What Is An Eco Gift? 

Natural Deodorant

Ok be very careful about giving deodorant because you don't want to give the message that the recipient smells, however if they love eco products then it's something to consider. You can get deodorant blocks without packaging eg from Lush or some that come in packaging that is easy to recycle or compost like this tin from Earth Conscious.

Deodorant in a tin

Bath salts and the gift of time to have an uninterrupted soak sounds like a great gift to me.  These vegan natural bath salts from Hopscotch are a combination of mineral rich dead sea salts and epsom salts and they come in a pretty glass jar with flowers to make it extra beautiful. The jar can be reused or recycled.

Hopscotch Vegan Bath Salts

These face mask gift sets from Fruit of The Nut Tree via Wearth are designed to fit through the letter box. They are Vegan, Organic and made from natural ingredients in the UK. They do contain a plastic sachet, but the rest is paper, cardboard and compostable wood wool. All the ingredients inside are pre-measured with simple instructions to make the face mask and there is a choice of packaging for different occasions.

Many of us use liquid hand soap and shower gel because it is easy, but just like with shampoo and conditioner it means lots of plastic is being thrown away. Soap bars last longer because less is used each time and there is little or no plastic (some brands wrap in a thin layer of plastic inside the visible paper or cardboard outer packaging). Keeping the soap bar in a bag means they can be hung up and dried between uses, it also makes the soap less slippery and you can choose to have a bit of extra exfoliation like with this biodegradable sisal soap pouch. Alternatively you can add a homemade element and knit or crochet a pouch of softer yarn.

Modern razors with replaceable heads use less plastic (and produce a better shave) than disposable razors, but some men might want to go to the older style safety razors without any plastic. A nice shaving kit can be a little expensive initially so it makes a good present and the ongoing cost of blades is low.

Eco-Friendly Gifts for Foodies 

Chocolate always makes a popular gift, but it can be hard to find bars that have plastic free packaging. If you want plastic free chocolate take a look at: Divine Chocolate (in sustainably sourced recyclable paper), Green & Blacks and Seed & Bean (the paper & foil are certified for home and industrial composting).

Homemade Cake in a Jar

A homemade layered cake or biscuits in a jar is a great homemade gift. It's low cost too and is a fun way to reuse any jars you have around the house. Instead of making the food yourself (and it needing to be eaten within days) providing the dry ingredients give them more flexibility on when they want to eat the gift. Jar mixes work best if there is very little space left in your jar so measure the volume of the container and then find an American recipe that creates a cake or biscuit based on volume just adding in the dry ingredients to the jar. Alternatively check out these recipes for Chocolate Brownie Mix or Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Homemade Infused Liquor 

Another homemade gift that can be tailored to the tastes of the recipient is homemade liquor. Do they like sweets? How about skittle vodka? Lime Liquer? Or maybe a Ginger and Rhubarb gin? Ok it can take a bit of effort, but it will be worth it.

Coffee

Coffee is an essential in my house and it's always nice to be gifted a good quality coffee. If you are buying for someone who prefers to have their coffee made at home using pods then a great gift would be eco coffee pods. Halo Coffee use waste cane sugar (a byproduct of the sugar cane industry) to produce a fully home compostable pod (degrades in as little as 28 days in home compost conditions unlike many "compostable" products which need an industrial composter). They are compatible with Nespresso machines.

Seasonal Cookbook

Cooking food that is in season means better tasting food that has travelled less distance to get to your plate. Help people to know what is in season and the best thing to cook with a seasonal cookbook like Seasonal Food or A Forager's Calendar.

Eco-Friendly Practical Gifts

Practical gifts aren’t for everyone, but for many people (me included) we would rather be given a gift we will actually use than a pretty, but useless, item that we need to find a home for before taking to a charity shop or throwing it out years later.

An Insulated Water Bottle

Everyone is using reusable bottles these days, but it's worth the investment in getting an insulated one. They range in price from Aldi selling one for £3.99, to Chilly's starting at 4 times that price and the slightly more expensive Klean Kanteen's.

Personally I'm a big fan of Klean Kanteen's because you can choose the size, shape and lid to suit your needs. Like all reusable water bottles they replace the need for buying single use bottles when out, but the insulated Klean Kanteen's can do more than that. The 20 ounce bottle (592ml) can keep drinks hot for 20 hours or cold for an impressive 50 hours meaning you can put your coffee in them or have refreshing cold water or even ice on a hot day. I've never been a fan of warm water so this is a huge appeal to me.

Insulated Klean Kanteen's are perfect for taking out iced drinks or hot coffee

Beeswax Food Wraps

Replacing the need for cling film or foil when storing food beeswax wraps can be wiped clean and reused (as long as they aren't used on raw meats). You can make your own or buy them in a huge range of designs and sizes on Etsy. There are also some made with other types of wax which are suitable for vegans.

Pretty Beeswax wrap set

Reusable Bowl Covers

If food in the fridge is mostly stored in bowls then reuseable covers are an alternative to wax wraps and make a quick way to cover bowls up. You can get several different types from silicone ones (which work brilliantly as long as you have the right size containers), or fabric ones with either elastic or a tightener. I have a set of silicone covers which I have been using for a while because they wash well and they can be used in the microwave too.

Reusable silicone bowl covers work great in the microwave or fridge

Glass Straws

Many drinks seem to taste better out of glass (I much prefer a cold bottle of beer than a can for instance) so glass seems a great option when looking at reusable straws. They might not be ideal for children or for taking out and about, but for having a smoothies or long cocktail at home they work well. There is the added bonus that you can easily see if they are properly cleaned, one of the aspects that have made it hard for me to adapt to reusable straws.
These lovely recyclable VASO glass straws we were sent come in different lengths and are free from BPA, toxins and mineral oils.

VASO glass straws

Bamboo Straws

If you are looking to give reusable straws to be used by children or someone a little accident prone then bamboo straws are worth looking into. They use the natural bamboo branch shape, but are tidied up a bit making them very sustainable (the speed the bamboo in my garden grows I can very confidently say that) and they are natural so you don't need to feel bad when they have reached the end of their life and they need to be thrown away (they are biodegradable and can be composted). This set of Bamboo Straws from Vie Gourmet we were sent comes with a fabric storage pouch and a cleaning brush. Another bonus of bamboo straws is they don't conduct heat well so can be used for warm drinks.

A set of bamboo drinking straws

Baby Cups

Sticking on the drinking theme Babycup First Cups are fully recyclable plastic cups that are perfectly sized as a first cup for babies. The small size means babies and toddlers can quickly learn to drink out of the cups without needing to worry about spouts etc which is recommended for healthy teeth. They can even be used for cup feeding breastmilk to newborn babies (which some babies find easier to accept than a bottle). Designed by a mum and made in Britain they are carefully designed to be BPA and Phthalates free as well as dishwasher and steam steriliser safe.  If you can't recycle them locally they can be sent back to be recycled. We were sent some of the Babycup First Cups and my 8 month old took to drinking from them straight away.

Babycup first cups are 100% recyclable and fun colours

A Tea Infuser

A surprising use of plastic in the kitchen is in tea bags. Not all brands use plastic (Clipper don't for instance), but if they don't say they don't on the packaging there is probably plastic included. A great option is to buy loose leaf tea and use a tea strainer or infuser. I like this metal design because it goes straight in your mug (avoiding the need of a tea pot) and there is plenty of space for the tea to circulate. It's easy to clean out too. To make the present complete why not give them a (paper) packet of their favourite loose leaf tea.

A metal tea infuser and stand

Silicone Baking Sheets

I received some Vremi baking sheets to review 2 years ago now and found that not only do they work brilliantly to line a baking tray to stop obvious food sticking eg when baking cookies, but they help make my roast potatoes keep all their crispy outsides too. I have used them time and time again instead of lining a tray with foil or greaseproof paper so I think they make a useful gift.

Silicone baking sheets are a great non-stick baking tool

An Eco-Friendly Cleaning Kit

Scrubbing brushes and sponges tend to contain plastic which takes a long time to break down, but there are lots of great alternatives available which degrade faster and can go in your compost. Unpaper towels are another way to reduce waste because they can be used repeatedly before composting. And lets face it these designs from Jack and Fred on Etsy are really pretty too so they are lovely to have in the kitchen. The scourer pad from Safix is made from coconut fibres which are rough enough to scrub tough stains, but are biodegradable.

Ideas to include in an eco-friendly cleaning starter kit

A Lunch Box

I'm not about to suggest that we get rid of all that tupperware we have in the cupboard, but a nice gift is an alternative container than can be taken out for lunches without purchasing more plastic. I was recently gifted this Peppa Pig Bamboo Snack Box (complete with cutlery) from Gift Giving All Wrapped Up which is a great size for a child's lunch out.

Peppa pig bamboo snack box with cutlery

Reusable Sandwich Bag

For anyone that regularly takes sandwiches to school or work a reusable sandwich bag takes up little space in their bag and can be used time and time again. Lots of great prints make them appealing to adults and children. This design by Keep Leaf has a cotton exterior with waterproof plastic lining to keep food fresh, but it can be machine washed, wiped clean and is dishwasher safe making it great for sandwiches and snacks.

A reusable food bag

Food Bags

Turtle Bags

Handkerchiefs

In cold season we go through countless boxes of tissues, but a soft cotton hanky makes a great alternative. You can buy multipacks for low cost and then you could personalise them to make them a lovely gift. A small transfer or simple embroidery would add a special touch and is quick to do, there are even plenty of iron on transfer designs that are perfect for children (although sewing on would be a good idea to make sure they don't come off).

White cotton handkerchiefs make a great gift if you add some personalisation

Period Pants

Stick with me here. Underwear isn't an unusual gift and period pants are growing in popularity because they are reusable and can be worn all day (or all night) without worry about leaks. Modibodi have some great designs in different absorbencies so they can be used alone or as back up. These basic black briefs they sent me make a great alternative to disposable sanitary products and the Modibodi sensual range is so pretty that they make a lovely present. They can also be used by older women who might have slightly weaker bladder control, but careful what you write on the gift label if that is the reason to give them to your intended recipient!

Modibodi Highly Absorbent Black Pants

Unusual Eco Friendly Gift Ideas

If you are looking for something more unusual to give as a gift, but you still want it to be Eco Friendly then how about these ideas?

Gift Experiences

You can buy a voucher from websites like Red Letter Days or BuyAGift who both do great packages the recipient can choose when and how to use from Spa Days to Afternoon Tea. They often sell their products at a discount through out the year so you can save money compared to the on the door entry prices. You can even choose just to get an evoucher to save on paper and packaging.

A Voucher to Learn Something New

Giving the recipient a course of lessons or just a one off session is a chance for them to have fun and learn a new skill. The main voucher sites have options from Sushi Making to Butchery to Pottery and Snooker, but if you know they have a particular interest then contacting local providers directly is a good idea, most will make you up a gift voucher for a course even if they don't normally do them. In the past I have made Brownies, made a ring at London Jewellery School and taken several photography courses at DSLR Photography Courses in Wimbledon. GroupOn often has deals too so it's worth checking out.

A Voucher To Treat Themselves

Sometimes it can be nice to have a little bit of money put aside for a particularly thing and a gift voucher does that. Amazon vouchers seem to be given all the time these days and it's not surprising since you can buy pretty much everything from their, but there are alternative ideas that can encourage a bit more of a treat eg Just Eat vouchers are a gift of takeway meaning a night off from cooking or a supermarket voucher for a "posh" supermarket like M&S or Waitrose can be an excuse to buy a few treats. Most online stores sell vouchers too so if they have a favourite small business or even like to buy online from Ethical Shops like Babipur or Yes Bébé then they can be a great choice.

Premium Bonds

Gift vouchers can expire without being used, money can end up going on bills, but a small investment on premium bonds means each month there is a chance of winning money (up to £1 million each month tax free). You can also choose to withdraw the full amount so you don't actually lose any money. Once upon a time savings accounts were a great investment, but with current interest rates it can be more fun to put money in Premium Bonds. They can be set up for both adults and children and once set up they are easy to buy additional investments for.

Charity Donation

Sometimes people really don't feel there is anything they need or want, but you still want to give them a gift to tell them you are thinking of them or to say "thank you", charity donations work really well at times like these. Oxfam do this particularly well with their Oxfam Unwrapped offering. My eldest loved giving my partner "a pile of poo", but imagine the difference you could make to those who need it by giving clean water to a community?

Family Photo Shoot

I love to take photographs of my family, but it can be hard work to make my children look at the camera or stay still enough for my shutter speeds. I love to occasionally hand over responsibility to a professional and it's even better if someone else pays and they can capture some images with me in too. Lots of local photographers will make up vouchers. When giving as a present it is worth making sure the package includes the actual shoot and a reasonable number of digital images or printed photographs otherwise the gift can end up costing the recipient money.

Membership

A gift experience provides one day out, but membership can provide a whole years worth of days out making them a perfect present if you can choose the right one for the recipient. There are lots of options including: National Trust, English Heritage, The National Art Pass or even their local zoo.

Sponsorship

Providing sponsorship of something as a gift combines a charity donation and often provides a tangible gift too. There are lots of different options and the prices vary hugely. Sponsoring a child for instance through World Vision can make a real difference to both the child and a community. The gift recipient can choose to write to the child they are sponsoring and even visit them if they want. A more affordable option is sponsoring an animal at the nearest zoo or maybe twinning their toilet.

Gift Of Time

Gift Swap 

I'm sure we all have things at home that are in great condition, but we don't want. A gift swap is a great way that everyone can get something new without anyone spending money. The idea is that you arrange a get together with friends or family and everyone brings along an item or two they no longer want and they get to exchange them for items other people have brought. It works best if there is a theme eg jewellery, mugs, art work or toys and obviously everyone has to bring reasonable quality items.

The Finishing Touches For Your Eco-Friendly Gift

While not all the gift suggestions above are physical presents it can be a lot of fun to unwrap those which are. Every Christmas in the UK we apparently use the equivalent of 50,000 trees to wrap their presents! If you use wrapping paper try and make sure it can be recycled eg no glitter, metallics or foil and ideally use paper tape. A better option might be reusable fabric wrapping paper which can be reused over and over again. The Fabric Wrapping Co, carefully source their materials and turn them into beautiful designs which make it easy to wrap your gifts, complete with satin ribbons. I've been practising with the wrapping they sent me and now I just need to choose the perfect recipient.

A Fabric Gift Wrap from The Fabric Gift Wrap Co.

Other gift guides you might be interested in:
Gifts for 1, 2, 3 and 4 year olds
Gifts for toddlers and preschoolers
Gift Guide for 6 to 10 year olds
Gift Parents Will Love
Gifts for Dads
Rainbow themed gifts

***Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase after following a link. Thank you if you choose to do this. Some of the items in this gift guide were given to me for inclusion, I have stated this where applicable and they were all carefully selected***