2023 Eco Holiday Gift Guide: Sustainable Holiday Gift Ideas
The winter holiday season is here and for many that means finding the perfect gifts for loved ones. Gift giving however often involves a lot of consumerism, plastics, and waste. To try and combat this we have compiled a gift guide filled with gift ideas from small sustainable businesses.
We encourage you to shop this holiday season with sustainability in mind. Sustainable shopping can look like shopping local to reduce emissions, shopping small businesses as they often give a lot back to your local communities, buying items without plastic, buying items in minimal packaging, purchasing sustainable pieces, or purchasing long lasting practical items.
Sustainability comes in many different forms for the imperfect environmentalist and that’s 100% ok. May you use this eco holiday gift guide to help kick off your sustainable holiday journey!
Home Goods
Refill Goodness
Jennifer Vedrani is the owner and founder of Refill Goodness, a company dedicated to helping reduce single use plastic and pollution. Refill Goodness is on a mission to make plastic free choices and refilling simple by offering low-waste alternatives for all your household need.
Jennifer’s top holiday pick are Un-Paper Towels. “Paper towels are one of many items we tend to use once and toss without thinking about. These adorable, Maryland made alternatives are endlessly reusable and compostable at the end of their lives, turning a single use product into a reusable. Just the type of item we love to stock!”, she told us.
Swahlee
Andrea Stokes is the founder of Swahlee, a company that creates safe, ethical jobs for young women who face barriers to employment. Her number one holiday pick this year is their Peace Silk Pillowcase.
Swahlee’s Peace Silk Pillowcase is their bestselling item during the holidays. It makes a generous and thoughtful gift for everyone on your list. Silk is an incredible natural material with some amazing benefits. For instance, silk is:
· The strongest natural fiber
· A breathable fabric
· A natural temperature regulator
· Smooth and gentle — ideal for sensitive skin
· Able to help improve skin & hair hydration
· Known for promoting smoother hair & skin
This organic silk pillowcase comes packaged in a giftable, reusable handloom cotton pouch with a beautiful mother-of-pearl shell button closure. Peace silk is a semi-rare but increasingly popular alternative to commercially produced silk. Because of the unique processing method, no silkworms are harmed in the production of peace silk.
“Two of Swahlee's passions are sustainability and ethicality. Peace silk is both. That’s why our Peace Silk Pillowcases are made from 100% undyed, organic, peace mulberry silk. Our ethical, sustainable silk pillowcases are made from organic silk spun and woven by Cocccon, a GOTS-certified company”, Andrea told us.
Ethos Kolekto
Amy Karr is the owner of Ethos Kolekto. Ethos Kolekto’s mission is to help the spirit of the world become more ecologically and ethically friendly. Amy’s top holiday pick for the season are their Woven Bowls.
These bowls are handmade in a fair trade setting in Rwanda from locally-harvested and sustainably-dyed grasses. Each bowl takes several days to weave together, making them true works of art. They are great for holding knick knacks, for displaying during parties, or for hanging on the wall!
Bath and Body
Swell Roots
Maddison Eshoo is the founder of Swell Roots. Swell Root’s mission is to offer a better dry shampoo option for people and the planet. Her holiday pick is their Dry Shampoo Starter Kit.
Swell Root’s Dry Shampoo Starter Kit is made in small batches in Oakland California. This low waste dry shampoo is made of natural ingredients and pure essential oils. Each starter kit comes with a refillable bottle of dry shampoo (organic and vegan) and a bamboo handle brush in a cotton hand-stamped bag.
Copper Rabbit Crafts
Chloe Emler is the owner and founder of Copper Rabbit Crafts, a sustainable bath and body company based in Maryland. Her top holiday pick for this year is the Winter Holiday Gift Set.
The Winter Holiday Gift Set includes one bar of Christmas Tree shaped Fresh Pine Goat’s Milk Soap, one bar of Snowflake shaped Honey Lavender Oat Goat’s Milk Soap, and one Candy Cane Bath Salt. This set is made using 100% pure essential oils, contains no synthetic fragrances or colorants which can be toxic to humans and the environment, and comes in 100% recyclable and reusable packaging.
“By using nontoxic ingredients we’ve created better soap for your skin and the planet. We also give back with every purchase by donating 5% of each sale to an associated nonprofit, such as the Arbor Day Foundation and the Bee Girl Organization,” she said. To learn more be sure to visit Copper Rabbit Crafts on Etsy.
Clothing
Oneoff
Kiley Ross is the founder of Oneoff. Oneoff makes high quality, ethically made clothing more accessible by partnering with sustainable brands that have excess inventory.
Her top holiday gift pick is the Carmella Bodysuit in Blush Rib. The Carmella bodysuit is perfect for everyday wear and universally flattering. The square cut and stretchy ribbed material make it oh so extra comfortable. This bodysuit is 92% Modal, a low impact fabric that uses less energy and biodegrades faster.
“This bodysuit is from our partner Whimsy & Row, a California based brand born out of a love for quality goods and sustainable practices,” Kiley told us.
Jacquelyn Creates
Jacquelyn Moreno is the owner of Jacquelyn Creates, a one-of-a-kind upcycled good and apparel shop based out of Colorado. Her holiday pick for the season is Upcycled Apparel.
These one-of-a-kind garments are hand-made from secondhand clothing and textiles. Available as tees, sweatshirts and sweatpants, each one is a colorful patchwork that gives a second life to pre-loved materials. All upcycled apparel is available in a variety of styles and color palettes as well as 8 sizes, from XS-4XL.
“By sourcing materials secondhand, I avoid the environmental costs of producing new fabric for my apparel, I am extending the life of items that already exist and preventing them from ending up in a landfill. All scrap materials are saved and used for other products in my shop,” she told us.
Food
BD Provisions Severna Park
Debra Saltz is the co-owner of BD Provisions in Severna Park Maryland. BD Provisions was founded on the idea that consumers are ready to move towards more sustainable lifestyles and everyone moves at his or her own pace. As a retial store offering a curated selection of bulk food sold by the pound in sustainable containers, BD Provisions is on a mission to get to zero-waste.
Debra’s top holiday pick for this season is their Customizable Baskets. “We have hundreds of bins filled with the best goodies around to customize a gourmet gift with your favorite items in our beautiful and sustainable packaging materials,” she told us.
BD Provisions works with you to design the perfect gourmet gift to any budget. First select your gift package from a selection of gourmet gift buckets, boxes, baskets and more. Next select your products and scoop into their compostable and biodegradable cellulose bags. “We’ll provide labels and help tie everything together to make it a gift to impress,” Debra said.
From home goods to clothing we have a sampling of sustainable holiday gift ideas for a wide range of people on your list. As you continue to shop be sure to think about ways you can help make this year a tad bit more sustainable.
Wishing all a happy and healthy holiday season!
