift a day together for example, a hike to a lake or a trip to a botanical garden. But what makes it a bit more exciting is to set a date right away, or to have an actual voucher at hand or to describe the exact plans for the day. Nothing is worse than to gift an activity and then realize 12 months later that it never actually happened :D
DIYs
A super simple option to truly gift something from the heart. Creating something with your own hands will always be made with love. A few ideas are DIY candles, DIY body butter or maybe even a DIY macrame? More ideas on the heylilahey blog.
Sponsorship
Gifting money or things can be a bit boring. Especially for someone who seems to already own everything. If you still want to invest money, a sponsorship could be a good idea: Sponsor a tree in the name of the recipient. Or donate to an animal rights foundation, or something similar. Here are a few organizations that we can recommend:
- Whales.org: Works tirelessly to help whales and dolphins and fights for their survival.
- Leavenoonebehind: an organization that is providing urgent support along the EU external borders.
- Treedom: a platform that allows anyone to plant trees in different countries of the world.
- Periodensystem e.V.: An NGO from Berlin, Germany that fights period poverty and raises awareness around menstruation
- Fashionrevolution: they campaign for a clean, safe, fair, transparent and accountable fashion industry.
(Write us if you know of an organization that we should add to this list!)
To make it a cute gift don't just donate the money in their name. Write a little card or letter explaining the goals of the organization and why you chose it. Maybe include some printed pictures from their website. It will show that you truly care and made a conscious decision with your donation.
Books
Of course we cannot forget this popular gift! Books are an amazing way to show that you put lots of thought into your gift. Picking a book for your loved ones is not a quick process. However, picking the right platform where you buy your books from is simple. To support local and sustainable businesses forgo the big A and order your book at your local and independent bookstore or at ethically trading online bookshops such as ecolibri.
Eco gifts
The best sustainable gift is of course to gift something second hand, recycled or similar. But there are many brands out there that show that a supply chain can be transparent and fair. And in our opinion it is a sustainable gift to support these companies as well so they can grow and improve their positive impact.
Look out for brands that have a detailed "about" page, who can maybe even show certifications (such as GOTS, Fair Trade or similar - but be aware that most small brands, such as us, cannot afford these expensive certifications), don't make use of greenwashing and who share similar values as you.
Whatever you decide to gift - maybe something home baked, something from the charity shop or from your favorite eco conscious brand: We hope you have amazing holidays with your loved ones, enjoy lots of yummy food and can get some rest before the new year!