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Whether you come in person or from afar, you want good news from your loved ones, and our sustainable holiday gift guide can help you. From zero-waste choices to rewarding gifts, check your list with these exhilarating but low-impact choices.
As we say every year, it is difficult to find holiday gifts that are more sustainable than what already exists, or they may be wasted. Fortunately, for waste-free shoppers around the world, many top brands are stepping into the re-commercial field, making second-hand shopping easier than ever, without sacrificing style. Check out outdoor gear from REI and Patagonia, or check out clothing and outerwear from brands such as The North Face and Eileen Fisher for a second life. Check out more of our favorite retail stores here.
If you can't buy a second-hand one, buy the local one. Most small businesses are still struggling with the pandemic, and your support can help them stick to it. Even if you still avoid shopping in person, resources such as Google Maps and Yelp can make it easy to find nearby couples with online shopping options. To support black-owned businesses that have been particularly hard hit, catalogs such as We Buy Black, Official Black Wall Street, and EatOkra can help guide your work. Don't forget the restaurant! Purchasing gift certificates can help your favorite restaurants and bars get through the storm and become a part of your community.
Give back to the nature lovers and art lovers on your list with this practical and sustainable holiday gift. This eye-catching calendar is made of certified sustainable paper and features artwork from Wyatt Hersey of Chico, California, in support of the National Park Preservation Association. Parks Project also sells a range of other cool sustainable holiday gift options, such as puzzles, scented candles, and outdoor gear that showcase the work of budding artists and benefit various organizations working to protect public land.
These smart charging docks for iPhones, Apple watches and Android devices are handcrafted from responsibly sourced wood. The Polish brand has partnered with One Tree Planted to plant a tree for each purchase. It also sells hand-made laptop cases, mobile phone and AirPods cases, and stylish home office desks, which will surely make your favorite technician smile.
Use Material Kitchen's most popular cutting board to improve the sustainability of your favorite gourmet. With a modern and minimalist design made from recycled plastic and renewable sugar cane, reBoard has quickly become a social media favorite-and it’s easy to understand why.
The New York City-based Material regularly gives back to the hunger relief organization. This year 50% of its profits will come from two reBoard colors (a peachy nude color called To Pó-Po with Love and a rich green called Reimagine Justice). Yu supports two great local organizations: Heart of Dinner, a non-profit meal delivery service for the elderly in East Asia, and Drive Change, which trains previously imprisoned young people to work in the food and hospitality industries.
Ojas & Woo in Brooklyn is an environmentally friendly, vegan and zero-waste fragrance store, collaborating with artists and artisans from all over the United States. The brand's small-batch scented candles use wooden wicks, coconut apricot wax and "beautiful and natural smelling," our author said, she tried these at her home this year. The best part is: when the candle runs out, your favorite luxury enthusiast can send the glass jar back to refill it at a significant discount compared to the original list price.
The supply chain of this German brand is built around a network of approximately 2,000 fishermen from Java, Indonesia, who often catch plastic in their fishing nets. GOT BAG uses 3.3 to 9.9 pounds of this plastic "bycatch" to produce its stylish and practical handbags, from laptop sleeves to roll-top travel backpacks. In the past year, I have been testing a $99 backpack (shown in the picture above). The seamless transition from backpack to briefcase and straps can be easily slid through the handles of folding luggage, which is perfect for commuting and traveling.
It may be tempting to give the latest viral products you see on social media to your favorite skin care addicts, but let us be realistic: you may not know enough about other people’s skin to choose the best product, if It doesn't work. For them, your kind gift may be destined to be rubbish.
Rather than increase the potential waste stream, consider a clever way to reduce it to a certain size, such as this reusable silicone mask from Honest. The mask can lock any essence, essence, cream or oil, and can be washed and reused after each use for effective night care without waste.
This purely digital cookbook from Penguin Random House includes unprecedented cookbooks from celebrity chefs such as Ina Garten and Bobby Flay. All proceeds will be used to support the COVID-19 emergency relief fund for restaurant workers, which is the restaurant Provide direct crisis relief workers, support non-profit organizations that provide services to restaurant workers in crisis, and provide interest-free loans to help restaurants resume operations.
This reasoned nude nail color is a good choice for any beauty lover on your list. All profits from this universally flattering shadow of sustainable entrepreneurship brand J. Hannah are donated to the roster of growing human rights organizations. The winner of this season is Jane's Due Process, which helps young people in Texas with abortion and birth control.
Entrepreneur Bob Dalton founded Sackcloth & Ashes after his mother found out that she was homeless in 2013. The brand donates a blanket to homeless shelters for every blanket sold, and "covers the United States" by donating 1 million blankets 10 years ago. -Anniversary in 2024.
This throw is one of five new designs produced in collaboration with National Geographic, which is inspired by the diverse terrain of the earth. As with all blankets of the brand, it is made from recycled fibers by workers earning fair wages. As an additional reward, a portion of the series’ proceeds will be used to support the non-profit organization National Geographic Society.
This cute pendant necklace is designed to train young women who have escaped human trafficking to master the skills of jewelry making. All proceeds will be donated to the brand’s non-profit organization International Sanctuary, which provides fair wages, education and healthcare reconstruction for female craftsmen Their lives. For other styles to choose from, check out the One Day of Hope series, which consists entirely of "training works" made by women who have recently arrived at one of the non-profit organizations.
Friends do not let friends have dry, cracked COVID hands. If someone on your list is experiencing it, please buy Hand in Hand, a gentle soap bar set that does not contain palm oil and is made with fair trade, organic and vegan ingredients. The brand provides soap and clean water for children in need with every purchase, and has so far benefited communities in more than 20 countries. (No fragrance is also available.)
If food is your preferred gift, consider replacing your spare supplies with a gift bag from one of 3p's favorite socially conscious brands. With the motto "Work not prison", Homeboy Industries provides employment, education and other services to former gang members after they are released from prison. Since 1986, it has served more than 100,000 people in its hometown of Los Angeles, and now supports the global Homeboy Network, which is supported by more than 400 organizations dedicated to providing a second chance to people previously incarcerated.
Homeboy’s selected gift packages include coffee, snacks, preserves and baked goods, and all proceeds support its re-entry program.
Greyson Bakery is another frequent visitor to the TriplePundit team. The brand’s brownies are delicious enough to appear in Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavors, such as Half Baked, a social enterprise that is also a pioneer in open recruitment. After setting up a team without interviews, job applications or background checks, Greyston is now mainly composed of people with criminal justice history and those who have experienced homelessness, substance abuse problems or have difficulty finding stable jobs for some reason Composed of people.
From classic foods such as chocolate cakes and blondes to creative flavors such as snickerdoodle and cinnamon rolls, these socially conscious treats are sure to please anyone on your list who loves a sweet tooth. (Yes, they have vegetarian options!)
Image source: asife/Adobe Stock and Priscilla Du Preez/Unsplash
Mary Mazzoni is the senior editor of TriplePundit. She is also the co-host of the 3BL Forum: Brand Live Broadcast! And the producer of the editorial series sponsored by 3p. She lives in Philadelphia and likes to travel, spend time outdoors and try vegetarian recipes in the kitchen. Together with TriplePundit, her most recent work can be found in Conscious Company and VICE's Motherboard.
Read more stories by Mary Mazzoni
Words from Alan R. Delicio
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