Eco Riffs Of Your Favorite Things To Start 2023 On A Clean Note
If things were made simpler, many more would be going with eco-conscious choices. Though, understandably, it’s not easy to stick to new habits when the options you’re presented with are less appealing and take the convenience out of your day-to-day life.
Thankfully, recent years have seen a blossoming of creativity and innovation in the world of sustainable design. Some of those products—as you may discover later—could even be niftier than their “regular” counterparts. Here, we’ve gathered 15 earth-friendly gift ideas that don’t skimp on style and function—perfect for both treehuggers and those who wish to take the first step but aren’t sure where to start.
From sugarcane bras to solar-powered cameras and bamboo-fiber tech candy, here’s proof that nature’s gifts contribute to make some of the best presents.
1. Casetify Ultra Compostable Bamboo Fiber Case: A stylish tech accessory for every taste that protects both their phone and the earth
Image via Casetify
Image via Casetify
Images via Casetify
There’s a belief that when you go down the eco-friendly route, your aesthetic choices will be limited, and Casetify’s 100% biodegradable phone cases defy that. Not only are they customizable and arrive in all kinds of artwork by a roster of brands and creatives, but they also push the limits when it comes to sustainability, thanks to their extreme durability. With military-grade protection, the virgin plastic-free covers are able to survive drops of up to 6.6 feet. The tech candy is incredibly functional too—it’s worth pointing out that it works well with wireless charging.
Made of a unique plant-based blend of bamboo, starch, and biopolymers, the stylish cases are designed to fully break down into carbon dioxide and water in soil at their end of life when placed in the right conditions. A sweet touch is the array of small specks that are really bamboo particles, which amp up the sturdiness of the cases by a smidge and give them texture. Environmentally-friendly ink gives them their vibrant colors.
The bamboo fiber accessories are shipped in 100% recycled paper packaging. Casetify also provides recycling or composting service when customers in the US or Hong Kong return their cases, which entitles them to shopping credits. Best of all, for every compostable case purchased, a new tree is planted.
2. ScenesOne Solar-Powered Camera: A long-lasting, outdoor-friendly camera that keeps going for months thanks to the sun
Image via ScenesOne
Image via ScenesOne
Image via ScenesOne
This state-of-the-art security camera is wireless and promises an impressive range of over 5,400 square feet—all while using very little power. Its Wi-Fi HaLow IEEE 802.11ah support enables it to deeply penetrate walls yet yield ultra-clear, 1080p HD images as well as enable two-way audio.
The ScenesOne camera can continuously run for three to six months on a single charge, and its battery is also compatible with solar panels. Being waterproof, it can weather the elements if you choose to install it outside your home.
3. Kindly Yours Intimates: Tree-hugging boob snugglers with the world’s first plant-based bra cups
Images via Kindly Yours
Image via Kindly Yours
Image via Kindly Yours
Yep, these cute bras offer ample support for the earth—it’s about time Mother Nature had her modesty revered too. They’re the first in the world to feature plant-based cups, with sugarcane being their star component.
Kindly’s bras are over 70% plant-based and are constructed from 75% recycled materials. Importantly, they’re also kind on the wallet.
4. Samsonite Maxsum Eco Carry-On Spinner: An ultra-light, durable, and secure suitcase crafted from yogurt and ice cream cups
Image via Samsonite
Image via Samsonite
Image via Samsonite
What do froyo and this Samsonite suitcase have in common? Well, they’re both (somewhat) held in polypropylene cups and are easy on the eyes.
Until emissions-free travel enters the mainstream, globetrotters can scoop away some of their carbon footprints with luggage composed of recycled yogurt cups and ice cream containers (for the shell), and repurposed PET bottles (for the interior lining).
Despite being built from post-consumer waste, this lightweight and robust suitcase’s functionality is still held to high standards. It has a TSA-approved three-point lock system and boasts a multi-stage handle system.
5. Microsoft Ocean Plastic Mouse: A computer mouse that will shore-ly make their workspace greener
Image via Microsoft
Image via Microsoft
Image via Microsoft
Now, this is a computer mouse that the eco-conscious can click with. Microsoft’s Ocean Plastic Mouse, as its name indicates, is made out of plastic that’s been picked up from oceans and waterways. It also comes in a 100% recyclable box consisting of reclaimed wood and sugarcane fibers.
To create the mouse, pellets of post-consumer waste are mixed into a composition of materials, of which 20% is made up of ocean plastic (the rest ensures it is sturdy and long-lasting). The gadget connects wirelessly to a Windows laptop via Bluetooth, and it even brings the waves to desktop users with an exclusive ocean-inspired theme pack. A single AA battery gives up to a year of uninterrupted use.
Bonus: Microsoft offers up a free mail-in program where you can send in an old mouse to be properly processed at a recycling center.
6. Reusable Cotton Swabs Set: Versatile makeup essentials that wipe up excess single-use swabs from entering landfills
Image via Haribason
Image via Haribason
Image via Haribason
How many cotton swabs have you gone through in your life? Now, you’ll only need these. This handy set contains two four-in-one portable silicone sticks, giving eight pieces for makeup mishaps, touch-ups, and even for cleaning ears. After being washed, they can be reused thousands of times.
The swabs are made from medical silicone and are soft and flexible. Made for travel, each kit comes in a lightweight box with a mirror.
7. Weekend at the Taj Mahal Tea Gift Set: Ethical tea blends that transport them to a luxurious breakfast in India
Image via Vahdam
Image via Vahdam
Image via Vahdam
As they say, you can experience a lot about one’s culture from its flavors. This delectable set from a fourth-generation tea entrepreneur unites eight of them: It invites drinkers to take a sip of South Asia with a variety consisting of turmeric spiced herbal tea, ginger masala chai, classic masala chai, fennel spice masala chai, saffron masala chai, sweet cinnamon masala chai, assam summer black tea, and Darjeeling summer black tea.
Vahdam, its India-based tea manufacturer, sources directly from local tea gardens to ensure its farmers are paid fairly. It also offsets its footprint by partnering with sustainability initiatives in the nation to achieve carbon- and plastic-neutrality.
1% of the revenue made from the fair-trade teas will be dedicated to the education for tea growers’ children so they can lead more comfortable lives in the future.
8. Reusable K-Cups for Keurigs: Refillable coffee pods for a perk-me-up or two, or three, or more
Image via Feelglad
Image via Feelglad
Image via Feelglad
One for the java addicts, this reusable K-Cup 12-pack is compatible with most Keurig 1.0 and 2.0 brewers, so you can have your coffee and drink it too—repeatedly.
The refillable filters can be topped up with your favorite coffee grounds for the most enjoyable experience, and the micro-mesh in them keeps all that caffeinated goodness within. The cups are also dishwasher-safe, so cleanup is a breeze.
9. KeySmart CleanTray Charge: For the cleanliness freak who takes immaculate care to keep their belongings as-new
Image via KeySmart
Image via KeySmart
Image via KeySmart
This wireless charging tray isn’t just free of toxic chemicals, mercury, or paper waste, but it also sterilizes your phone, keys, and other small belongings in only five minutes. Taking good care of your devices slows down the process of them being tossed away as e-waste.
The charging station is built with UVC light to kill 99.9% of bacteria, with a disinfecting lifespan of up to 10,000 hours. Besides providing a deep cleanse, it has a secret aromatherapy feature too: A few drops of essential oils into the tray infuse your items with your favorite relaxing scents.
10. Shinola Detroit’s The Sea Creatures Watch: A charming, sea critter-inspired timepiece of ocean-bound plastic that will likely make a splash
Image via Shinola Detroit
Image via Shinola Detroit
Image via Shinola Detroit
This 40mm stainless-steel sportswatch by Shinola Detroit will keep your daily look afloat with its aquatic textures, rippled-wave bezel, and even hands and indices that mimic the glow of blue bioluminescent bays. Most noteworthy of all is that it’s crafted out of yarn spun from ocean-bound plastic—that is, plastic nearly entering water bodies—the very same material that threatens creatures of the deep sea.
Besides paying homage to the organic forms and hues of ocean critters, the Sea Creatures Watch’s submarine hatch-like case and its strap are made from 100% ocean-bound plastic, aptly creating a way to repurpose single-use waste. With a water rating of 10 ATM, you could even swim alongside the real creatures that have inspired the watch.
As with all Shinola watches, this one also comes in a premium wood box designed to be passed down from generation to generation.
11. Levi’s WellThread Jeans: Not your grandma’s jeans, though they could be passed down to your grandkids
Image via Levi’s
Images via Levi’s
It’s no secret that jeans get better the more seasoned they are. Levi’s takes this concept and spins it into its most sustainably-designed collection yet. Its WellThread denim pieces are low-impact, being made from 100% organic cotton (and therefore are pesticide-free) and dyed in plant-based ingredients, and are envisioned to be worn and kept for years to come. Fast fashion, who?
The garments draw upon vintage silhouettes, ensuring the styles remain timeless should you hand them down. Although durability is stitched into these jeans, they’re also 100% recyclable for those who decide to let them go. Levi’s is so proud of its WellThread collection, it’s basing its learnings from the series to inform the development of all its future jeans.
12. Dr Martens Vegan 1460 Felix Lace-Up Boots: The same underground punk-esque classics sans the animal leather
Images via Dr Martens
Image via Dr Martens
Image via Dr Martens
These boots are made for walking without guilt. They look like the classic eight-eye 1460 Dr Martens and even glisten like them—the only difference is that they’re 100% vegan. This is made possible with a high-shine, cruelty-free ‘Felix Rub Off’ material, which has a subtle finish with a luxe feel.
Of course, they’re not Doc Martens without the signature yellow stitching, yellow heel-loop, grooved sides, or the iconic air-cushioned, anti-slip sole. The footwear has all of those qualities.
13. Natural Dyeing: Transform Cloth Using Food Dyes with The Dogwood Dyer Online Workshop—Try your hand at Dye-I-Y with ingredients you already have in your fridge
Image via Skillshare
Image via Skillshare
Image via Skillshare
Have some leftover vegetables you won’t be able to finish this week? It’s time for some arts and crafts. In this cool Skillshare course, artist Liz Spencer—AKA The Dogwood Dyer—shows how food waste can be mixed with naturally-occurring minerals like iron and aluminum to color outfits just like how people did it in the past.
Throughout the workshop, you’ll pick up traditional shibori surface design techniques, learn how to attain the most vivid yet long-lasting organic pigments, and even find out how to cover up ugly stains with DIY, kitchen-safe dyes.
A hands-on segment invites participants to upcycle their unwanted clothing into things they’d actually use with food dyes they’ve prepared. Color us intrigued—don’t you love it when a lesson is actually applicable in real life?
14. Elegoo Plant-Based 3D Printer Resin: For modern toymakers and tinkerers with a purpose
Image via Elegoo
Image via Elegoo
3D printing seems to be a subject of awe for people of all walks of life—your neighbor is doing it, and even the astronauts are embracing it to help build colonies in space. If you’re going to start dabbling in the game too, why not do so on an eco-friendly note? This rapid UV-curing plant-based resin by Elegoo is primarily made from soybeans, while still guaranteeing high precision in models.
The material, which is also BPA-free and has an ultra-low odor, is compatible with most resin and LCD MSLA 3D printers. Who needs Santa’s workshop? Anything from “board game miniatures to industrial components” is within reach on your table, any time of the year.
15. EcoTools Interchangeables Total Face Makeup Brush Kit: Multipurpose, cruelty-free brushes designed with the light packer in mind
Image via EcoTools
Image via EcoTools
Image via EcoTools
Beauty enthusiasts will know you’ll need a brush for everything—from contours to eyeshadows and blush. On the downside, it’s not possible to carry these accessories all the time.
Except it is. This clever makeup set consists of five swappable brush heads and only two handles—all held in a compact tin—to add sparkle to your travel game. The multipurpose tools are also made from environmentally-friendly ingredients and have never been tested on animals.
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