Eco-friendly and Christmas are two terms that rarely intersect. When the thought of buying and wrapping a bunch more ‘stuff’ fills you with dread, coming up with new solutions to show your loved ones you care without adding to land-fill and a whole heap of waste, can be endlessly draining.
If this description rings true, we’ve got some brand new inspiration for you, packed with positivity and 100% in support of sustainability.
Get ready to cross a bunch of names off your shopping list today using our Less Stuff: Guide to Eco-Friendly Giving this Christmas.
Handmade (Recycled) Paper
Making your own hand-made (we like the word ’boutique’) recycled writing paper is a beautiful gift, oh-so-eco and easy as one-two-three!
How to make your own DIY recycled paper: Step One – Collect and rip up waste paper, soak overnight; Step 2 – Blend, mix and sieve; Step 3 – Drain, press and dry.
So that’s only the gist of it, but now that you’re ready to have a go, watch this video or read these instructions to get recycling!
Op Shop Voucher
Give the gift of sustainability in the form of re-loved fashion, books, homewares, you name it! Many of the major op-shops offer gift vouchers available for purchase through their retail stores or online, guaranteed to resolve any hard to finish gift lists.
Last Object
We were over the moon to discover this planet-saving and plastic-solving brand this year. Last Object have created a range of reusable solutions to single-use home and beauty products like tissues, cotton swabs and makeup pads. If you know anyone who uses them (we’d bet you do), why not do them and the planet a huge favour by giving them the alternative which will not only dramatically reduce waste, but will save them money at the same time. (Use our code ECOFRIENDS for a 10% discount – Merry Christmas!)
We recommend:
- LastSwab – The Original Reusable Cotton Swab, designed to be used over a thousand times times saving 1000’s of single-use cotton swabs (and single use plastic) from ever being wasted.
- LastTissue – An eco-friendly alternative personal tissue packs (made of plastic which gets thrown away or lost at sea). These handy little pocket tissues last over 3000 uses saving trees, plastic and the other valuable resources for years to come
- LastRound – A reusable cotton round like the ones used for removing makeup, applying toner, in first-aid and more. This great little pack contains seven reusable cotton pads inside a bio-based case. A single pack of LastRounds can be used over 1700 times, saving that many single-use cotton pads, AND all of the resources that would have been used to make and package them.
Get 10% off your order of Last Object with Code ‘ECOFRIENDS‘
Art Collage
Here’s an under-rated craft – collage! For those unfamiliar, collage is the art of taking things and pasting them together; think vision-board or photo montage and you’re on the right track. Repurpose old magazines, clippings, photos, keepsakes, ticket stubs, notes, sea-shells, sky’s the limit. Inspire your friends and bring back the magical art of reuse with this inspirational gift.
Fab-scrap Scrunchies
Fab-scraps (fabulous fabric leftovers) can be our best friends or a sewist’s nightmare (by keeping them endlessly without a use). Hand-sewn scrunchies are the perfect way to repurpose fabric remnants and also make a thoughtful gift. Don’t have any scraps? Most fabric stores will offer the end of a textile roll for sale at a huge discount (a few cents to a couple of dollars per piece) meaning you can snag a cost-effective gift while also diverting waste!
If you fall into the category of fabric hoarder, you’re already experienced in whipping up a scrunchie or two. For everyone else, here’s a quick tutorial which should be achievable in around 30 mins without using a sewing machine.
Donate
If all other ideas fail you, contributing to a deserving cause never will. Personalise the gift by showing how well you understand the person/giftee by giving to a cause close to their heart. Add care and flair with a handmade card explaining (or even showing) all the good their donation is doing.
This gift guide will be updated as soon as we come up with the next sustainable gifting solution. Sign up to our mailing list to hear from us when we do.
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Header image credit: Asma Alrashed
