17 Best Eco-friendly Gifts from Sustainable Brands
A curated list of unique and sustainable travel gifts for travellers from eco-conscious brands that give back.
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Gift shopping can be hard, right?! Some people are notoriously harder to shop for. Constantly on the go with a limited luggage allowance, travellers can be some of the hardest to buy for of them all.
But fear not, for we have compiled this list of the best eco-friendly gifts to buy travellers for any occasion. Most travellers have a love for exploring the extraordinary planet we live on and an understanding of the need to protect it, so all these picks are from sustainable brands whose missions aim to make the world a better place. We actually own most of the items on this list (and those we don’t yet are on our list for Santa this year!) so you can be assured these are genuine recommendations from fellow travellers who love brands with a focus on sustainability and the environment.
1) A Microfibre Towel
A microfibre towel may not sound that exciting, but let me tell you, Dock & Bay beach towels are no ordinary towels. They’re quick drying, sand resistant, come in a range of snazzy patterns and, because they’re made of microfibre, they’re super compact too! Dock & Bay actually featured on Dragons’ Den (also known as Shark Tank in Australia/USA) in 2017, where they received three investment offers. They’re keen to give back and put a focus on sustainability, donating 5% of their profits to charity. They also have frequent charity collections where a portion of every purchase goes to a specific charity, including WWF, the Whale & Dolphin Conservation and One Tree Planted. Check out their Doing Our Bit collections for more information on their sustainability initiatives.
2) Non-liquid Toiletries
This is a practical suggestion but also a great option for a traveller who prefers hand luggage only. Lifeventure’s toiletry leaves are super compact and a great alternative to liquid toiletries. Their range of soap sheets includes shampoo, shaving, soap and fabric wash leaves and all of their products are British-designed and developed using cutting-edge materials and techniques.
We also love Faith in Nature’s shampoo and conditioner bars, which are naturally derived and cruelty-free, with 100% natural fragrance. The packaging of their shampoo bars, conditioner bars, and soaps is entirely plastic-free and, with their partner Treesisters, they plant a tree for every purchase!
3) A Backpack
Finding the right bag for your travels is HARD. Luckily, we’ve found the best one for you. Cabin Max’s Metz 44L Classic Colour Cabin Backpack is the perfect shape and size. A lot of airlines now have really strict dimensions for hand luggage and will go out of their way to check your bags adhere to their rules, charging you extra if you’re oversized. However, due to Cabin Max’s dimensions, their bags are accepted as hand luggage by all major airline carriers. The zips can be padlocked together, making them more secure than a traditional drawstring backpack, and the front flap unzips the whole way so you don’t need to scrabble through your whole bag to find something. And even better, they have a range of backpacks that are made from recycled plastic bottles too!
4) Packing Cubes
Made from rip-proof material with a mesh panel so you can easily identify your belongings, packing cubes help to keep your luggage organised while fitting perfectly into your backpack. We use the Cabin Max packing cubes as they fit snugly in our backpacks.
5) An Anti-theft Bag
Everyone wants to feel safe when they travel and Pacsafe has the perfect anti-theft carry solutions. They turn plastic bottles and ocean-bound nylon waste, like discarded fishing nets, into a range of super secure, anti-theft bags. Their Daysafe ECONYL Anti-Theft Tech Crossbody is the perfect discreet bag for hiding your valuables on the go. And they donate 1% of their sales towards turtle conservation through their collaboration with the EcosystemImpact Foundation.
6) A Stashy Scrunchie
Stashy Scrunchie is a small online business that started in August 2020. Their handmade, high-quality scrunchies have a little zip in them, meaning you can stash valuables like money or keys in a place no one would think to look! They make for the perfect small gift for a traveller and come in a range of flattering textures and colours.
7) A Sleep Mask
Travellers end up sleeping anywhere and everywhere, from airport floors to hostels to beach cabanas. and a sleep mask can be life-changing for anyone who likes pitch darkness when they sleep. My Panda Life’s Bamboo Eye Mask is vegan, naturally antibacterial, hypoallergenic, highly breathable and is made from 100% sustainably grown bamboo, as well as being certified to Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX. The adjustable strap is super comfortable on the back of the head and great for getting that perfect fit. My Panda Life collaborates with charities around the world to support and protect communities, wildlife and people in need. Their eye masks come in a range of colours and get softer with each wash.
8) A Reusable Water Bottle
A reusable water bottle is one of the smallest but most impactful ways to cut down on plastic use. By switching to a reusable bottle you can save around 150 single-use plastic bottles from use every year!
A slightly pricier filter option is Larq, which not only provides safe, filtered drinking water, but their bottles are self-cleaning too! Using UV-C LED light to eliminate up to 99.9999% of bio-contaminants, Larq water bottles are effective against pollutants like lead, chlorine, mercury, VOCs, cadmium and, particulates. You can shop Larq’s UV water bottles on their website.
This one’s for travellers who might be going to countries with a less reliable water supply. Water-to-Go’s filter water bottles provide safe drinking water wherever you go. Their filters are recyclable and only need replacing every 3 months, while their bottles last a lifetime. They run frequent collaborations with charities and are partnered with Just a Drop.
Read next: The 15 Best Travel Water Bottles in 2024 from Companies That Give Back
9) A Reusable Coffee Cup
When we started travelling it really highlighted how many disposable cups were used by travellers partial to a cup of tea or coffee. Just like a reusable water bottle, a reusable coffee cup is a brilliant gift for eco-conscious travellers. Chilly’s original range keeps you liquid at the temperature it came out of the kettle for hours and their new range has the added bonus of a swivel lid to ensure those dregs don’t leak once you’re done.
10) A Reusable Wine Glass or Flute
The final gift we have to recommend in the reusable drinkware section is Corkcicle’s stemless wine glasses and champagne flutes. Perfect for picnics, these insulated cups keep wine and fizz cold for 9+ hours. If you know someone heading out to the wine regions in Australia, Chile or California, this could be their best gift this year.
11) An Eco-friendly Phone Case
With the recent advancements in mobile technology, almost all of us now carry a semi-professional camera in our pocket. But for travellers, who are constantly on the move, keeping your camera phone safe can be hard. Pela aims to reduce some of the 1 billion plastic phone cases sold every year by creating phone cases from flax shive and a plant-based biopolymer, meaning their cases are biodegradable and compostable. They provide your phone with top-notch protection and also donate a percentage of every sale to The Ocean Cleanup and other preservation initiatives.
12) A Scandi Candle
This one’s for travel lovers who might find themselves travelling a little less than they’d like right now. Bring Scandinavia to you with a Skandinavisk candle (a brand we first discovered in Iceland are are so pleased to see have become more global over the years). Their candles last for ages, smell divine (their Jul candle literally smells like Christmas) and they’re good for the planet too. Their products are vegan, cruelty-free and come in FSC-certified packaging with their plastic coming from plants. They have stopped using palm oil, soy, paraffin, beeswax, virgin plastic vessels and cellophane wrapping, and have never used parabens, phthalates, silicones or microbeads so they’re good for you and the environment. You can find Jul here.
13) Jewellery That Gives Back
The perfect gift for a traveller who wants to keep a piece of home with them is Jewellery. Cape Clasp offers beautiful rings, necklaces, sunglasses, stickers and their iconic rope bracelets made with sterling silver and red bronze, tied with marine grade cord. Each of their designs are partnered with a marine life organisation to which they donate 15% of their profits.
14) A PADI Diving Course
This one’s perfect for a traveller who’s interested in the great big blue. Whether they’re a newbie to diving, or keen to do a more advanced course, PADI has a wide range of qualifications to choose from. And even better, the theory part of their courses can be taken online in advance, leaving more time for diving and exploring when out there.
15) A Spaceships Rental
If you’ve read our article about our experience with Spaceships you’ll know we absolutely love them! The freedom of a campervan in a compact car – the perfect gift for someone who loves a road trip and exploring the outdoors. You can buy gift vouchers from Spaceships UK for 3 or 5 days and Spaceships also have Australian and New Zealand branches too.
16) An Authentic Cooking Class
If the traveller you know is already out there exploring this is a great gift that you can purchase remotely and they can use immediately. A cooking course not only provides so much information about a destination’s food and culture, but it’s also a great way for a traveller to meet new people too. You can search for them on a web browser, or on TripAdvisor where you can also read reviews and see what previous participants have to say. For the most authentic experience, try to find a class that’s hosted by a local.
17) A Yoga Subscription
Adriene Mishler is an American yoga teacher and founder of Yoga With Adriene, which has become a bit of a YouTube phenomenon. In her videos, you are guided through yoga flows for all occasions and times in life. Adrienne is a relaxing and supportive teacher and often joined by her cute dog Benji. She has released a subscription service, Find What Feels Good, which provides access to over 700 videos including yoga and meditation for all levels, as well as monthly membership vlogs from Adriene. This is the perfect gift for travelling yogis, who can access their subscription from any device, anywhere in the world.
Read next:
The 15 Best Travel Water Bottles in 2024 from Companies That Give Back
Let’s Talk About The Plastic Problem
Let’s Talk About Ethical Wildlife Tourism
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