Living more sustainably is becoming a priority for many people, but eco friendly living doesn’t have to mean giving up fun, colour or thoughtful gifting. Eco friendly gifts are a simple way to encourage more sustainable habits while giving someone something practical, reusable and meaningful they’ll genuinely enjoy using. You may see a lot of beige and soft tones in sustainability influencer’s lives, but it definitely doesn’t have to be that way. Eco friendly gifts are a great way to show you care about the person receiving the gift and the planet, encouraging your recipient to give an eco swap a go without committing to the financial side of the change yet.
What does eco friendly mean?
Eco friendly means causing little to no harm to the environment, which of course is important in times like these where our planet needs the help. For us individuals, this could include reducing waste, buying less but better, supporting small businesses and being thoughtful with consumption.
This is not to say that you can’t enjoy that shopping spree or try out new things when they could out, but in general being more conscious of how much waste you produce can be pretty eye-opening. A common misconception about being greener is that it takes a lot more effort or money, but that’s definitely not always the case, here’s some lazy ways to be environmentally friendly to get started!
Eco friendly living could cover a range of areas in your life, such as some people who live in cities realising they don’t really need a car, or using reusable alternatives to items you use a lot and tend to throw away after one use, we’ll talk more about reusable skincare accessories shortly!
Another area could be food, the WWF UK have put together a helpful checklist of things to do if you want to be more eco friendly in your diet, you can read more about that here.
Small Eco Friendly Changes Can Add Up
If you went out and swapped every product in your house for reusable and eco friendly options, you would probably be really overwhelmed. It’s easier to treat eco swaps like a habit you need to keep, like starting a new exercise routine or introducing something into your diet. If you make lots of changes at once, although it feels good for the first day or two, it can quickly become hard to stick to.
Doing eco swaps over time however can add up to you saving a lot of waste and creating some good, lasting habits. But enough about you, what about gifting? You want to introduce a friend to something eco friendly, this absolutely does not have to be pushy. A small gift is a low pressure way for them to try something out and see how they get along with it.
Why Eco Friendly Gifts are Meaningful
They’re Practical and Long Lasting
Eco friendly gifts are gifts with purpose, first of all. They’re practical, and with many eco swaps, will actually last a long time and be used over multiple years. Take reusable face pads for example, replacing cotton pads is a great thing to do, think how many of those pile up over a year, and the reusable kind are great. They’re soft, tough and do the job they need to, and can just be thrown in the wash with everything else.
They Encourage Slower Routines
Reusable skincare pads are also part of a routine, establishing a slower, evening skincare routine could be the push your gift receiver needed for a bit of me time when they wind down in the evenings.
They Support Small Businesses
Lots of eco swaps are made by small businesses, and handmade too. Fabric items will be created in very small batches and thoughtfully designed to meet the needs of the customer. Companies who manufacture this kind of product aimed at eco friendly living are likely to be very eco conscious themselves too, so if supporting a handmade or sustainable business is important to you too, you’ll be doing exactly that.
Eco Friendly Gifts Ideas for Everyday Living
Reusable Self-Care Gifts
These are often small swaps that fit nicely into your everyday routine, these can include reusable skincare pads to replace cotton pads, or a soft face cloth to replace makeup wipes or rough flannels. It’s important to look after the skin on our faces, and these products are built with sensitive skin in mind.
Unlike a lot of high street cheap skincare solutions, things that are supposed to be a little abrasive are not going to irritate your skin. We found when designing our own reusable exfoliating pads that softness mattered just as much as effectiveness, the actual fabric is very soft and can be used as a normal skincare pad if you wanted, but with the slight towelling texture to it, it goes well with a gritty exfoliator to do its job without causing pain. If you’ve even picked up a cheap exfoliator pad or glove, you’ll know what I mean with those plastic fabrics.
Nature-Inspired Gifts for Wildlife Lovers
Our guess is if you love being eco friendly and thinking about your impact on the Earth, you probably feel pretty connected to nature, local wildlife and animals. That’s why all of our products aimed at being more eco friendly also feature endangered species across them, handmade and hand designed right here in Wales.
Whether you know a hedgehog lover or someone who adores red squirrels, there’s something for them that’ll remind them everyday of species that they love, while they enjoy the benefits of an eco friendly gift.
Our hedgehog range was actually inspired by a hedgehog in our garden in Mid Wales, after watching it on the trail camera come and go at night. You can see more from our trail camera here on Youtube.
How to Choose More Sustainable Gifts
It can be pretty hard to know what to look for if you don’t have much experience with eco friendly items. You want to avoid big knockoff sites that churn out products at low prices, these will likely be full of plastic and aren’t companies with good carbon footprints anyway.
Quality over quantity is important for a good reusable item, as I mentioned before, you can use these items again and again, wash them and reuse them, so they need to be tough enough to withstand constant washing and use. They also need to be convenient, you’re already washing them, you don’t need it to be any tougher to do or it’s a habit that might not stick. Thats why we pair our reusable skincare pads with little net wash bags that keep them safe in the washing machine, so you don’t have to search through your pile of laundry to find them.
Also look out for natural fabrics and thoughtful packaging, lots of small businesses who want to be more sustainable will opt for recyclable packaging and avoid plastic where they can.
Do you feel ready to shop for sustainability now?
Sustainability is not about being perfect, not all eco swaps are for everyone and that’s okay, finding a few small thoughtful choices that add up is a brilliant way to reduce your carbon footprint and be more thoughtful about what you want to buy all the time. Since starting our eco friendly journey, we’ve cut down on buying things like cotton pads, makeup wipes, deodorant, these changes are easy to stick to for us and work for our lifestyle. It’s important you find what works for you, and help another start their eco friendly journey with an eco friendly gift today.
Want to check out our range of eco friendly gift options, click here.
If you enjoyed this blog, we write more about sustainability and gifting, here’s one we think you’ll enjoy too.
Frequently Asked Questions About Eco Friendly Gifts
What does eco friendly mean?
Eco friendly means causing as little harm to the environment as possible. This can include reducing waste, choosing reusable alternatives, supporting small businesses, buying fewer but better quality products and being more thoughtful about what we consume in everyday life.
What makes a gift eco friendly?
Eco friendly gifts are usually designed to reduce waste or last longer than disposable alternatives. They may be reusable, handmade, made from natural materials or packaged sustainably. Thoughtful gifts from small businesses can also be a more sustainable choice than mass-produced products.
Are reusable gifts better for the environment?
Reusable gifts can help reduce the amount of single-use waste we create over time. Items like reusable skincare pads or washable face cloths replace disposable products that would otherwise be thrown away regularly, helping people build more sustainable habits gradually.
Are eco friendly gifts expensive?
Not always. While some reusable products can cost more upfront, they are often designed to last for years, making them better value over time. Many eco swaps can actually save money in the long run by replacing products you would normally buy repeatedly.
What are some easy eco swaps for beginners?
Some simple beginner eco swaps include reusable skincare pads, washable face cloths, reusable water bottles, tote bags and refillable toiletries. Starting with one or two small changes at a time is often much easier than trying to change everything at once.
Why are handmade gifts more sustainable?
Handmade gifts are often made in smaller batches with more care and less waste than mass-produced products. Many small businesses also use recyclable packaging and carefully chosen materials, making handmade products a thoughtful and more sustainable option.
What are good eco friendly gifts for nature lovers?
Nature-inspired reusable gifts are a lovely option for wildlife lovers. Reusable skincare accessories, handmade fabric products and gifts featuring endangered species or woodland animals combine sustainability with a connection to nature and conservation.
How can I become more eco friendly without feeling overwhelmed?
The best way to become more eco friendly is to start small. Introducing one or two sustainable habits at a time makes changes feel more manageable and easier to stick to long term. Eco friendly living is not about being perfect, it’s about making thoughtful choices where you can.
Are reusable skincare pads worth it?
Reusable skincare pads are a practical eco swap because they can replace hundreds of disposable cotton pads over time. They are soft, washable and easy to include in an everyday skincare routine, making them one of the easiest sustainable swaps for beginners.
What should I look for when buying sustainable gifts?
When shopping for sustainable gifts, it helps to look for quality materials, reusable designs, recyclable packaging and products made by trusted small businesses. Choosing gifts that are practical, long-lasting and genuinely useful can make them feel even more thoughtful.
