Low Waste Valentines Day Gifts for Your Valentine

2/10/2021

Written by: Allie Willison, Customer experience @blueland

Each year Valentine’s Day means cards with corny sayings, roses, date nights, and best of all love. But like other holidays, there is a hidden environmental impact. American adults exchange upwards of 36 million heart shaped boxes,180 million greeting cards, and 198 roses per year (https://www.waste360.com/resources/environmental-impact-valentines-day) and most of these gifts end up in landfills.

So this year, ditch the heart shaped box and check out the tips below to help your Valentine’s Day be low waste!

Are Valentine’s Day Flowers Eco-Friendly?

A classic gift, flowers can always turn someone’s frown upside down. But are they sustainable? Most of the time, no. It’s not that the flowers themselves are bad, but it’s the plastic wrapping and transportation emissions that are required to get them to your door which blur the line between green and wasteful. Researchers even estimate that the 100 million roses grown per Valentine’s Day in the US produce around 9,000 metric tons of carbon emissions (https://www.seattletimes.com/business/valentines-day-flowers-dont-have-to-be-so-bad-for-the-environment-after-all/).

But there are some businesses out there that are more focused on sustainability! There’s even a newer demand for “slow flowers” or growers who don’t interfere with the natural growth of the flowers and let nature take its course without pesticides. You can find a directory here (https://slowflowers.com/) that will help you locate a florist near you!

Another way to go is sustainable delivery services like BloomsyBox (https://www.bloomsybox.com/)and Bouqs (https://bouqs.com/). Or opt for a plant they can enjoy the gift for years to come! The Sill (https://www.thesill.com/collections/valentines-day-gifts) has a whole Valentines collection for you to choose from.

Are Valentine’s Chocolates Eco Friendly?

If your significant other is not a flower person but loves a bar of chocolate, then swing for some goodies that are both fair trade and low waste. Plus, paper packaging means you can recycle it after they devour their gift.

One of our favorite fair trade and plastic free packaging brands is Divine (https://shop.divinechocolateusa.com/). Yum!

What Is The Environmental Impact of Jewelry?

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but recycled materials are Mother’s Nature’s best friend. Want to splurge on your beau? Aim for either vintage jewelry or pretty things made from recycled materials.

Some cute brands that have a classic, simple style to suit most everyone are Salt + Sill (https://www.madetrade.com/collections/salt-still?sscid=11k5_vfk4j&) and Raven + Lily (https://ravenandlily.com/). For a bit of splurge try Washed Ashore (https://www.washedashore.co/), who feature 100% recycled material and post consumer stones extracted from vintage pieces.

How To Create A Low Waste Pampering Session

For date night quarantine style get ready to pamper your partner! Pampering is the gift that can be anything you make it to be, a home cooked meal, a romantic film, or even just each other’s company with some smooth jazz in the background.

Lush (https://www.lushusa.com/bath-shower/) has long been outspoken about sustainability and eco-friendly practices, they have a great selection of balms, bombs, and bars that can turn any home into a spa.

How To Stay Low Waste In The Bedroom

For the saucier side of things check out some sustainable lingerie brands. If you’re into a cute and quirky vibe, check out Uye Surana (https://www.uyesurana.com/), they are all about ethical production and their packaging is all recyclable! If you prefer a more classic look, there’s Between the Sheets (https://www.btslingerie.com/), they are B Corp Certified and committed to sustainability and transparency.

There are even low waste condom brands out there like Loveability (https://lovabilityinc.com/), who package sustainably and work to ensure their products are as good for the planet as they are for you!

Valentine’s Day is the day to celebrate that special someone in your life, and hopefully these tips can help you keep the romance at a maximum and keep your waste to a minimum.