Be it end-of-the-year holidays, birthdays, or anniversaries, the joy of giving makes these occasions all the more special. We all want to see that spark in someone’s eyes when we hit the awesome gift jackpot.
But gifting has its downsides as well. It’s estimated that during the holiday season, the amount of waste produced increases by 25%. That’s a lot of extra plastic, food waste, and other trash that ends up in landfills and harms the environment.
So how can you bring joy not only to your friends and family but to the planet as well?
Revamping our holiday traditions with sustainability in mind could be the answer. Sustainability means mindful use of the planet’s limited resources, including such aspects as:
- Transparent, responsible production to reduce carbon emissions and waste
- Replacing single-use and non-degradable products with long-lasting items
- Choosing slow fashion over fast fashion
- Using eco-friendly, organic materials
- Supporting local businesses, social enterprises, and charities
Here’s a sustainable gift guide to help you create an eco-friendly holiday season.
Table of Contents
Choose responsible production
At Printful, we’re also focusing on sustainability. Although there’s still a long way to go, we’ve made it one of our goals to become more environmentally friendly.
Printful is a made-to-order service—we only make the products that are actually bought. This is a step towards more sustainable fashion production, as nearly 85% of all textiles made by the retail industry ends up in landfills.
Pick eco-friendly materials
Choose gifts made of organic, ethically sourced, and biodegradable materials. Organic cotton farming leaves a lower environmental impact than conventional cotton farming and supports the livelihood of farmers. Biodegradable materials decompose faster and leave no trace on the planet after breaking down.
We also offer products made by Bella+Canvas—a brand known for transparent, eco-conscious manufacturing. They use 7x less water than other retail companies, and use green energy wherever possible. They’ve also perfected their manufacturing to recycle any excess fabric.
Combine eco-friendly materials and production with evergreen designs. A tee used only once is a waste of resources, so make sure your gifts bring added value and feature designs you can wear all year long. Upload pictures, use witty quotes, or add your own artwork to make the gifts more special.
Here are some of the eco-friendly products we offer:
- Large Eco Tote
- Pullover Hoodie | Stanley/Stella
- SOL’S Organic Sweatshirt
- Organic Bucket Hat
- Premium Eco Hoodie
- Organic Ribbed Beanie
- Recycled Swim Trunks
- Recycled Scrunchie
Support social enterprises and charities
To become more responsible towards the planet and your community, choose to do your Christmas shopping from a social enterprise or at a charity sale.
Social enterprises offer much needed support to vulnerable members of the society by providing workplaces and donating. Supporting social businesses and charities is an amazing way of giving back to the community during the holidays.
Each year in my neighborhood, there’s a winter sale organized by a local senior’s home, where you can buy various handmade products, including knitted socks and gloves, jewelry, and culinary goods.
You can search for a similar sale in your community, do your shopping at a social enterprise, or simply donate to a good cause.
Your turn
Now that you’re armed with a whole lot of ideas for an eco-friendly festive season, it’s time to start preparing!
Whether you choose organic, zero waste, experience-based, DIY, or secondhand gifts—do your research well in advance to avoid the holiday rush and enjoy the process of finding the best sustainable gifts for your friends, family, and loved ones.
