2023 Sustainable Holiday Gifts: 30 Ethical Gifts for Everyone in Every Budget
Sustainable Gift Guide Categories
Updated for 2023 — The ultimate guide to sustainable holiday gifts for everyone on your list. Whether you're looking for eco-friendly Christmas gifts, unique handmade holiday gifts, or conscious stocking stuffers, here are the best ethically-made present ideas for different budgets.
I made sure to recommend handmade products and small businesses whenever possible, from the US, Canada, UK, and elsewhere. Of course, I also curated items from some of my favorite sustainable brands.
Be sure to save/bookmark this holiday gift guide because I'll be updating this post every year with new items. I will also be adding more categories in the future.
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Sustainable Gifts for Her
Mejuri Diamond Pearl Earrings
Dainty earrings featuring conflict-free diamonds, freshwater pearls, and 14K gold from responsible fine jewelry brand Mejuri.
Party Pajama Set with Detachable Feathers
Sleeper's iconic Party PJ set is made of the softest viscose, featuring detachable feather trimmings, elasticated waistband, and mother-of-pearl buttons. Each garment is sewn by expert seamstresses from Sleeper's Kyiv, Ukraine factory with zero-waste production.
Paravel Luggage Set
Sustainable luggage brand Paravel uses recycled materials for 100% of their products. This Weekender Set includes a travel bag made from durable, spill-proof Ecocraft Canvas (recycled post-consumer plastic bottles) and features smart straps that slip over the handle of the carbon-neutral Aviator Carry-On.
RMS Beauty Mini Lip Love Kit
Five mini deluxe Tinted Daily Lip Balms including a new exclusive shade, Paradise Lane, is available as a gift set for a limited time only from clean beauty brand RMS Beauty.
Luisa Calice 3-Piece Glassware Set
This chic, modern glassware set is made in Italy from Swiss borosilicate glass, some of the most resilient glass in the world. It is dishwasher safe.
Sustainable Gifts for Him
Leather Toiletry Bag with Monogram Option
Leatherology's premium leather good focuses on quality instead of name brands. Emboss this double zip toiletry bag with your giftee's initials instead. Their leather products are designed in the USA and produced in their own world-class, state-of-the-art facility in China, which adheres to strict quality standards and ethical manufacturing practices.
Naadam Recycled Cashmere Sweater
You can't go wrong with cashmere as Christmas presents, especially from sustainable cashmere brand Naadam, based in the US. This classic cashmere crewneck sweater is made from a closed-loop recycled cashmere blend. It can be dressed up or down. Matching cashmere jogger pants are also available.
Le Labo Beard Oil
Tame the roughest facial hair with a luxury beard oil that's made in the USA. This plant-based formula is made with sunflower to protect, grapeseed to smooth and jojoba to nourish. It's scented with the classic freshness of bergamot and lavender edged with the coolness of violet and tonka bean.
Monogram Leather Passport Holder
This personalized leather passport wallet/holder is made from full-grain leather, which should get better with age. It has space for a passport, boarding pass, credit cards, and cash. Made by a small business in Canada.
Wooden Chess Set
A gorgeous handmade chess set with natural wood edges, carved by skilled artisans from natural olive wood in Tunisia. They use wood from very old trees that have stopped fruiting and have been replaced with younger productive trees. In collaboration with "Trees for the Future," they now plant a tree with each order. Each chess set can be personalized. This particular chess board has hidden drawers beneath for chess pieces.
Sustainable Unisex Gifts
Waboku Incense Set
Custom Handmade in Japan, this attractively packaged set of premium incense has three extraordinary woody scents from three different Japanese trees. The Hinoki (cypress) is a calm and soothing aroma, the Keyaki (delvoka) is a sweet and exotic scent, uplifting, and the Kusonoki (camphor tree) is uplifting and powerful.
Kobo eReader & Digital Notebook
The Kobo Sage eReader works with the Kobo Stylus pen to be used as a digital notebook. You can also highlight and make comments on your ebooks and documents. Right now, Kobos are the only eReaders in Canada that allows borrowing digital library books, which is why I chose it over Kindle. For those who prefer Kindles, Kindle Scribe is a similar eReader/digital notebook.
Lomi Composter
Lomi helps turn your food waste into healthy soil for your plants. It's designed for home use, especially for those living in small city apartments with limited space. It can sit on your kitchen countertop and is small enough to be stored in your cabinet.
Industrial Pour-Over Coffee Maker
A unique industrial-style coffee dripper with copper and wood. that would look great on any kitchen counter. They are handmade in a small studio in the US with love and care. Each item may vary slightly due to the handmade process. Custom orders can be requested.
The Henrie Adjustable Pillow
An eco-luxury pillow with an organic cotton outer cover and filled with a custom blend of memory foam and all-natural kapok. The fill can be removed to let you find the best support for your neck and sleeping position. Each cover comes with a dust bag to store any excess pillow filling. Henrie is a Canadian company that also ships to the US.
Sustainable Gifts for Babies & Kids
DIY Ornament Advent Calendar
Help your little ones count down to Christmas with this set of 25 ornaments they make themselves. Featuring picture instructions, this kid-friendly set requires no sewing or glue. Bonus games such as a word search, scramble, and more are included on the box for extra entertainment. Made in Michigan.
Personalized ABC Book
A made-to-order book personalized with your child's name and likeness. This alphabet book has 26 possible professions to inspire the little ones as they imagine themselves being anything they wish. Made in Minnesota.
Dim Sum Pretend Play Felt Food
These adorable and realistic-looking dumplings, baos, spring rolls, and egg tarts are made with felt by a Canadian Etsy seller. Perfect for imaginative dim sum or tea time pretend play
eco-kids Face Paint
Eco-Kids creates safe and effective children’s art materials that support the freedom of exploration, the joy of discovery, and the development of non-verbal, visual language. Their professionally formulated palette of 10 colors can be used worry-free on children and adults alike. Recommended for ages 3 and up. See other products from eco-kids.
Customized Family Dolls
Get handmade dolls made to represent each member of the family, pets included. Crafted by an Etsy seller in Spain, each doll is made with high-quality felt and fabrics. If you can't find the family bundle you want, request one and she will make a custom listing for you.
Sustainable Corporate Gifts
Solios Solar-Powered Watch
Solios is a solar-powered watch company with styles for both men and women. A B-Corporation based in Canada, their watches have changeable straps and you never have to worry about changing watch batteries again. I wrote a review of their women's watch. For corporate gifting, they have options for custom packaging and watch engraving.
Leather Wrapped Espresso Cups
Now everyone at the office will have their own espresso cups, personalized with their own name or initials. Custom company logos can also be requested to be printed on the leather. These espresso cups are all handmade in a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania studio using USA-tanned Horween Leather hides, the longest-running tannery in the US.
Gift Boxes
This small business in Newmarket, Canada offers beautifully wrapped gift boxes for special occasions. It can include a special card with your sentiments printed on the inside. They handwrite the recipient's name on the outside of the envelope for a personal touch.
Yeti Tumblers
Yeti's durable and dishwasher-safe tumblers will fit into most cupholders. They're made with kitchen-grade stainless steel, so they're puncture and rust-resistant. Learn about how to customize Yeti tumblers with your company's logo.
Self-Care Kit
Build a custom self-care kit from this Canadian small business. Each sustainable holiday gift set comes with a soap bar, a lotion bar in a metal tin, and a lip balm in an eco-friendly tube. They are all handmade and palm-free.
Check out my curated shop section for more sustainable holiday gift ideas.
Sustainable Stocking Stuffers
Therapy Dough
Modeled after clay used by art therapists, this dough is infused with essential oils for stress relief. Choose from lavender to promote calmness, eucalyptus for relaxation, orange to improve mood, or North Woods Pine, which purportedly supports immune function. Handmade in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Couples Perfect Match Date Night Ideas
This handmade box of "matches" is full of fun date night ideas for couples. Made in-studio by an Etsy seller in Surrey, UK, these boxes are printed on 100% recycled card and contain 20 wooden matches, each printed with unique date ideas.
Amethyst Gua Sha Face Tool
An Allure Best of Beauty Award Winner, this smooth-edged amethyst crystal facial tool works to relieve tension to help depuff and support a firmer-looking complexion.
Cocktail Cards
A deck of high-quality playing cards that features cocktail recipes. This is the ultimate cocktail reference guide that outlines how to make 52 cocktails in a clear and simple way.
Personalized Leather Airpod Case
Handmade in-studio in the UK from sustainably sourced, premium quality British leather, these leather cases are a fun way to store your Airpods. The clasp makes them easy to find and the case can be personalized with initials.
Check out other blog posts for conscious gift ideas or my curated shop section.