It’s that time of year again. Festive music is playing in stores and Christmas lights are likely popping up in your neighborhood. It can mean only one thing: the holiday season is in full swing. Are your loved ones asking for vegan gifts that are kind to the planet and animals? Or maybe you want to celebrate this special time of year while sticking to your values. So, what’s a conscious shopper to do?
How to Find the Perfect Gift for Everyone
Everyone is their own unique person — so how do you navigate finding the perfect gifts? Consider the giftee and what they like. Do they love coffee? Then they might like a reusable mug or a machine that lets them make their own dairy-free milk. If they love to kick back and relax, then maybe a candle, body cream made with soothing essential oils, bath bombs, and a cozy sustainable shawl to snuggle in. Or maybe they’re more the jet setting type and would appreciate eco-friendly luggage, comfortable shoes, and an overseas vacation experiencing foreign vegan cuisine. Figuring out what’ll make your giftee happy is all just part of the fun.
Sustainable Wrapping Ideas
Gifts disguised in colorful wrapping paper look pretty underneath the Christmas tree, but the impact on the planet isn’t so nice. According to the Atlantic, as much as half of the 85 million tons of paper that Americans use each year is wrapping paper. Wrapping paper and shopping bags generate 4 million tons of trash each year. According to one estimate, Brits throw away the equivalent of 108 million rolls of wrapping paper for Christmas.
What’s more, these throwaway colorful sheets of paper are expensive — Americans spend an estimated $2.6 billion on wrapping paper alone.
But, the good news is that you may already have a sustainable, wallet-friendly alternative in your home. Paper grocery bags can be taken apart and used to wrap gifts — newspapers are another fun option. If you already have colored pencils or markers, decorate your DIY wrapping paper with some festive designs. If you sew, try using fabric scraps. Use old cardboard boxes to make your own gift tags, and tie up boxes with kitchen twine. Save wrapping paper, gift bags, and ribbons from gifts you receive to wrap future presents.
Vegan Holiday Gifts for Her
Keeping those eco-conscious wrapping and shopping tips in mind, here are 18 vegan gifts that are sure to make her (or anyone you know who would love them) smile this holiday season.
1. BKIND
BKIND is a vegan, eco-friendly cosmetics brand that makes natural beauty and home products in Montreal, Quebec. Respect is at the heart of everything the brand does, from ensuring that ingredients are gentle on the body and kind to the planet and animals. Skin and body care ingredients such as shea butter, apricot oil, and hamamelis flower water were carefully chosen to provide the most benefits.
Nail polishes are 10-free, meaning they don’t contain 10 of the most common chemical ingredients in nail polish: toluene, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, ethyl tosylamide, xylene, parabens, animal by-products, and fragrance. BKIND also offers natural products for the home, such as linen spray, laundry detergent, and hand soap.
For those looking to reduce the amount of plastic in their life, there are bamboo toothbrushes, hairbrushes, and soap dishes. Nearly everything is also offered in bulk and everything is shipped in recyclable or compostable packaging.
BKIND was founded by Marilyne Bouchard in 2014 after she realized that standard beauty products did not suit her skin. Leveraging her master’s degree and passion for natural cosmetics, she turned to making products that work for her and others with sensitive skin.
BKIND also always has animals at heart. Two percent of sales are donated to a different animal shelter every year.
Check it out here.
2. A Cozy, Eco-Friendly Vegan Duvet
Give your loved one something to snuggle up in. The Botanical Duvet from John Lewis & Partners is vegan, eco-friendly, and biodegradable. Handmade in Devon, England, this cozy comforter is made from tencel lyocell, a natural material derived from sustainable wood sources that’s soft, breathable, and regulates temperature naturally. It comes in a variety of sizes, including Single, Double, King, and Super King in both in both lightweight 2.5 and 4.5 tog.
Check it out here.
3. Sustainable, Feather-Free Pillow
Forget feathers. This vegan pillow from Avocado Green Mattress is vegan and made from eco-friendly materials. It’s made from Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS) organic certified latex, which is upcycled from the same latex used in the brand’s mattresses. Instead of feathers, it’s filled with GOTS organic certified kapok fiber, tree-derived fiber that’s silky to the touch and fluffy like cotton. It’s hypoallergenic, sustainable, biodegradable, and grown pesticide-free.
Check it out here.
4. A Vegan Candle
Brighten someone’s day with a vegan candle. UK-based brand Haze makes candles with soy wax and real essential oils. The Christmas scent, Winter Mist, is a festive blend of orange, cinnamon, clove, and cedarwood. The brand describes it as “a warm winter breeze in your room.”
Check it out here.
5. CBD Bath Bombs
Give the gift of relaxation. This bath bomb set from Kush Queen is infused with hemp-derived CBD oil sourced from a farm located in the Pacific Northwest. It features five scents for every mood — Awaken for Energy, Sleep for Rest, Relieve for Pain, Relax for Mood, and Love for Passion. Each bath bomb is made with organic essential oils and CBD to create effect-specific full-body experiences. For example, Awaken for Energy contains rejuvenating peppermint oil while Relax for Mood features lavender, chamomile, and frankincense.
Check it out here.
6. Hemp Shawl
This hemp shawl from Amsterdam-based brand Hemp Hoodlamb is perfect for cozying up indoors with a cup of tea. True to the brand’s sustainable ethos, it’s made from hemp and OSC organic cotton.
Check it out here.
7. Wool-Free Socks
Socks have a bad rep as the boring gift. These wool-free socks from Bombas are anything but boring! They were specially developed for hiking, featuring Hex Tec cushioning for maximum comfort. Thermoregulating ventilation and moisture-wicking fabric keep the feet dry and comfortable all year round.
Check it out here.
8. Stella McCartney Boots
British designer Stella McCartney teamed up with Hunter to create a sustainable and fashionable rubber boot. These vegan boots are made from natural rubber sourced from sustainably managed forests in Guatemala, meaning no rainforests were culled in the making. Stella McCarney also ensures that the workers and the local community are treated with respect, so there’s no harm to humans, either.
Check it out here.
9. Eco-Friendly Sneakers
Made in collaboration with American fashion designer Rick Owns, these running shoes by VEJA are completely free from animal materials. The upper features V-Knit, a sustainable textile made from 100 percent recycled water bottles. The mid-sole is made from sugarcane, rice waste, and banana oil. The outsole and insole use wild rubber, recycled bottles, and recycled EVA, a soft, rubber-like polymer.
Check it out here.
10. Classic Vegan Boots
Docs never go out of style. With six eyes, the Vegan 101 boot in Cherry Red sits lower on the ankle, but still has that classic Dr. Martens silhouette. These durable boots are 100 percent vegan and great for work or long days. The signature AirWare sole cushioning will keep your feet happy for hours.
Check it out here.
11. Vegan Leather Watch
A minimal wristwatch that goes with anything. This petite timekeeper from Votch features a vegan leather strap that can also be swapped out for any of the brand’s other straps. It arrives in an eco-friendly pouch and it’s waterproof, so no there’s stress over getting caught in the rain.
Check it out here.
12. The Telfar Bag
The Telfar bag has been causing a stir in the fashion world thanks to its uncanny ability to go with every outfit — it was even nominated for Accessory Designer of the Year at this year’s Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards. The medium-sized Shopping Bag is made from vegan leather and features a double-strap so you can wear it over your shoulder or carry it by hand and a secret compartment. It’s big enough to hold a laptop and your daily necessities.
Check it out here.
13. Vegan Leather Backpack
The COLTON backpack in rose gold is the perfect size to carry your daily necessities and keep your hands free. It features a 13-inch padded laptop pocket, a separate zipper pocket, a phone pocket, and a zip closure. It’s made from vegan leather and is lined with 100 percent recycled nylon.
Check it out here.
14. The Almond Cow
Make your own vegan milk with the touch of a button. The Almond Cow lets you make any nut, seed, or grain into homemade plant-based milk. No straining required — the machine automatically separates the pulp from the milk, making cleanup easy.
Check it out here.
15. Soma Brew Bottle
Take your coffee on the go with the Soma Brew Bottle. This double-walled glass bottle features a stainless steel filter that lets you brew hot or cold coffee right in the bottle and while the sturdy cap prevents spills.
Check it out here.
16. Sustainable Luggage
Samsonite’s Eco-Nu range of luggage was made to last. All fabrics — including the lining — are made from post-consumer plastic bottles. It features a unique wrap-around frame design that’s lightweight and strong and a Saguaro™ Wheel System designed for high performance.
Check it out here.
17. Volunteer With Wildlife Conservation in Thailand
Spend some time in the winter months soaking up the sun in Thailand and volunteering your time to helping rescued gibbons. The Gibbon Rehabilitation Project, part of the Wild Animal Rescue Foundation of Thailand (WARF), helped reintroduce gibbons to the wild when they were nearly poached to extinction 40 years ago. The trip-goer will learn about the sanctuary’s mission, learn about gibbon research, and observe them in their natural habitat while listening to rescue stories in the jungles of Phuket. All of the proceeds to toward helping WARF continue to helping animals.
Earlier this year, Airbnb rolled out new guidelines for all tours involving animals. The tour operator now works work World Animal Protection to ensure that all Animal Experiences are kind to other living beings.
Check it out here.
18. Vegan Vacation to Bali
Veg out in Bali. This 12-night trip to the Indonesian island takes you across the island and all the way to Java. On the way, you’ll experience beautiful beaches, learn some of the local language, and experience the culture. It involves a vegan cooking lesson, a trip to a traditional rice field, a snorkeling class, visits to local temples, and an introduction to the Coral Restoration Project. Accommodations include 12 nights in hotels across the island and 33 vegan meals.
Check it out here.
This is a sponsored post.
