Sustainable gift ideas for the eco conscious on your list

by Naomi May Dec 11, 2020 4 minutes

In a year where nothing has happened but everything has changed, it seems Christmas is literally and figuratively the silver lining.

The belting of Christmas anthems was bought forward in a bid to drown out the monotony of 2020. Even as you read this piece, there are pine trees being erected the world over to usher in some festive fun and excitement.

But before we eat four helpings of food on December 25 and accidentally drink so much mulled wine it becomes our blood type, let’s take a minute to consider gifts we’ll be splurging on for our loved ones - and avoid that last minute panic buying come Christmas Eve.

For the eco-conscious among us, nothing’s to say you have to scrimp on pressies this festive season, given there are such a stellar conscious offerings now available.

Just in case you’re short on ideas though, we’ve rounded up some of the best ethical gift choices available this year, from stocking fillers to skincare. Go forth and (consciously) shop!

Stockings and stocking fillers

Mary Benson Magical Monogram Paisley Stocking with Monogram

Dalston-based designer Mary Benson is revered for her ability to transform deadstock fabrics into repurposed goodies and her personalised Christmas stockings are no exception. A good stocking is for life too, so you’re ticking the investment box as well as the conscious box.

£42.99 | Mary Benson

LARQ Bottles

LARQ bottles are not only the chicest on the market but they’re also the world's first to be able to self-clean by using UV-C LED light to eliminate up to 99.9999 per cent of bio-contaminants. This year has made germaphobes out of the best of us, so sign us up!

From £72 | Amazon

Kankan Starter Set

East London-based Kankan is on a mission to eradicate plastic from the beauty sphere. It packs its deliciously-scented and vegan formulations into adorably kitsch tin cans, which you then pour into a glass vessel. The idea is that you can just keep on topping up your glass bottle rather than buying more unnecessary plastic. Shop local and give somebody the gift of conscious hand and body wash this Christmas! Win, win.

£24 | Kankan

Sister & Co. Candles

Over at ES, we like to fancy ourselves as candle connoisseurs - we know a good one when we smell it. This range of re-fillable clean candles are some of the best. Not only are they vegan, cruelty-free, and made without petroleum, phthalates, parabens or synthetic dyes, but £1 from every sale is also donated to domestic violence charity Solace Women's Aid. Once you’ve burned yours, keep the ceramic case and simply order a refill. Conscious candles have never looked so good.

From £20 | Sister & Co.

Neighbourhood Botanicals Smelly Baubles

We may have put up our Christmas trees in early November (this year, anything goes), but you really can’t ever have too many baubles. Let us introduce you to cult Hackney brand Neighbourhood Botanical’s aptly named Smelly Baubles. Not only are they entirely recyclable, but they also are full of essential oils which evaporate and diffuse into the air overtime making for one deliciously smelling Christmas.

£18 | Neighbourhood Botanicals

Nature of Things Magnesium Bath Soak at Standard Dose

Give the gift of a decent night’s sleep with this utterly divine bath soak. Simply pour the entire contents into running water, soak for a minimum of 20 minutes, and let the concoction of CBD, magnesium, and botanical oils work its magic on you.

£36 | John Lewis & Partners

Beauty

Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush Stick

As the saying goes, and to paraphrase just a touch, if it’s good enough for make-up artist to the stars Gucci Westman, it’s good enough for us. Westman’s eponymous make-up line is entirely clean and housed in some seriously #Shelfie worthy vessels. It goes without saying that it’s REALLY good, although the Baby Cheeks cream blush is a particular stand-out.

£46 | Cult Beauty

HIGHR Lipstick in Chateau

Trialling beauty products is what we do so you know you can trust us when we tell you that HIGHR’s lipsticks are some of the best and creamiest and most pigmented we’ve ever tried. The fact that they’re made exclusively by solar power in California and free of artificial nasties is simply a bonus. Pucker up!

£22 | HIGHR

Pai Skincare The Nellie Set

London-based independent beauty brand Pai makes skincare simple. Not only are its formulations vegan and cruelty-free, the brand has also recently undergone a re-branding which included it eradicating 96 per cent of plastic from its packaging and formulations. Its products are the eco-beauty industry’s worst kept secret

£49 | lookfantastic

Votary Intense Overnight Mask

Give the gift of glowing skin this Christmas with eco-conscious brand Votary’s miracle-working Intense Overnight Mask. Boasting a starry A-list line-up of moisturising Hyaluronic acid, and skin-nourishing rosehip oil, all it takes is one night’s sleep slathered in this and skin is left bouncy and dewy and glowy in the morning. Your skin can thank me later.

£85 | Space NK

Fashion

Stripe & Stare

It’s time to have a root through your undies drawer and update your age-old pants with fresh pairs ready for the new year. What better place to start than with London-based brand Stripe & Stare’s eco undies which are made from re-purposed bamboo?!

£115 | Revolve

Baum und Pferdgarten Antoinette Dress

The best-kept secret in Scandi fashion is Baum und Pferdgarten, which publishes quarterly reports into its sustainability practices so as to avoid greenwashing. It uses exclusively organic cotton as well as prints its funky prints digitally, which uses less water, energy and dye in turn.

£220 | Harvey Nichols

Pangaia Recycled Cotton Tracksuits

Pangaia’s recycled cotton and floral-dyed tracksuits have flooded Instagram for good reason. Offered in an army of fun, bright and playful colours, its two-pieces will make you stand out from the crowd in the best possible way. Look good, do good.

From £69 | Selfridges

Alexander McQueen Jewelled Satchel

Whatever you do, do not ignore the luxury lover in your life’s instructions. If they want a designer handbag, then a designer handbag they shall get. Alexander McQueen made its conscious intention clear this year after it donated rolls of deadstock fabric to fashion students at the University of Westminster and Central Saint Martins. It obviously held onto some of its most fabulous fabric though, as it’s reimagined its best-selling Jewelled Satchel using deadstock material from its Pre-SS16 collection just in time for Christmas. Plus, a good handbag is for life, so view it as an investment.

From £1,350 | Alexander McQueen

Birdsong

Founded in 2014, London-based Birdsong is on a mission to make fashion more ethical step-by-step. It makes the majority of its pieces in London and uses organic and natural materials where possible. Its slogan tees are a sure-fire win for even the most fashion-opposed in your life this Christmas.