We know how it is – buying gifts can be tough enough already. Whether it’s Christmas holiday, birthdays, Valentine’s, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or anything else – it can be a moment when our sustainable habits fall by the wayside as our primary concern becomes simply finding something that the other person will appreciate.
But happily, with more ethical and sustainable marketplaces popping up than ever before, it’s never been easier to find sustainable gifts for your girlfriend, family, friends, or anyone else.
Before we get into the list though, here are a few simple principles to make ordering presents more eco-friendly:
- Choose shops that are mindful of the packaging they use: Recyclable, compostable, not packaging a single pen in a giant box (Amazon, we’re looking accusingly at you)
- Buy from local shops: Consider all of the fuel and unnecessary emissions it takes to bring that book from a warehouse in another country to your door, when there’s a perfectly good bookstore a few blocks away.
- Choose fair-trade items: If you think that something seems remarkably cheap for what it is, or how far it’s travelled – then it’s almost certainly because the people who actually made or farmed it are being squeezed far below a living wage by the unscrupulous middle men in the supply chain.
With that in mind, you’re probably eager to get started, so we’ve listed 15 places for you to shop online for sustainable gifts in the UK & Europe, where we’re sure you’ll find something for anybody, regardless of the occasion.
NB: If you’re looking for our US based sustainable online shopping guide, read this.
1. Natural Collection
Natural Collection is the UK’s leading and award-winning green shop offering a department store range of ecologically considered products including organic cotton and fair trade clothing and accessories, gorgeous homeware and gardenware, energy-saving gadgets, organic cosmetics, eco cleaning products and much more.
They check every product so you can purchase in eco confidence. Each item is carefully researched and selected to promote ecological and sustainable manufacturing practices.
Natural Collection support fair trade products in order to help alleviate poverty and to ultimately give poorer communities dignity in the knowledge that their products are selling within a competitive marketplace and not because of charitable or sympathetic patronage.
2. Zwoice
This stylishly curated zero-waste marketplace delivers across Europe and offers compostable packaging, plastic-free products, and a reuse system.
Zwoice are committed to carbon-neutral standards and offer a wide range of products from green brands for men, women, and kids.
Need to find some toys for the kids? We love this wooden double plate cooker and so will the little ones. You’ll also find that the prices are very reasonable – like this beautiful jewellery pouch for just 6 euros.
3. Hakuna Taka
Even whilst shopping online, it’s better to choose online shops in your region to minimise the emissions produced when shipping your order.
If you’re based in France, a great choice is Hakuna Maka. They offer neat zero-waste kits and these bamboo and inox water bottles are a great gift for anyone. The only downside is that the website is in French only.
4. Avocado Store
A great one-stop-shop that offers a variety of items for sustainable living is this German-based Avocado Store where we’re sure you’ll find something for everyone. They’re committed to eco-fashion and sustainable lifestyle items.
5. The Kind Store
This UK-based online shop is devoted to being as responsible as possible. They are a vegan owned and operated business and all the products feature 100% natural ingredients. The packaging on their varied gift box selection is plastic-free and they’re striving to become a zero-waste business.
6. Reuzi
Committed to minimal waste living, Reuzi was created by a mum – Pat Kane – who was overwhelmed with the amount of plastic produced by two adults and one baby. She decided to do something about it. Now, this Irish shop offers a variety of plastic-free products and even gift boxes.Â
7. Sonnengruen
This zero-waste store is located in Austria but offers carbon neutral delivery to most EU countries.
If you’re spending time in Vienna and happen to be looking for a gift for a makeup lover in your life, we recommend you check out this beautiful lip tint burlesque that comes in cardboard packaging.
8. Boobalou
Boobalou is a UK-based store that offers almost anything you can possibly want when starting to live more sustainably – even reusable garbage bag liners. No, we’re not suggesting those as an actual gift! Instead, check out their gift sets.
9. WEARTH London
Plastic-free shopping is a beautiful step we can all take to protect our seas, marine life, and our planet, and Wearth makes it easier. All their items, ranging from makeup to home decor, are plastic-free. They offer numerous gift set options all created by independent UK brands.
We’re sure you’ll be dropping hints about this shaving gift set as soon as you see it. Also, they’re committed to carbon-neutral shipping.
10. The Evolution Shop
The UK is definitely winning the game when it comes to offering the best sustainable online shopping experience. A cool thing you can get on the Evolution Shop is a subscription to eco-friendly care boxes. There’s a variety to choose from and the receiver will get a gift every quarter, not just at Christmas.
11. Ethical Superstore
This store is a place to easily find whatever you’re looking for. You can search products by tags whether it’s Soil Association Organic, Fairtrade Labelled, Vegan, Vegetarian.
They also have handy Gift Guides, where you can find ethical and unique Fairtrade gifts for all occasions.
With hundreds of brands that are Made in the UK, fair trade, eco-friendly, organic, and more, EthicalSuperstore.com offers a variety of gifts and gadgets – but they’re only available in the UK.
12. The Green Labels
For the Scandi fashion lover girl in your life, check out this online store offering a wide range of sustainable clothing brands. Not only do they offer clothes that look really chic, but they all also come with some good karma. You can even find a sweater made of recycled PET bottles on Green Labels.
Shop for clothes that match your values – this fashion marketplace supports vegan, locally sourced, and brands devoted to reducing waste.
13. Weecos
A gorgeously curated one-stop-shop based in Finland, Weecos offers a sustainable version for almost anything you can think of.
You could do all your gift shopping here: They offer clothes, toys, jewellery, and even furniture sourced from small labels that use organic or recycled materials.
14. Green Giving
This marketplace offers varied gift ideas for everyone in your life.
Based in the Netherlands, all Green Giving’s products are sustainable, reusable, free of child labour, and they pride themselves on offering reasonable prices without sacrificing their ethos. They even use energy-neutral offices.
15. The Little Sun
What if you could buy one gift, and make two people happy? Not impossible, thanks to this cool startup that offers solar-powered lamps designed by World-renowned artist Olafur Eliasson.
Little Sun provides clean, reliable and affordable energy to the 1.1 billion people in the world living without electricity, while raising awareness for energy access and climate action around the globe.
Little Sun solar lamps and phone chargers are sold online and in partner stores around the world. With every purchased Little Sun product, they deliver one to someone living off-the-grid at a much lower, locally affordable price. They work with Sub-Saharan local entrepreneurs to create local jobs.
The lamps need 5 hours of charging to provide light for 50 hours of dim light or 4 hours of light on the dimmest setting. A great gift for kids!
16. Fairphone
If gadgets and electronics are something you’re after, but you’re sick of controversies surrounding Apple and Android products, check out this cool startup who offer gadgets and phones from ethically sourced materials.
Fairphone was founded in 2010 in the Netherlands and their phones are made with conflict-free and Fairtrade electronic materials.
Unlike today’s smartphones, Fairphone devices are designed to last a long time and be repaired easily.
The phone’s hardware is made to be durable and it offers modular updates because the longer you own the phone, the smaller the footprint.
Definitely the perfect gift for someone (or yourself!)! Check out their Fairphone 3+ with 48/16MP cameras and 40% recycled plastics.
Looking for Conscious or ethical fashion ideas, or further inspiration for conscious living, visit our Conscious Shopping archive.
Read more tips on how to have a more sustainable Christmas or Holiday season.
