Christmas gifts that won’t hurt the planet!
Last year a national survey discovered that an estimated $400 million was spent on 10 million unwanted gifts. That is the risk of making gift-giving a tradition, the dark side of large marketing budgets from big companies. Honestly answer this : how many gifts did you end up throwing away? How many layers of packaging go into the bin on Christmas day? I think we are guilty of wastage in both areas. But becoming aware of the issue at hand is a great starting point. Because now we can together make a change to our gifting habits.
Why do gifts end up in landfill? Among the top gifts that end up in landfill are novelty items, pyjamas, socks, candles, pamper products, and underwear. Whoops! Of course people have their own reasons for discarding gifts, but the general consensus is that we don’t need more of those items. The safest way to know what to give to someone is to know them, perhaps even ask them directly. But that’s not always possible. A lot of gifts are given as a formality and it’s just convenient to go for those fit-all gifts. Yet at what cost?
Don’t forget that gifts came with baggage too! They are wrapped with packaging and because it’s Christmas time, they’re usually extra festive. We’re not against celebrating Christmas, but we think there are better ways to do it. Why not start simple by using sustainable or even recycled packaging?
Okay, we’ve talked about the issues. What are the solutions? What gifts should we be giving this Christmas? You may roll your eyes at us if we say, Kayu and Co. products, hear us out! We recommend our products because we take these problems into consideration when preparing our special Christmas gifts. And hey, if our products are not for you, no worries! We’ll throw in some other recommendations at the end of the article too :)
In our CocoNuts Christmas Hampers, we are bundling a vegetable brush, coco brush and wooden ball set that are not only unique but also useful. Taking into consideration sustainable materials, utility, and aesthetics, we are using a bamboo basket to pack them neatly together. Besides the fact that bamboo is a very sustainable material, bamboo baskets can also easily be reused. A quick idea is to use them as a fruit basket - with their pretty aesthetics they add a natural touch to your home. Shop our meaningful and personalized hampers here!
Our own products aside, our team also has a few go-to eco-friendly gifts like adopting a tree for someone (https://donate.wwf.org.au/adopt/tree), paying for their netflix or skillshare membership, painting or pottery kits, or a handmade scrapbook of your year with them. Or food! You can’t go wrong with food.
Now, one of the best ways to give gifts that matter is to take time preparing them. Don’t wait until 4pm on Christmas Eve to rush into Kmart for last minute gifts, take time to look around your local shops and small business to see what they can offer. Plus, you can avoid the end of year rush and nightmarish delivery services.
Be excited, gift giving should be fun because it is a chance to show your love and support a small business this Christmas!