charity

6 November 2018

Christmas Gift Guide, SueMe, The Ethical Gift Box, Love to B, Thought Clothing, Slice of Green
Disclaimer - contains affiliate links & sponsored/ad content

As I wander around the shops I’m mindful of how much plastic packaging can often be found in fancy gift boxes. This year my Christmas Gift Guide will focus on environmental matters.  If there is one thing we all take away from the year it’s the devastating images of a turtle with a straw in its nostril, the seahorse carrying a cotton bud and the miles of floating waste in our oceans. I want to offer alternatives which could go a little way to have a better impact on our future.

Reusable items could reduce on the number of single use plastic items a person uses so how about the gift of a bottle or cup. There are many options for coffee cups but I’ve chosen the rCUP Black & Mustard Reusable Coffee Cup because it’s made from 40% recycled paper cups. For those that travel or are not coffee drinkers then a stylish bottle might be an option. I’ve had my eye on Chilly's Bottle for their bold and trendy designs and S'well bottles are elegantly understated.

I take my own lunch to work every day so I’ve been looking at alternatives to Tupperware. Check out Slice of Green stainless steel lunch boxes which come in different size and shapes. For those that eat lunch out you have the option to ditch the takeaway plastic cutlery for a stylish Bambu reusable cutlery set made from bamboo. For the ultimate reusable gift, Content Beauty has a Zero waste set which includes straw, lunch box, cup, cutlery, reusable food wraps and cotton carry bag. 

I don’t know about you but pants (underwear) and socks are a long time Christmas tradition in our household I don’t recall a single year without receiving one or the other. My husband has been trialling SueMe “tree trunks” which are made from 95% Beech Tree pulp, the fibre Modal is manufactured in Austria. When I removed them from the outer packaging I was surprised how silky soft they felt to the touch. There is care and attention to the design in terms of the waistband and placement of seams. My husband says he finds these trunks very comfortable to wear. I also like that a small packet of beech birch and wildflower seeds are included with your purchase. Womens underwear (Beech Shorties) also available and if you want to pair them with some novelty socks then I picked out Snowman Christmas Bamboo Socks from Thought Clothing.

As a beauty lover I’m all about the gift of good skincare and with natural and organic brands you are pretty much guaranteeing a better ethos for the environment. For those keen to avoid plastic bottles trying opting for glass packaging like Bodhi & Birch The Superfood Series Mini Discovery set or Pure Thoughts Ritual Kits contain a combination of bath salts, soap, body oil and pulse point or candle tailored to an aromatherapy mood. A Tutti Frutti soap from Love to B would make a great stocking filler for kids. For the eco-conscious makeup lover Kjaer Weis is the ultimate luxury product. The stylish and stunning compacts are not only beautiful but also refillable. For anyone with sensitive skin refer back to my Gift Guide from last year, products and brands featured are still available.

Family and travel are at the heart of the Ethical Gift Box having established the business through a years travel across Asia with three children. The Ethical Gift Box brings together carefully curated items many of which are handcrafted from recycled or renewable materials. I think this is the perfect gift idea for those who enjoy giving and receiving products that are artisan, unique and ethical in comparison to what you may find on the high street. You can shop by occasion, budget and ethics (vegan, British made, fairtrade, recycled etc). The Ethical Gift Box offers tailored gift sets to suit everyone and there is the choice of pre-made boxes or create your own. As there are so many beautiful gift sets it's difficult for me to chose a favourite box but I particularly like the For Him Vegan Wash Box which contains Mens Upcycled Innertube Wash Bag, Bamboo Charcoal Soap, Botanic Man Balm & Beer & Bay Shampoo Bar and The Office De-Stress Box with a Handloomed Fabric & Wood Elephant Paper Clip Tidy/Diffuser, Eucalyptus, Geranium & Peppermint Essential Oil, Keep Going' Sustainable Rubberwood Coaster & Graze Snack.

Post Christmas check out Buengo a marketplace for good where you can sell things you no longer need and donate the proceeds to a charity of your choosing. Alternatively if you’ve decided to have a minimalist Christmas and skip presents Buengo offer virtual products (a sleeping bag for a homeless person or a year of schooling for a student in Kenya) so you could ask people to donate on your behalf.

Happy Shopping everyone!

Sarah x

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