Good for you and good for the planet.

Christmas present shopping is just the best. Finding that perfect gift is such a great feeling. What if we told you, you could treat yourself, others and the planet? Sustainability is the way forward and it extends to Christmas too. There are plenty of ways to be sustainable this Christmas: wrapping gifts in recyclable paper, limiting food waste, purchasing preloved decorations and one-off festive jumpers and eating less meat are just some of the ways you can make the dreams of a greener Christmas come true. Buying locally is always a good shout as supporting local businesses and creatives is super important in sustaining community economies. What’s also promising is that some big names are (finally!!) stepping up and becoming more eco-conscious this gifting season. Christmas is a time of excess and waste so limiting that through our purchases can have a massive environmental impact. We’ve got the ultimate guide for sustainable Christmas gifts that will literally blow your mind. With a mix of independent retails and high-street giants, treat someone special, or yourself, while treating the planet. Oh, and if you can, choose to collect in-store and avoid next-day delivery - huuuuuuge carbon footprint babes.

For Foodies

Beeswax Food Wraps: £11.99

Clingfilm is actually the worst. These fabulous reusable, plastic-free and biodegradable food wraps are perfect for people who love to make, and eat, lunch on the go. The decorative beeswax food wraps come in a range of sizes so choose the ones best suited to your needs. After use, simply wash them in cold water to reuse again and again.

Bamboo Cutlery Set: £10

A super affordable and substantial bamboo cutlery set complete with knife, fork, spoon, straw, cleaning brush and pouch make this a must-have for any student.

Oddbox: Giftcard

So you’ve heard of food delivery boxes, well this is one with a twist. Most of the shops in the UK don’t accept fruit and veg that doesn’t conform to certain aesthetic standards. Food that’s too big, too small, wonky etc usually gets thrown away. With an industry that values uniformity over taste, Oddbox is here to set the record straight, delivering surplus fruit and veg from farmers to your door. Reducing food waste, reducing carbon emissions and reducing water consumption -could you get more eco this Christmas?

Elephant Box: starting at £18

For ultra-chic sustainability, take a look at Elephant Box lunchboxes. Available in a variety of sizes, these tiffin vibe lunchboxes can be used over and over again.

Blue Goose Coffee: from £5.50

Ethical- check Compostable coffee pods - check Plastics free packaging - check Full of flavour - check. A sustainable and eco-friendly gift that ticks all the boxes for coffee lovers this Christmas.

For The Experience Lovers

a picture of a hand with a tree growing out of it

Tickets and things to do are the ultimate zero waste gift idea. Choose from a bottomless brunch, theatre, cinema, gigs, festivals you name it. Given the last couple of years, we literally have no idea when the world will shut down again so let’s make the most of it.

For The Tree Lovers

Treedom: from 16 euros

Remember when you could name a star after someone as a gift or a llama? Well since doing good is the new cool, how about planting a tree for someone as their gift? Choose from different tree types that all have different environmental properties. Here’s to taking sustainable gifting to a whole other level.

For The House Proud

Recycled Glass Bottle Vase: £14.50

These super chic upcycled glass vases are perfect for student gifting. Available in six colours, they’re sure to add a splash of personality to a student room. Vintage vibes coupled matched with sustainable beauty, mean these vases are great for real or dried flours (if you want that rural cottage-core feel). Super cheap and super sustainable make this a top gifting idea.

Cotton Blanket: £17.99

Made from sustainable cotton and available in three colours, this H&M blanket will make any student room instantly cosy and warm. As sustainable Christmas gifts go, this cotton blanket won’t break the bank and has a softness that makes it seem way more expensive.

Floral Street Santal Candle: £34

Soy candles are the one when it comes to sustainable scents. Complete with eco packaging, these candles are cruelty free making you feel good whilst doing good.

For The Adorned

Sea Glass Necklace: £43.58

There’s just something special about handmade gifts - the love, care, attention to detail, time and passion being put into every unique piece. These sea glass necklaces are no different. Made from 100% post-consumer glass, the bedazzling pieces are sure make anyone stand out from the crowd.

Ethereal Crystal Huggies in Rose Gold: £55

Otherworldly ear jewellery that will make you wish you treated yourself. Made from recycled sterling silver, these sparkly huggies are a great gift for a loved one, or yourself.

For The Beauty Queens

Function of Beauty, Customised Hair Care: prices vary

The world leader in customisable beauty, Function of Beauty, is the gift all beauty queen’s need. The haircare range is designed to meet your specific requirements and you can choose froma range of sumptuous scents. All you have to do is take a nifty quiz to see what your areas of concern are and voila, a product is created just for you. With massive importance placed on women in STEM and 100% recyclable packaging (nearing to be made of 100% post-consumer materials), Function of beauty is on a haircare revolution and wants you to be a part of it.

La Bouche Rouge The Brown Lipstick Set: £126

lipstick you need for your next night out

Ok, this is waaaaayyyy over most of our budgets for presents but you never know… La Bouche Rouge is a range of luxury and environmentally minded cosmetics that rival everything you’ve ever known about lip care. Makeup packaging is notoriously hard to recycle and is known to have a negative impact on the environment so it’s great to see some brands really trying to break the mould. Entirely plastic free (including microplastics) and refillable (meaning the canvases can be used for life), La Bouche Rouge is a game changer for sustainable cosmetics.

Nudeskin Vegan Bamboo Cleansing Cloths: £26

It’s hard to believe this hard working 3 in 1 makeup removing + skin cleanser + skin softener is made of bamboo and fully sustainable. We all know how bad wipes are for the planet and our sewers, so Nudestix is changing the rules and making sure what’s convenient for us, is also convenient for the environment. These biodegradable wipes are packed with lemongrass give you that scenty punch and work wonders on that festive face.

Wrapping your gifts

There’s no point in having the most incredible sustainable Christmas gifts and then wrapping them up in wrapping paper shrouded in plastic with plastic tape. As well as your mind-blowing gifts, here are some mind-blowing sustainable wrapping tricks to get you even more eco-friendly this Christmas.

Newspaper

For a super cheap and super sustainable option, wrap your gifts in an old newspaper. Purchase a few metallic pens and draw a few spirals or simply write the recipient’s names for a bit of decoration.

Brown paper

Using recyclable paper is the way forward. Get a roll of brown paper and get wrapping. If you’re arty, paint and decorate it yourself. Those personal touches make gifting so much more special.

Reusable wrapping paper

This blew our minds. We found reusable wrapping paper on Etsy (yay for independent creatives) and it’s totally changed our lives. Way cheaper too in the long run.

Gift bags

Wrapping is hard. Yep we said it. Making it neat, tying a nice bow, cutting straight edges and simultaneously holding down paper and faffing around with tape is not the one. Who doesn’t get some stuck on your teeth because who has time to pre-cut tape with scissors? If, like us, you find this a challenge, cheat and use gift bags. Repurpose ones that you have or buy these super cute cloth ones from Etsy.

Recyclable Paper Tape

Did you know you can’t recycle wrapping paper with sticky tape on it? Well, we certainly can’t let a bit of tape get in the way of all your sustainable festive practices. Make sure you get paper tape for wrapping your pressies so your hard work doesn’t go to waste. Hands up if you just want to buy everything for yourself? We know we do. Sustainable and eco-friendly products have come a long way in recent years and have a much more accessible price point for students. What’s also great is that as well as independent shops, household names are also pushing sustainability this Christmas. Sustainability goes further than just shopping, it can also be what's on our plate. If you’re thinking of giving Veganuary a go, why not try a few vegan recipes to get you in the swing of things.

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