Ten eco-friendly Christmas gift ideas from independent businesses

Christmas can be difficult if you’re looking to gift sustainably this year and support small independent businesses.  

To make life a little easier for eco-conscious shoppers, Checklist have rounded up 10 gift ideas that help small businesses grow.

1. Three Body Soap Gift Set by Superfly

This eco-friendly, plant-based and luxurious soap trio is perfect for hands and body. All of the fragrances are inspired by food – with each smelling good enough to eat.

Each gift box contains three body soaps in wood pulp wrappers, a gift tag and an optional travel tin.

Choose from any of the fantastic soap scents including Mango, Avocado and Banana, Café Mocha and more. Everything is plastic-free and vegan.

Find out more at superflysoap.com

2. Alcohol gift box by Wildjac

You can never go wrong with a boozy Christmas gift and this one from eco-distillery Wildjac not only tastes great, but it also ticks lots of sustainability boxes too.

This gift set is perfect for those wanting to treat that special someone to a taster of award-winning sustainable spirits. Featuring five ‘minis’ from the award-winning range, you can choose from eight different spirits to create a bespoke gift. The available spirits include Honey Spiced Rum, Fresh Citrus Vodka, Apple & Elderberry gin.

Each branded box is fully recyclable and can be personalised.  Also included is a QR code where tasting notes, serve suggestions and the option to claim a free wildflower grow set can be found.  

Find out more at wildjac.co.uk

3. Assorted box of three mini Smell the World candles

Candle lovers will be over the moon with these mini-candles hand-poured in the kitchen of Smell The World.

Featuring three specially created winter scents, choose from: Peace, Love and Joy, Cosy Nights, Wild Wood or Smoke House. You can also choose which from white, red or grey jars, creating the perfect personalised gift for your recipient.

Handmade using 100% soy wax and natural oils, these mini candles can transform any room. Shipped in recyclable packaging, the jars can also be re-used as mini plant pots or tea light holders.

Find out more at smelltheworld.co.uk

4. London Gin School experience by 58 Gin

If you’re looking to surprise a loved one with an experience this year, eco-distillery 58 Gin has you covered with its London Gin School gift vouchers.

Each gift voucher will provide access to an unforgettable three-hour immersive gin masterclass. Your loved one will craft, distil, and wax seal their own gin in a mini copper still, leaving with their own spirited creation.

The gin masterclass also includes four signature 58 Gin cocktails per person, food, a gin tasting session, a lesson on London’s deep, dark history of gin and an amazing goodie bag to take away.

Find out more at 58gin.com

5. ‘Save the Pandas’ Adult Bamboo Socks

It wouldn’t be Christmas without a pair of socks, however, these aren’t your average set. Save the Pandas donate 10% of profits from all purchases to Panda International.

Made by Bare Kind, these socks are made from sustainably sourced OEKO-TEX bamboo and nontoxic dyes.

The socks are shipped over by land where possible, minimising carbon dioxide production and they’re working towards offsetting all their past emissions.

Bamboo is becoming a popular fabric choice. It grows faster and has larger yields than standard sources for fibres, and has incredibly soft, moisture-wicking and anti-bacterial features.

Find out more at theecofriendlylivingco.co.uk

6. Carbon-negative Discovery Gin

This gin not only tastes amazing but its production is having a positive impact on the environment. Discovery Gin has been created in collaboration with small Yorkshire based distillery Cooper King and the Natural History Museum.

For every 70cl bottle, innovatively cold-distilled in small batches using 100% renewable energy, one kilogramme of carbon dioxide equivalent is removed from the atmosphere. The team also plant one square metre of English woodland through the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust.

Created using fresh basil with fragrant lemongrass and aromatic clove, this bright, herbaceous gin will make the perfect sustainable tipple.

Find out more at nhmhop.co.uk

7. Children’s wooden plates

The perfect gift for babies and toddlers, these eco-friendly wooden plates will make mealtimes fun and interactive.

Made by The Wood Life Project, and available via the Eco Friendly Living Company, these plates are completely plastic-free.

They are 100% chemical-free and every plate is naturally anti-bacterial and anti-microbial. Choose from a rabbit, bear or limited-edition reindeer.

Find out more at theecofriendlylivingco.co.uk

8. Luxury Skincare Gift Bundle from Superfly Soap

This is the perfect gift set for luxury skincare lovers who are looking to switch to vegan and eco-friendly alternatives. It features a range of high-performance, luxury cosmetics.

All products in the range are vegan, made from natural ingredients and handcrafted in Scotland by Superfly Soap owner Lisa McWatt. Why not swerve the big beauty brands this year and support a small business?

The bundle includes their Protect Day Cream, Nourish Night Cream, Regenerate Face Oil and much more.

You can also add a Balance Cleanser, Strengthen Hair Oil or one of Superfly Soap’s Facial Bars to the package. Each gift box comes with a gift card, shredded paper and recyclable packaging.

Find out more at superflysoap.com

9. Handmade scrunchies

Scrunchies may have been popular back in the 80s and 90s but they are back with a vengeance.

These hand-sewn accessories by sustainable fashion brand Wildstrings could provide the ideal eco-friendly stocking filler.

Made using offcuts of fabric, this hair accessory is both stylish, eco-friendly and completely unique. With the fashion industry’s impact on climate change, buying from small businesses helps grassroots designers striving to change the industry.

Find out more at wearwildstrings.co.uk

10. Hand-painted Kimonos by Avalana

An extra special gift for a stylish loved one, these exquisite hand-painted kimonos are made to order in the UK.

With nine beautiful nature-inspired designs to choose from, this is a truly unique and stand-out gift. Each design is digitally printed onto beautifully soft and breathable fabric.

Because every piece is handmade to order there is no over-production. You will also be supporting an independent designer, who painstakingly hand-paints every one of her designs.

Find out more at avalanadesign.co.uk

To see your company in any upcoming features we are arranging please email laura@hurstmediacompany.co.uk or editorial@hurstmediacompany.co.uk