20 Best Sustainable Gift Ideas for 2019
Did you know Americans create 25% more waste between Thanksgiving and New Years? Yikes.
This was the year of sustainable, environmentally friendly brands and products. It’s inspiring to see the massive amount of eco-conscious companies popping up and current companies changing to embrace the sustainability wave.
Instead of contributing to the waste, why not gift something that directly works against creating more waste?! Here are a few of my favorite brands and others that I want to feature because I’m excited about what they’re doing!
This post contains affiliate links that earn me a commission. For more information, read my disclaimer.
Home/Kitchen
1. Stasher Bags
Stop using single-use plastic bags for your leftovers! Stasher creates silicone bags that not only store your food, but you can also cook your food in them, too. Fill with snacks or a salad and eat directly from the bag!
Did I mention they’re dishwasher safe? Stasher is a certified B corp and a member of 1% for the planet.
Shop Stasher
2. Reusable Straws
It’s 2019 – the year plastic straws were cancelled. I know many people aren’t a fan of paper straws, which is fair. They are also still a single-use product. My favorite straws are bamboo, but silicone and metal are also great options!
Shop Bamboo | Shop silicone | Shop Metal
3. Yeti Rambler
I have a Seafoam Yeti Rambler and I take it everywhere! You get a discount if you bring it into Starbucks and I’m sure a few other places gives discounts as well. It keeps drinks hot or cold for hours!
It’s perfect for people like me who wait for tea to cool down and then forget about it hours later because it is still warm when I finally remember!
Shop Yeti Ramblers
4. Swell Water Bottle
Water bottles are absolutely needless plastic pollution. Every one should have a nice water bottle they enjoy using!
Swell bottles have a sleek design and are made of stainless steel. It can keep beverages hot for 12 hours and cold for 24 hours! Plus, they say the larger size fits an entire bottle of wine. Just saying.
Shop Swell Bottles
5. Travel Cutlery set
Instead of using the plastic cutlery most take-out places use, bring your own! This brand of cutlery is made of eco-friendly bamboo and looks pretty stylish compared to the ugly plastic ones.
Shop Bamboo Cutlery
6. Grove Collaborative
Hop over to Grove Collaborative to shop from their selection of eco-friendly and sustainable brands – from kitchen to personal care!
They are a monthly subscription service (but you don’t have to subscribe to order!) and carry a wide selection of products that are both natural and good for the planet.
Shop Grove Collaborative
7. Bee’s Wrap
Wrap your fruit, sandwiches, leftovers and more with Bee’s Wrap instead of plastic cling wrap. Sustainably sourced beeswax is coated on organically printed fabric to create this amazing product.
Their packaging is made of 100% recycled paper and a cellulose plastic window. No plastic!
Shop Bee's Wrap
Clothing
8. Girlfriend Collective
This workout apparel brand is not only super cute and comfy, but they’re ALL about sustainability. They make their clothing from things like recycled bottles, cotton scraps, and fishing nets!
It is all ethically made for a wide range of sizes – XXS-6XL to be exact. The Seamless LIGHT High-Rise Leggings are a dream.
Shop Girlfriend
Photo by @sarahheyl via @girlfriend IG
9. Reformation
If you’re looking for a bit more expensive gifts, Reformation is a sustainable clothing company that makes gorgeous clothing. They have denim, swimwear, dresses, and recently created a line of shoes!
Again, they’re pretty pricey but have beautiful apparel.
Shop Reformation
10. Boyish Jeans
I LOVE good pair of jeans. But, denim is one of the most unsustainable pieces of clothing. I always advocate for thrifting denim, but that isn’t ideal for gifting.
Boyish is a sustainable denim company that makes some killer jeans, jackets, dresses, shorts, and more! This is another gift that is on the pricier side, but they do have amazing sales.
Shop Boyish
11. Allbirds Shoes
For the person who loves shoes. Allbirds are sporty and stylish eco-friendly shoes made from Merino Wool. Their process uses 60% less energy than creating shoes from synthetic materials!
Thankfully, the sheep they source the wool from are treated well because Allbirds partners with ZQ Merino which has the highest standards for "farming, land management, and animal welfare.
Apparently I listed all the pricey gifts together, because this is another one!
Shop Allbirds
12. Amour Vert
Amour Vert is a fashion brand that carries more than just clothes. Shop from their sustainable selection of jewelry, shoes, and handbags along with their beautiful clothing.
They use sustainable materials and produce 97% of their products right near their HQ of San Francisco.
Shop Amour Vert
Beauty
13. Lush
One of the first and most well-known beauty brands in the sustainability circle is Lush! Their products are all packaged in eco-friendly materials, made from clean and natural ingredients, and all handmade. You can shop online, but it is best visited in person so you can smell all the smells and touch all of the things.
Bath bombs are a great gift and my personal favorite product – lip scrub!
Shop Lush
14. Credo Beauty
This is your one-stop-shop for all sustainable, natural, and organic beauty brands! Every brand is screened and scrutinized before it can be added to Credo. They have a great selection of brands and products to choose from!
Shop Credo Beauty
15. Love Goodly
Subscription beauty box with cruelty-free, non-toxic, sustainable, and vegan products. You can gift single boxes or gift a subscription to someone! I love the idea of getting someone a few months of a subscription box so they get multiple presents spread out over time.
Shop All Love Goodly
Accessories/Misc.
16. Pela Phone Case
Phone cases aren’t made to last for years and years because each new phone is a different size. Pela cases are biodegradable, so you don’t have to feel guilty about buying a new one with each new phone!
Shop Pela Case
17. Tote Bag
Ecobags has a line of totes made out of 100% recycled cotton! They’re plain, which is perfect if you’re creative and can paint/embroider something on it or use an iron on design.
The best part? Use them as a gift bag! It reduces the wasteful tradition of throw-away gift wrap and doubles as a second gift!
Shop EcoBags
18. WWF Adoption
Symbolically adopt a species in someone’s name. This is such a sweet gift idea for an animal lover! Although you’re symbolically adopting, World Wildlife Fund still sends you a stuffed animal of the species, a photo, adoption certificate, species card, and a gift bag!
That way the recipient still gets a tangible gift while knowing a species was donated to in their name.
Adopt a Species from WWF
19. Zero Waste Kit
For the person who wants to live a more sustainable life but isn’t quite sure where to start. The Zero Waste Store has a variety of kits for different uses. At the time of writing this, the Starter Kit is sold out, but they have a variety of other kits to choose from!
They even carry a few brands mentioned in this list!
Shop Zero Waste Store
20. Plants!
As a plant lover (hoarder), I would be over-the-moon to receive a plant as a gift! There’s something so cool about gifting something that will change and grow overtime. Pair your plant with a cute planter and you’ve got yourself a perfect gift.
Some plants that are easy to care for: Pothos, succulents, air plants, and Spider plants!
One of my favorite people on Instagram has beautiful air plants and handmade planters/Himmeli.
Thanks for shopping sustainable this year! Every small change counts. You don’t have to be perfect, you just have to do your best (and encourage friends and family to do the same!).
