Buying eco-friendly Christmas gifts for sustainable and eco-loving friends and family members can put you in a tricky position – what happens if you buy or gift something that doesn’t fit in line with their ethics and beliefs, or choose something that they actually want, all whilst considering its impact on the planet?
Whilst you could always gift them an experience instead, or perhaps a charity donation in their name, it’s not quite the same as giving them a thoughtful gift that you can wrap up and put under the tree. With that in mind, here are some of the best sustainable gifts to give this Christmas.
Eco Yoga Mat
If an eco-friendly friend or family member loves spending their spare time doing yoga, then you might already notice that they have started changing their workout equipment to more sustainable pieces. But, did you know that traditional yoga mats are mostly made of plastic? PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is the common material used for yoga mats as it’s cheap but can also be designed to have grip and be flexible, but it is essentially a plastic material.
Thankfully, there are now eco-friendly alternatives and cork yoga mats are more readily available to buy. Cork yoga mats give a great grip that only increases as you sweat, plus cork is naturally antibacterial and sustainable. Cork material is durable and resilient and, unlike other yoga mats, stays flat when rolled out instead of bunching up and curling upwards.
Coffee That’s Kind To The Environment
These days, around 80% of coffee is organic, produced in an ethical and fairtrade environment and is usually produced on smaller farms, where farmers often can’t afford harmful and expensive pesticides, however, coffee production also comes with a lot of by-waste products.
There are more and more small businesses now producing ethical and eco-friendly coffee granules, beans and pods, so if you’re looking for a gift for a coffee-loving friend or family member, you now have a great selection of choices.
If you’re looking for a novelty, yet sustainable gift, Kopi Luwak coffee is coffee that comes from the faeces of the Kopi Luwak, after it has been partially digested by the animal (be sure to buy from a reputable and sustainable supplier), or for coffee-drinkers on the go, you can now buy compostable coffee pods that start to disintegrate in the food waste bin within just a few weeks.
Invest With Antique Jewellery
If you’re looking for a gift that is a little more special but are still wanting to maintain sustainable and eco-friendly practices, then antique jewellery is the perfect investment and purchase. Modern jewellery pieces are mined, shifted and refined, with processes that are not very kind to the environment and often aren’t very long-lasting.
Antique and vintage jewellery was crafted perhaps hundreds of years ago, well before the introduction of mass-scale mining that is so harmful to the environment today. Truly sustainable modern jewellery can be hard to find, so buying vintage and antique pieces, such as emerald rings or opal earrings, is a great way to reduce the need for further jewellery mining and manufacturing operations.
