May 20, 2021

9 Eco-Friendly Gifts in Australia

The perfect gift idea is highly illusive. Whether it's for friends, family, or the kids, we've all been there. Scouring from shop to shop, looking for that little stroke of inspiration that leads us to a winner. As much as we like to think we always nail gifts, the reality is probably somewhere in between - some hit, and some miss.

But what if you're gifting to person who is environmentally friendly and conscious? Maybe the list of options shrinks. Or, maybe you've just found the promised land of eco-friendly gift ideas. Peep below to explore our recommended range of eco-friendly items which you can bestow upon your friends and fam. 

Table of contents

What to buy for environmentally friendly people

How to spot sustainable products

Sustainable gifts: 9 ideas

Eco-friendly Christmas gifts

Wrapping up (pun intended)

What to buy for environmentally friendly people

Buying gifts for anyone should showcase how much you care about the relationship. Bonus points for making it personalised and showing how much you understand the receivers interests and what they're passionate about.

So, for environmentally friendly people, we think they'd be pretty stoked with an eco friendly product as a gift.

Shock!

No, in all seriousness, there is an abundance of eco friendly products that make for great gifts (just ask our customers).

You just need to know where to look! It's not rocket science.

If a person is environmentally friendly, they're going to love something that complements their principles.They're going to be on board with anything that helps the planet and isn't made from harmful materials such as plastic!

Which brings us to...

How to spot sustainable products

Like with anything related to sustainability and combatting climate change, there's a host of things we can do to be more eco aware, and being conscious of the products we purchase is one of them.

With respect to individual products, whether shopping at your local nan and pop boutique or Big W, there are some simple principles you can follow to ensure you're buying a sustainable product.

• Ask how it is made
• Avoid plastics wherever possible
• Try to avoid excessive packaging or choose packaging that is made from recycled materials such as cardboard
• Focus on products that last longer than their peers
• Consider end of life for the product; is it compostable or recyclable? Or neither?

Check out our ultimate guide to composting, or ultimate guide to recycling in Australia for hot tips on getting a little greener in everyday life.

Sustainable gift ideas

Okay we are coming to the fabled list of sustainable gift ideas for environmentally conscious people.

*Drum roll*

1. Bamboo toothbrush

If the special person is environmentally friendly than there's a good chance they take their oral hygiene just as seriously.

So why not gift a bamboo toothbrush?

In Australia, we throw away 30 million plastic toothbrushes every year that end up either in landfill or worse, polluting our oceans and waterways.

Biodegradable bamboo toothbrushes are vegan and BPA free, delivered to your doorstep in recycled, eco-friendly packaging.

Give the joy of biodegradable, environmentally conscious clean teeth!

2. Bamboo cutlery

Who doesn't love a picnic, right?

How good would it be to enjoy the beauty of nature with friends and not have to throw a bunch of single use plastic items in the bin at the end?

Well say hello to reusable bamboo cutlery!

Bamboo is technically stronger than steel per square inch, so don't worry about snapping a fork with your next meal.

You might even be able to take on a steak.

Compact and lightweight reusable bamboo cutlery is an excellent zero waste alternative to single use plastics.

The bamboo cutlery set is surprisingly durable and can be reused hundreds of times while you're out and about.

If that doesn't have you sold, might we point out that the cutlery is also odour resistant and made from organically crafted bamboo!?

3. Bamboo hair brush

We've all got that one friend that just can't seem to keep their hair together.

Well, with a bamboo hair brush their bad hair days might become a little less common.

Much like the oral hygiene lovers in your life, hair maintenance is serious business for a lot of people.

A bamboo hair brushes give you all benefits that extended bristles do, including easy detangling and reduced hair and scalp stress during blow-drying and styling, as well as shinier hair.

They're picturesque, cruelty free, sustainable, and most importantly, no plastic bristles means way less static!

4. Bamboo hair brush

Water is life. Whether it's for a family initiative, dads birthday, mums birthday, one of the kids or just a friend, you can never go wrong with a sustainable, reusable water bottle.

Find a stylish wooden aesthetic that screams environmentally friendly gift idea!

Digging a little deeper, the bamboo wraps around a double-walled, stainless steel bottle that can keep your drinks cool for up to 8 hours.

What do people say about single-use plastic water bottles? Not much, so get rid of them and give someone the joy of reusable, bamboo insulated drinks instead.

5. Bamboo underwear

Underwear is one of those things that very few of us enjoy buying for ourselves. Which makes them a classic go-to for gifts, because no one is disappointed with new underwear.

But what kind of underwear?

Cotton?

Silk?

Polyester?

They're all fine, but the manufacturing processes involved are not so fine.

We actually wrote a guide on eco-friendly fabrics if you're inclined to read such a piece.

How about giving the gift of silky smooth underwear that is crafted from organic bamboo?

Bamboo underwear caters to both men and women, they're odour resistant and naturally hygienic, delivering the ultimate in both comfort and quality.

So no matter the clientele, we've got a sustainable underwear option that covers every daily routine.

6. Bamboo socks

Just like underwear, socks are the perfect gift idea!

Bamboo socks are organic and impressively versatile.

Ask yourself what the gifts recipient likes to do. If they're environmentally friendly, we'll take a stab and say they enjoy the outdoors!

Perfect, check out our functional range of hiking, sports, and ankle socks. Suitable for any kind of outdoor adventure.

Regardless of whether or not the person spends the majority of their time exercising, working or lounging, we have their feet covered.

And that's before even mentioning that our range of bamboo socks are crazy comfortable, eco-friendly (duh), odour resistant and incredibly hygienic.

Everyone gets socks as a gift at one point or another.Take your sock giving game to the next level and really impress your friends and family!

7. Bamboo bedding

Who doesn't love levelling up their bedroom?

And just like underwear and socks, very few people are disappointed with new bedding as a gift!

What do you get when you combine bamboo with bedding?

The silkiest, softest, and most practical range of bamboo sheets, bamboo quilts, bamboo memory foam pillows, and bamboo mattress toppers and mattress protectors on the block.

We spend one third of our life asleep, so give the gift of a good nights rest the next time you're in the market!

8. Coffee cups

Coffee cups. If water is life, then coffee is love!

It's still amazing to us that the large majority of coffee shops and cafes are using non-recyclable disposable coffee cups.

Reusable coffee cups are a great gifts for caffeine lovers.

They're good for the planet, they're stylish, they keep your coffee warm and they're easy to clean.

9. Toys

We couldn't journal about sustainable gifts without giving the kids their dues.

There's a host of eco-friendly toys that would be perfect gifts for the kids.

Whether it's board games, puzzles, kitchen play sets, soft products, eco-friendly books or something else, you won't have too many issues finding a gift.

And when you give it to them, let them know it's a sustainable product, it might just spark an interest and pave the way for a lifetime of sustainable living!

What should I get for an eco-minded person for Christmas?

Christmas is a wonderful time of year. Family, friends, and all your loved ones come together to share in laughter, reminisce and enjoy the fabled old tradition of giving gifts. It truly is a wonderful time of year, however, it's also one of the worst periods for over-consumptive habits that result in excess waste, and increased landfill.

Christmas is a time for gifts, not trashing our already exhausted planet.

So, when planning your Christmas shopping list this year, remember what makes a product sustainable, and consider the gift ideas mentioned above, because if it's for an eco-warrior, they won't be very impressed with anything single-use plastic!

Wrapping up (pun intended)

So there you have it, everything you should know about finding eco-friendly gifts in Australia.

The next time you need friendly gift ideas for an eco-minded person, remember there's a whole world of ideas that you can sink your teeth into.

We are pretty bias to bamboo but there's some great options which Ecoy doesn't sell out there too! Bonus points if you make your friend or loved one something from scratch. 

Happy gifting!