The holiday season is a time of joy and celebration. It’s also a time for making memories, feasting until your top button pops, and gift-giving. Amidst all that festive fun, however, there’s also a fair amount of excess and waste. For years we used to ignore the swathes of wrapping paper, discarded boxes, and gifts that last two minutes, but now that sustainability is on the top of our collective wish lists, many of us are looking for better ways to enjoy the festive season – and preserve the planet for generations to come.

All it requires is some careful planning and an eco-friendly shopping strategy so that we can enjoy the festive season while protecting the planet.

6 Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas

When shopping for gifts, consider purchasing eco-friendly options. Look for gifts made from sustainable materials, such as bamboo or recycled plastic. You can also consider gifting experiences, such as concert tickets or a cooking class, instead of physical items.

A few ideas to get you started:

1. Reusable skin treats: A pot of clean, organic eye mask and reusable eye masks to avoid the waste created by disposable masks.
2. Go natural: A beautiful houseplant, plantable pencils, or even an indoor garden starter kit.
3. Fun and functional: Consider a multi-purpose canvas tote or a locally produced waffle weave blanket that brings both use and a stunning aesthetic to the table.
4. For the kids: Upcycled toys, made from recycled or upcycled materials or even thrifted toys from Facebook Marketplace will bless your littles while saving the world.
5. In the home: Reusable muslin tea bags for the tea lovers, ethical handmade soaps, clean burning aroma candles, and even 100% organic cotton bedding all make stunning and lasting gifts that don’t hurt the planet.  
6. The gift of zero waste: Buy gifts that help reduce waste, such as a reusable water bottle, a set of reusable straws, or a compost bin.

Apply An Eco-Friendly Holiday Shopping Approach

Businesses are eager to snag our attention, popping into our social feeds, texting us, and bombarding our inboxes to get us spend more than what we need on things that you don’t need or harm the planet. But if you have a strategy to keep your holiday shopping on the eco-friendly side of things, you’ll circumnavigate the plastic and excess with ease.

Here’s what to do to keep your shopping sustainable:

1. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle: Make your holiday shopping more eco-friendly by putting every choice through your ‘reduce, reuse, and recycle’ lens. For example, don’t buy wrapping paper, just reuse gift bags, wrapping paper, or baskets you’ve been given throughout the year.
2. Support Local, Green Businesses: It’s easy enough to go online to find local businesses that use sustainable materials and practices, and are committed to reducing environmental impact.
3. Avoid Single-Use Plastics: Avoid purchasing gifts that come with excessive packaging or single-use plastics. Look for gifts that are packaged in recyclable materials or that come with minimal packaging.
4. Shop Secondhand: South Africa boasts a booming secondhand market, so don’t overlook the fact that you can reduce waste and support sustainable practices by thrifting incredible gifts and holiday treats.
5. Buy Less: This is perhaps the most significant tip. We are so easily persuaded by the joy of the season to buy more than we need, but if we simply make a list (check it twice) and stick to it, we can buy less, waste less, and do more to reduce our environmental impact.

Feeling informed?

These tips are sure to help you make your holiday shopping more eco-friendly and reduce your environmental impact. It takes a little bit of effort, but by applying a simple strategy that includes reducing, reusing, and recycling, as well as purchasing eco-friendly gifts, and supporting local, green businesses, we can still enjoy the festive season while protecting the planet.

Have a joyful, festive season!