The Perfect Low Waste Gifts For Your Whole List

12/15/2020

Written by: Lydia Mendel social @blueland

Struggling to find the perfect holiday gift? Well not to worry: we’ve compiled all the best eco-friendly gifts for anyone on your list! Regardless of who you’re shopping for, the following items will help you find the perfect gifts for both your loved ones and the planet!

For the Eco-Friendly Newbie

The holidays are the perfect time to start reducing plastic and waste in our lives. For your friends who are eco-friendly newbies, start by gifting them The Big Five to get them started!

1. Reusable Water Bottle: Cutting out single-use plastic is easy with a reusable water bottle. Give the gift of a refill solution with a reusable water bottle! Some of our favorite brands are Swell, Corkcicle and Miir.

2. Coffee Mug: Reusable coffee and tea mugs are a necessity in the winter and make a great gift. Some of our favorite brands are Byta, Klean Kanteen and Yeti.

3. Reusable Straw: Reusable straws make a great gift for your on-the-go eco newbie! Reusable straws can come in all types of materials, like glass, silicone and metal. We love the straws from Final Straw that come in a carrying case for easy transport!

4. Grocery Bag: Grocery bags make great gifts and they can double as sustainable gift wrapping! Give the gift to your loved ones and the planet by helping eliminate plastic bags. We love canvas bags and foldable bags from Baggu, so we can stay fashion-forward and eco-friendly.

5. Portable Silverware: For anyone who takes lunch on the go, portable silverware is a huge way to cut down on wasted plastic cutlery. We love EarthHero’s Bamboo To-go set, as well as Mizu cutlery’s silverware traveling sets!

For The Wellness Warrior

There are a lot of single-use items in fitness, but there doesn’t have to be! These items are great gifts for the eco-friendly fitness fanatic!

1. Girlfriend Collective Leggings: These leggings are made from recycled water bottles. They repurpose old plastic bottles to make the polyester used in their leggings. These leggings are a perfect gift because they are great for working out, and great for the environment.

2. Water Bottle: Water bottles are a must for working out, but help your friends skip the plastic bottle in the gym. Give the gift of a reusable water bottle and help reduce plastic waste!

3. Memberships: The best fitness gift with no waste? Give the gift of a gym membership, ClassPass or other fitness class! You can give your fitness fanatic the perfect gift without any waste at all by purchasing the class or membership on their behalf. Skip the plastic gift card if you are gifting a workout class, and instead gift a class or membership online.

4. Eco-Friendly Gym Bag: For the true fitness fanatic, there is always room in the closet for another gym bag. After all, everyone needs to carry their gear, especially if the bag they put in is eco-friendly and made from 100% organic cotton! We love the cotton canvas bags from TerraThread, or Dakine’s recycled polyester totes!

For The Holiday Host

Chances are you have a few holiday parties to attend this year. We have some ideas that will make you the favorite party guest.

1. Candle + Match Set: Candles make a great host gift, but this year choose an eco-friendly candle and pair it with matches. Some candle brands we like are P.F. Candle Co and Follain. Matches are plastic-free, so they make a great addition to the candle gift!

2. Online Cooking Classes: For all the cooks in your life, send credit for a virtual cooking experience. We’re obsessed with Serena Wolf (https://www.airsubs.com/pros/serena-wolf)–she’s a trained chef, cookbook author and culinary instructor. Her classes are always a fun (and delicious) time!

3. Stasher: Give the gift of a plastic-free food storage solution. We love that Stasher makes reusable silicone bags in multiple sizes so there’s always a place for leftovers and unused ingredients.

For The Travel Lover

Staying plastic-free while traveling is difficult. Help out the travel lover on your list by gifting them a few items that will help them stay plastic-free while on-the-go.

1. Stasher bags: Stasher bags are perfect for traveling. Gift stasher bags and help your avid traveler ditch the airport snacks that come wrapped in plastic and go plastic-free!

2. Go Toob: Go Toobs are a great gift for your traveling friend. They are a great replacement for plastic travel-sized bottles because they are silicone and reusable. They also make great stocking stuffers!

3. Travel Journal + Fountain Pen: Help your traveler be more mindful this holiday season by gifting them a travel journal and fountain pen. Try to find a journal made with recycled paper, and with a cardboard or paper covering. A fountain pen is a great gift that cuts out a lot of waste because they are refillable and reusable. Some pen brands we like are Cross, Pilot and Lamy.

4. Socks: Any true traveler knows: when you’re on the road, it really helps to have comfortable socks. This is even more true in the frigid winter. So get your globetrotting friend some socks that will keep their feet comfy and warm. We love Maggie’s Organic 100% wool socks!

5. Hair Product Bars: If one of your loved ones travels with conditioner and shampoo bottles, then give them the gift of freedom from the plastic. Shampoo and conditioner bars, like the ones from The Earthling Co., work just like bars of soap for your hair!

For The Fashionista

Give the gift of eco-friendly style to the best dressed on your loved ones list.

Comfy Clothes And Shoes: For some awesome streetwear, bomber jackets, all-weather boots, or dress clothing, look through the holiday selections of brands like: Kotn, Alternative Apparel, The Good Trade Partner, Outerknown, Thought, and Allbirds.

For Clothes AND Accessories: For some ethically made jewelry, sweaters, accessories, and shoes, look through the holiday selections of brands like: Brook There, Parker Clay, Verishop, CatBird, Cled, and Nisolo.

For The Person Who Has Everything

We all have that one person who’s really hard to shop for. This year, instead of struggling to find a gift they don’t already have, give a gift in their honor. Giving to charitable organizations in someone’s name is completely waste-free and gives back to the community! If you want to give back to organizations that help the environment, check out Oceana, Cool Effect and the Lonely Whale.

Last Minute Digital Gifts

Scrambling for a gift last minute? No worries! Digital gifts are zero-waste and can be gifted in minutes! Here are some of our favorite digital gifts this season.

1. Blueland Gift Card:The Blueland gift card is the perfect zero-waste gift! The digital card uses no plastic, and your loved one can choose just what they want to keep their home and the planet clean!

2. TV Subscriptions: Give the gift of binge watching, with a tv subscription. This gift is great for the movie and tv lover on your list and creates no waste at all!

3. E-Tickets: Give the gift of experiences with concerts, theater or sporting event tickets. Rather than gifting physical tickets, gift e-tickets to help keep the experiences as low-waste as possible!

4. Digital Magazines or Newspapers: Does your loved one love their favorite magazine or newspaper? Help them enjoy it on-the-go and without any paper waste with digital magazine and newspaper subscriptions!