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Sustainable gift guide: 11 gifts we love

The holidays are fast approaching, and it’s time to get down to business about gift giving. Holiday gift shopping can be wasteful (not to mention stressful), but it doesn’t need to be. We’ve put together a sustainable gift guide to please every loved-one in your life.

If you don’t align with consumerism, buying more stuff can feel counterintuitive, making gift-giving stressful. Giving sustainable gifts, on the other hand, is an enjoyable process that won’t kickstart your stress hormones.

This sustainable gift guide features some of our favourite Canadian brands. Shopping local comes with a myriad of benefits, like improving your local infrastructure and lowering emissions. Unique eco friendly gifts can also be a loving, gentle way to introduce a friend or loved-one to sustainability. Once you introduce these brands to your loved ones, they’ll be hooked!

We’ve compiled a list of 11 of our top picks for the best eco-friendly gifts. But first, let’s look at some ways to reduce waste in general around the holidays.

Sustainable holiday ideas

The holidays in general can be a time of waste, even without gifts in the mix.

Here are our top tips for reducing waste.

  • Don’t buy wrapping paper. 

While wrapping paper is mostly paper, it often has a layer of plastic, making it hard to recycle. Instead of buying wrapping paper, use leftover newspaper or scrap paper to wrap gifts. You can also wrap your gifts beautifully in Furoshiki wraps, which are a gift unto themselves. 

Cutting trees contributes to deforestation, which accelerates climate change. Instead, invest in a Christmas tree decoration that you can use year after year. If you find fake Christmas trees tacky, you can find hand-made driftwood and other wooden Christmas trees online on Etsy. 

  • Organize a Secret Santa gift exchange to cut down on stuff. 

Gift exchanges are a great stress-free way to cut down on gifts, wrapping paper, and garbage. You can take this a step further by nixing gifts altogether. Make a pact with your group to donate money to a charity in place of gift-giving. Go around in a circle and talk about which charity you donated to, and why.

Now that you know the basics of sustainability during the holidays, it’s time to jump into our sustainable gift guide. Here are our top 11 best eco friendly gifts.

Sustainable gift guide: our top 11 picks

  • Jack 59 shampoo and conditioner bars

Perfect for: eco friendly gifts for her

Jack 59 shampoo and conditioner bars take the plastic bottle out of the equation entirely. This Indigenous and women-owned company makes sulfate-free and vegan concentrated shampoo and conditioner bars for all hair-types. Whether you have thick, dry, fine, oily, or coloured hair, there’s a shampoo or conditioner for you. They’re pH balanced, so they don’t cause irritation, dryness, and itch. 

Infused with natural essential oils and made with all-natural, gentle cleansers, these bars will make you never want to go back to regular old shampoo and conditioner in a bottle. 

Perfect for: eco friendly gifts for her

Like Jack59, Upfront Cosmetics makes concentrated shampoo and conditioner bars to divert plastic bottles from the landfill. In addition, they also offer hair masques, powdered face wash, solid lotion bars, and more.

Their products are made with all-natural ingredients and are delicately scented with blends of essential oils. They also offer unscented versions if you have a loved-one with sensitive skin.

Perfect for: eco friendly gifts for her, eco friendly gifts for kids

Wild Prairie Soap Company makes bars of soap that are beautiful to look at and add natural beauty to your bathroom or kitchen. They’re made with nourishing ingredients like shea butter, cocoa butter, vitamin E, and essential oil blends for mild fragrance. They don’t leave your skin dry in the cold winter.

Their bath bombs make great kid-friendly gifts, with scents like Winter Birch and Pumpkin Spice. Surprise a kid in your life with the Bomb Collection for an exciting assortment.

Perfect for: Eco friendly gifts for her

These shower caps look adorable and keep your locks dry while you’re showering. They’re durable and made with waterproof yet breathable material, replacing countless flimsy plastic shower caps. They’re elastic-free, securing at the back with velcro straps and a drawstring.

Perfect for: Eco friendly gifts to impress

This is the perfect gift if you’re really trying to impress someone in your life. The Lomi kitchen composter composts all your kitchen scraps in a matter of hours. Just pop in your kitchen scraps and get rich, ready-to-use compost for your garden. This is the gift for that person who’s serious about reducing their carbon footprint (and making their vegetable garden look like a million bucks). It’s kid-friendly, fun to use, and possibly the coolest gadget on the market today.

Perfect for: Eco friendly gifts for her

Unlike standard deodorant that uses aluminum to clog pores and stop sweat, this natural deodorant provides odor and sweat control naturally. Baking soda is effective at controlling odours and arrowroot starch absorbs sweat, keeping you dry and comfortable.

You can keep your original jar and order refills, reducing waste. It comes in two wonderful scents: Eucalyptus Mint and Tea Tree Lavender.

Perfect for: Eco friendly stocking stuffers, eco friendly gifts for kids

This is the perfect delicious stocking stuffer that kids will love. Using superfoods like dates, brazil nuts, unsweetened chocolate, and shredded coconut, they’re nutritious and delicious.

Unlike most healthy snacks on the market, Boundless Bars feature compostable packaging.

Perfect for: Eco friendly stocking stuffers, eco friendly gifts for kids

Change Toothpaste tablets are not your average toothpaste. They come in compostable pouches, diverting toothpaste tubes that are neither compostable, nor recyclable. They don’t contain the common toxins found in standard toothpaste, like triclosan and SLS. Instead, they’re sweetened with xylitol, a natural sweetener that remineralizes tooth enamel, and natural flavour. Whether you’re “Team Fluoride” or “Team No-Fluoride,” there’s a toothpaste tablet for you. 

Kids will love brushing with our Cinnamon and Bubblegum toothpaste tablets. 

Our Change bamboo toothbrushes divert countless plastic toothbrushes from the landfill. Plus, everytime you buy a toothbrush, we donate one to someone in need. How’s that for holiday cheer?

Perfect for: Eco friendly gifts for him

Got someone in your life with a beard? Like Grandpa beard oil and natural shaving accessories are the perfect eco friendly gift for him. Beard oil conditions your hair while moisturizing your skin, preventing “beardruff.” They offer scents like Cedar, Eucalyptus, and Sandalwood.

Their after-shave beard balm comes in eco friendly tins, and leaves you with less irritation after shaving. Their safety razors add a natural, classic beauty to your bathroom.

Perfect for: Eco friendly gifts for him

Kent of Inglewood makes great reusable razors and shaving accessories. They offer shaving tools of all kinds, including straight razors, straight razor sharpening stones, and shaving brushes. They also have more popular shaving accessories, like beard brushes, beard combs, and beard care kits.

  • Local Laundry: eco friendly, ethical, locally made comfortable unisex clothing

Perfect for: Eco friendly gifts for her, eco friendly gifts for him

Local Laundry’s clothing is all ethical and Canadian-made. They offer comfy crewnecks and hoodies, sweatpants, t-shirts, toques, and even clean-burning candles. When you buy their toques, they donate one to someone in need. The staff are all paid a living wage, and they carbon offset all of their online orders. 

The gift that keeps on giving

Sustainable gifts aren’t just “more stuff.” They’re essentials that people actually need, just with more quality, durability, and beauty, and less waste. 

We hope this sustainable gift guide helps make your gift giving season stress-free and full of joy. Happy Holidays!

Did you know? We now offer spearmint Fluoride Tablets! Our 1-month supply is the perfect size for a stocking stuffer for all your loved ones. Gift them to your friends and loved ones who swear by fluoride. They’ll love the delicious minty flavour and the luxurious foam that the tablet creates.

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