We’ve all been there — someone means the world to you, but you don’t know what possibly to give them to convey your love. You stress about it for weeks and ultimately settle on something you’re not totally excited about. I know that feeling, and I’m trying to avoid it with some thoughtful and sustainable gifts for people who have everything. These eco-friendly gifts for the 2021 holiday season are sure to help you find the best for everyone on your list, whether it’s someone who is notoriously hard to shop for or someone who deserves the world.
This post is part of my partnership with Simple Switch, an online marketplace for sustainable and ethical goods. I’ve written about them here, and am absolutely obsessed with their mission and founder. If you use the code “girlsloveevidence” on their site, you can get 10% off of any of these gifts. Seriously, y’all, this company is a lifesaver — they put so much work into making sure that every product they sell is made with ethical labor practices and good for the environment. Simple Switch makes finding eco-friendly gifts easier!
1) Wooden Succulent Planter
I love getting flowers, but getting plants is truly my love language, y’all. These succulent planters can be customized with engraved names or logos, making them an easily personalizable gift.
2) ‘Soup’er Comforting Gift Set
This is the perfect wintertime gift for someone who loves to cook. This set comes with a microwave bowl cozy, heatable trivet, laurel wood ladle, and laurel wood tasting spoon. No excess plastic means no burnt plastic ladles sitting in a landfill, and your gift employs Guatemalan artisans.
It might be a bit of a snooze, but everyone needs napkins. These beautiful ones are great for having company over or a bit of a “nicer” dinner, as well as adding into the weekly rotation to reduce unnecessary waste.
4) One Ocean One Love 16 oz. Tumbler
If you know someone who is a bit of a pottymouth… this is the gift for them. These tumblers are stackable (!!) meaning they won’t take up excess space in a cabinet, and work for both hot and cold drinks.
5) Personalized Pocket Notebook
While many of us use our digital devices more and more these days, having a notebook to jot down everything from the grocery list to our thoughts is still so necessary! This one is also personalizable with name or logo engraving.
6) Wildflower Seed Greeting Cards
Ok y’all, these cards are so cool. If someone is a big stationary fiend, they will absolutely love these greeting cards that have wildflower seeds embedded into the paper. Rather than throw away the card after you’re done looking at it, these cards can be planted!
7) Mila Organic Fleece Coat
I love a comfy sweater, and this one is excellent either as a housecoat or a fleece for running a quick errand. The best part of this gift? It helps provide a secure job with fair wages and a positive working environment to artisans in India and in the United States.
8) Solar-Powered Charger
If someone on your list spends lots of time off the grid (or is frequently finding themselves with a dead phone), this solar-powered charging bank is less than a pound and can charge a phone 3-4 times.
9) Everything Basket
This jute and seagrass basket can work as a picnic basket, kitchen organizer, or “junk bin”. I love gifts that have multiple uses, as I think it allows the person who received it to have some choice about their gift. If you’re feeling like filling it with wine, snacks, cookies, whatever, this gift only gets better.
10) Hand Carved Mini Serving Boards
Everyone knows I love an insta-worthy charcuterie board. This one is hand carved and polished with beeswax, making it great for a dinner party or just a bougie snack.
11) Antalya Unisex Bathrobe – Turquoise
Often, the “person who has everything” isn’t great all that great at taking time to relax and take care of themselves. Encourage the person who has everything to take the morning off and hang out in their robe with this beautiful item! This robe is so beautiful and dries much faster than traditional fluffy robes while still being incredibly soft.
12) Solar-Powered Task Light
Whether you know a late-night reader or someone who wants a portable light for crafts, this solar task light is one of my favorite eco-friendly gifts. Leaving it in the sun during the daytime gets you 8 hours of light, and they’ll never need to worry about changing out batteries.
13) Dopp Kit in Camel
A good toiletry bag is essential, and I’m pretty sure I could never have too many small bags to organize the various items around my house. Even if someone has already found the toiletry bag of their dreams, they can use this for pens/pencils, kitchen tools, makeup, Scrabble pieces, literally anything! Although the outside of this bag is leather, the inside is lined with a waterproof liner, so spills won’t ruin it.
14) Chunky Chevron Throw
It measures 94″x70″, meaning it is large enough for a queen-size bed, but is probably best used as a throw on the couch for chilly months. I’m a firm believer that you can never be too cozy, and I absolutely love receiving gifts like this. I’m also obsessed with the pattern- ethical and sustainable gifts don’t have to be boring!
15) Pals Socks
I hesitated putting these on here because they are pretty ridiculous, but I think one of the best ways to give a gift to someone who has everything is to get them something that they would never buy themselves, but can still use! While these are ridiculous, they’re also tons of fun. You can know that your gift is useful, but still in the spirit of giving and bringing joy to others.
What’s the best ethical and sustainable gift you’ve given?
These sustainable gifts for people who have everything are just a few of my favorite things this year! Eco-friendly gifts don’t have to be boring nor do they need to be the same recycled-bag-reusable-straw-bamboo-whatever that usually show up when you look for sustainable gifts.
For other fantastic ethical gifts- check out last year’s “Ethical Shopping Gift Guide” for a few more of my favorites.