15 Dec 2022 • 3 minute read
It is no surprise to anyone who knows us that we are passionate about eco-friendly and sustainable gifting. It is reported that every year, each Brit is given two unwanted gifts. Almost one in five of those unwanted gifts will end up in a landfill (19%). Which equates to £42 million worth of unwanted Christmas presents being sent to the landfill each year! So instead of buying a gift for the sake of buying a gift, choose a gift that will enrich your loved one's life.
Remember, love isn’t equated to the size of a present.
As a gift card company, we have seen it all when it comes to gifting. This may be why we have given ourselves the over-inflated title of “really good gift-givers” (it’s a working title…)
But who better to ask for ideas about sustainable gifting than the Green Gift Card and Livewire (our parent company) teams? We have collected a list of eco and sustainable gift ideas from across the team to give you some last-minute green gift inspiration.
“I don’t really do Christmas for multiple reasons although it is nice to spend time with the family. But when it comes to gifts and wrapping, I always look for an eco-option. So much landfill waste comes from wrapping paper. It is such an unnecessary waste when you could use recycled brown parchment paper or reusable cloth.”
“I really enjoy being out in nature. There are plenty of beautiful woods and forests around me. That is why I am recommending a year's membership for Forestry England. I like to encourage my friends and family to spend more time outside and support Forestry England in their amazing work with forest conservation and sustainability.”
“It is so hard buying presents for my dad. He never wants anything. What do you get someone who has everything? So I brought him a pile of poo… from Oxfam. Oxfam offers charity gift cards to donate in someone's name. I opted for a ‘Pile of Poo’, helping provide communities with Bio-fill toilets. The manure is collected to use as fertilizers on plants. My dad loved it!”
“I love to champion companies and products that actively tackle the plastic pollution problem. Also, is there anything better than receiving nice smellies that you might not have brought yourself? My recommendations are Faith in Nature a natural beauty company. Their products smell gorgeous and can be brought and refilled in many national and local stores.”
“Most of my family don’t really want stuff for Christmas. I always find it hard to find something for my dad. I would recommend buying a pair of chickens – from Christian Aid. A pair of chickens is an eggcellent way to donate in someone else’s name. Not all gifts have to be physical.”
“Finding the time to stop and relax is really hard. I like to buy spa vouchers for my friends and family. Then I know they will take some time out for themselves. Something they are not likely to do on their own.”
“Christmas can be dominated by big brands and conglomerates. There’s that joke about receiving a smellies set that you don’t want. No offence to the big brands, but many small and local businesses do much better self-care kits. My recommendations are Soul & Soup and Up Circle. Eco and sustainable brands.”
Katie, Founder of Little Starts (Little Starts) –
“Little Starts Gift Cards of course! What could be better than gifting memories to families and helping little ones in their development”
Beth, Social Media Manager (Little Starts) –
“My recommendation is bamboo pens. Apparently, bamboo can reach full size in just 90 days. Whereas trees can take up to 100 years, and plastics are obviously bad! It's nice to give something which is practical and can be treasured”
Tanya, Class Listing Coordinator
(Little Starts) –
“I really should say Little Starts Gift Cards. It is such a useful gift! I love giving them to friends with young children. But really any gift that allows you to spend time together as a family is what I would recommend”
Are you looking for gift card inspiration? Check out some of our clients or contact a member of our team today.
Greener
Compostable and recyclable
Cheaper
Save up to 40% compared to plastic
Quicker
Turnaround average 20 working days
Introducing our range of plastic-free cards
Since 2006 we have been innovating and disrupting in the card market to develop what is a leading range of environmentally-friendly card solutions. So what sets us apart?
Well that’s the thing, there’s a number of reasons why Green Gift Cards are renowned in the world of card production. It is the material we use for our cards and the certification that the cards come with. It is also the compelling environmental story (we urge you to watch the video) that is behind all of our cards and the fact that, once finished with, our cards are compostable and can be recycled in normal household waste streams. Oh and we’ll say it again – being environmentally-friendly doesn’t mean they are more expensive. In fact they offer great value compared to plastic cards.
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