Christmas Present ideas and resource list
Christmas
Gifts
Alcohol
Always comes in glass bottles. Always appreciated. Available everywhere.
Beauty
We have been trialing the Veg- Up range of cosmetics and
cannot recommend them enough. They work
really well and come in cardboard and corn starch plastic. The mascara is not
waterproof but unless you are a synchronised swimmer or prone to crying a lot,
it works just fine.
Lush has oodles of Christmas beauty gifts. We like their
great metallic eye shadows in glass bottles. All their products come in either recycled
plastic (which they take back after use), paper or they have a new range of
naked solid products. I have never bought from them online so I don’t know if
they send stuff without plastic packaging (I would assume so) but their shops
are everywhere.
If you are buying for someone who likes to get right back
to basics then this beauty gift set should suit them. They use only cardboard
or glass packaging.
If you prefer going back to basics this range looks very good with all natural products and no plastic packaging.
If you prefer going back to basics this range looks very good with all natural products and no plastic packaging.
Likewise this company sell a great shaving kit that
comes in good card packaging.
Bags
Whether it is big bags, wash bags or hand bags this
company recommended by Daphne make theirs from old fire hoses. They look great
and long lasting.
Personally I am a great fan of these bags (and soon
purses) made from old bouncy castles available in lots of funky colours from
Surfers Against Sewage. Shopping from them directly benefits their anti-plastic
campaign. What’s not to like.
I also bought these groovy bicycle paniers from the New
internationalist online shop. They are made
from old Indian plastic sacks and they
arrived in paper packaging – hoorah.
www.ethicalshop.org/recycled-bicycle-panniers.html
And these bags are just great environmentally, ethically and aesthetically. Remember all those life jackets discarded on the beaches by the poor refugees fleeing to Europe? Well these girls had the bright idea of upcycling them and with the money they raise they are helping the refugees. A great double whammy of an idea
http://dirtygirlsoflesvos.com/upcycle
And these bags are just great environmentally, ethically and aesthetically. Remember all those life jackets discarded on the beaches by the poor refugees fleeing to Europe? Well these girls had the bright idea of upcycling them and with the money they raise they are helping the refugees. A great double whammy of an idea
http://dirtygirlsoflesvos.com/upcycle
Books
Yes to Books. They are still made of paper and
cardboard. From someone who lives with
a bookaholic I have come to realise that the best present for them is a book
token so that they can quietly indulge themselves in a decent bookshop for a
few hours whilst the rest of us battle through the sales. It makes them very happy so it isn’t a dull
present.
Bottles
If someone in your family still has not switched over
to a permanent drinking bottle now is the time. I prefer the wider neck version
as it is easier to clean. Again I recommend the ones from SAS.
Candles
They say you can never have too many candles so they do
make a safe gift to give to those who you know use them a lot. Don’t buy normal wax though as this comes
from petroleum which is the source of plastic. Instead look for bees wax or
plant based wax such as soya. There are many makes out there but the company I
like to support for the bees are Bee Fayre.
You can buy online but again I don’t know if they use
plastic to pack their products in, but there is a stockists list on their site for more local suppliers.
Cups
A china mug always makes a good present as if you are
like my family we are always breaking them.
And if you have not got a eco bamboo travel cup yet
look no further than these colourful beauties
Clothes
It may not seem obvious to some but most of our clothes
are made of plastic. And I don’t just mean your PVC cat suit. All polyester, nylon,
viscose and other synthetic materials are in fact a type of plastic fibre and
like hard plastics do not disappear but just get smaller and smaller until they
become microfibers and get everywhere including into worms, shellfish and other
small creatures. They are a huge pollution problem.
So, please avoid buying new clothing unless it is
made from all natural materials. This will limit your choices but you can
always shop guilt free in vintage and charity shops as at least you are not adding
to the plastic stockpile. You will however eventually have to find a safe way
to dispose of them once they are worn out.
Garden
If you are buying garden tools, always make sure they
are made from just wood and/or metal. This means actually getting your hands on
one in a shop and not relying on photos online.
Luckily seeds still come in paper bags and I would only
recommend buying native wildflowers anyway.
The Landlife charity sell a good range suitable for most gardens.
Likewise there are many good online eco shops selling
various types of wildlife homes. I like these bee hotels available from
Which also stocks lots of other good looking non
plastic gifts so it is worth looking around the rest of their online shop.
Jewellery
From junk jewellery to metal jewellery there is lots to
choose from. When there are so many
local craft workers making hand made jewellery there is no excuse to buy the
mass produced and over packaged stuff from the High Street. Trawl your local craft
markets first and if you have no luck then try Etsy as most makers on there are
hand made. But be vigilant. If you want to guarantee your item does not come
packaged in plastic I suggest email the makers direct.
Kitchenalia
We will be exploring kitchens properly in the New Year
but if you are buying kitchen things for Christmas look out for unnecessary
plastic details like handles and lid fixings.
Always try to buy metal only pots and pans, wood or
metal implements and wood, pottery or glass plates and bowls. And glasses of
course.
Avoid buying these online unless they guarantee
cardboard and paper packaging which is only likely from ethical online shops.
Personally when I can afford it I like to buy from
Manufactum as they stock such robust and simple things. It has been a while
since I ordered from them so I can’t remember about the packaging that their stuff came in but being German I am
sure it was OK.
Perfumes
Most perfume comes in glass bottles or there are solid
options around too. I am not going to even attempt to recommend any as perfume
is such a matter of taste but it is a good plastic free option for those who
like it.
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