✨ Your Ultimate Eco Friendly & Zero Waste Gift Guide ✨

Where has this year gone?? With Christmas fast-approaching, The Contented Company has put together this ultimate eco friendly and zero waste gift guide, to help you give gifts that both the recipient and planet will love. 

Whether you're after gifts that are made from 100% natural ingredients, are 100% plastic-free; recyclable, biodegradable, compostable gifts; gifts that are hand-made, ethically manufactured, locally made; ones that are organic, palm-oil free or vegan.... there will be a gift for you here. They are all contributing to a healthy planet in their own way.

Why not start by browsing through this list of 33 sustainable, eco friendly gift ideas...

 

FREE

 

✨ Coconut Fairy Cakes: from the Five Breastfeeding Recipes Download - £0 ✨

Make ahead of time, then keep a batch of these cute cakes in your freezer and ice them when it's time to give them as a gift. The cream-cheese icing on them is the perfect combination with the light, coconut flavour of the sponge.

 

 

 

✨ FREE RECIPE: Fig & Walnut Cookies  from The Contented Calf Cookbook - £0 ✨

I made these for work colleagues one Christmas and they went down a storm! The combination of figs, walnuts and fennel seeds in these cookies is irresistibly good. Gorgeous on their own or try them with vanilla ice cream for added indulgence... Drop me a message on instagram and I’ll send you the recipe!

 

 

£10 & Under

 

✨ Packet of Flower Seeds, from Squires Garden Centre - starting at £2.49 ✨

How about treating someone to a little a dash of sunshine - and flowers! - with a packet of flower seeds in their stocking? Not only will they love it, but so will the local bees and other pollinators. For example this packet contains a blend of 19 species of nectar and pollen rich annual and perennial wildflowers, which are proven favourites of honey bees in our gardens.

 

✨ The Contented Calf Sneak Peek Recipe Booklet: Recipes for - £3.00 ✨

Home-cooking is the ultimate in zero waste. This Sneak Peek Recipe Booklet has seven tasty recipes (made with breastfeeding-friendly, lactogenic ingredients) to try out and get your taste buds tingling! Why not make something delicious for the mama-to-be in your life and/or give this sneak peek booklet as a delicious stocking filler?

 

 

 

✨ Indoor Plants, from Patch - starting at £3 ✨

Bring a bit of green (literally) to the home of someone you love by getting them an indoor plant. Long-lasting (hopefully!) and with a wealth of well-being benefits, what a lovely gift! 

 

 

 

✨ Contented Earth Reusable Facial Wipes (Pack of 3 / Pack of 5) - £5.00 / £6.50 ✨

Say goodbye to disposable face-wipes, and even cotton wool pads, and hello to these lovely zero waste, reusable cotton facial wipes! Hand-made for us in Chelmsford, Essex, these wipes are the ultimate in zero waste. They are made by using the off-cuts of fabric from our Beeswax Wraps.

 

 

✨ Plastic-free Natural Lipbalm, by Hydrophil Lipbalm, by Hydrophil - £6.00 ✨

Keep your lips super-soft this winter with this incredibly effective lip balm from Hydrophil. This nourishing lip balm contains nothing but 3 ingredients: Shea Butter, Almond Butter and Hemp Wax. It is free from artificial fats, or oils, such as paraffins, petroleum derivatives and silicone. It's totally plastic-free, as it comes in an aluminium tin.

 

 

✨ Natural Deodorant, by Made by Bancroft - £6.00 ✨

Handmade in the UK, this natural deodorant is both effective and great smelling. It is suitable for those with sensitive skin or whose skin develops an irritation from bicarbonate of soda, as it is soda free. The fragrance is Lavender & Orange, but is very much a unisex aroma, rather than very flowery. Return your empties to the Contented Company, and we'll work with the manufacturer to provide a re-fill option, making it totally zero-waste.

 

✨ Aloe Shampoo & Conditioning Bar, by Natural Vegan - £6.50 ✨

A fantastic plastic-free, zero waste alternative for washing your hair, this Aloe Shampoo & Conditioning bar provides a shampoo and conditioner in one. This all-natural bar's natural ingredients and packaging are completely compostable. This is a zero-waste product.

 

 

✨ Plastic Free Conjac Sponge, by Hydrophil - £6.50 ✨

Hydrophil's Conjac sponge is 100% plant-based and made from the Conjac plant. Its root is ground to flour, which is then mixed with water and baked in the oven until it becomes a sponge. It is suitable for washing infants and small children due to its soft, gentle and natural surface. When these sponges come to the end of their life, they are totally home-compostable.

 

✨ Natural Lipbalm, by We Luv Eco (Spearmint) - £6.50 ✨

This plastic free We Luv Eco lipbalm is made with food-grade natural ingredients, and is ultra-hydrating and effective. It is packaged in a specially designed push tube, which, along with the lip balm itself, is completely biodegradable. 

 

 

 

✨ Fight Climate Change and buy a tree from The Woodland Trust - £6.95 ✨

Trees are the ultimate multi-taskers, helping to combat the two environmental emergencies facing our planet: climate change and biodiversity loss. They absorb carbon, fight flooding, reduce pollution, nurture wildlife and make landscapes more resilient

 

 

 

✨ Good Gifts Charity Donations - from around £7.50 ✨ 

Good Gifts introduced a new way of giving. It cut out unwanted gifts and gives practical help to those in need. And lasting pleasure to the person in whose name the gift was given. For example, you could gift week’s worth of dinners for UK school children during the holidays, when they don't have access to school meals.

 

 

✨ Natural Pillow Spray, by Made by Bancroft - £10.00 ✨

Handmade in the UK, these Lavender-blended natural pillow sprays ooze calm and restfulness. Inhale relaxation as you lay your head on your pillow. Return your empties to the Contented Company, and we'll work with the manufacturer to provide a re-fill option, making it totally zero-waste.

 

 

 

£20 & Under

 

✨ Solid Facial Cleansers, by Lamazuna - £12.50 ✨

Make your bathroom even more plastic-free, with these zero waste, vegan Solid Facial Cleansers by Lamazuna. Only packaged in a recyclable, biodegradable, compostable box. Available in: Exotic - for normal skin; Grapefruit - for oily skin; Hibiscus - for dry / sensitive skin

 

 

✨ Hand Poured Organic Soy Wax Candles (225ml), by Wick Warriors -£12.50 ✨

Small batch organic soy wax candles hand poured in the heart of East Sussex. Using 100% essential oils and a cotton wick, for a fresh fragrance and clean burn -  no nasties here! Totally plastic-free, packaged only in an aluminium tin. Fragrances available: Bah Humbug, Peace Out, Power Up & Wonderland.

 

 

✨ Insulated Tumbler, by U-Konserve - £14 ✨

What's more festive and wintery than mulled-wine, or delicious hot chocolate? Waste-free living just got easier with our new double-walled multi-coloured stem-less tumblers, designed for hot and cold beverages. Also great for keeping wine, iced tea and cocktails cold while you sip. 

 

 

✨ Orsa Facial Peeling Stone, by Lavinia - £15 ✨

Small, but effective, this facial peeling stone is handmade from natural Orsa sandstone, from Dalarne in central Sweden. It replaces other exfoliators, not made from natural materials and often contain plastic and / or come in plastic packaging.

 

 

✨ Contented Earth Beeswax Wraps (Pack of 3) - £15.50 ✨

Christmas is all about large meals and left-overs isn't it? Double down on zero waste this year, by both banishing food waste and single-use food wraps. Hand-made beeswax coated fabric wraps - the eco-friendly alternative to cling-film, aluminium foil and plastic sandwich bags. They are reusable and biodegradable, and do not leach any nasties into your food.

 

 

✨ Recycled Wool Cushion Cover, by ReSpin - £18 ✨

This cushion cover is made from recycled wool. Unwanted clothing is collected through recycling programmes around the world. The clothing is cleaned, broken down, made into fibres, spun into yarn and then woven into fabric. The fabric colour is a result of the original wool fabrics - no dyes are added.

 

 

✨ Gift Box of 2 Books for either 0-3 or 4-7 Year Olds, from Little Box of Books - £18.99 ✨

These beautiful gift boxes are unique children’s Christmas presents. Each box comes with two newly published, inclusive and representative, hand-wrapped children’s books from top publishers. The boxes also contains a free gift, a reading record and progress stickers and puzzles and activities to help them think through the story and themes of the book. Little Box of Books books normalise diversity, encouraging little ones to recognise that everybody is different and everybody is ‘normal’.

 

✨ Plant-based Skincare: Mini Detox Trio Gift Set, by Meadow Skincare - £20 ✨

Winter can be so tough on our skin, can't it? Why not gift a gently detoxifying stocking filler, which addresses uneven skin tone, reduces blemishes and sun-spots. This Mini Detoxifying Trio combines to soothe, calm and clear skin.

 

 

✨ Natural Salt & Oil Bath Soaks, by Batch #001 - £20 ✨

After long days with family and friends, or long nights enjoying the festive seasons, treat yourself to a long soak in the bath. These deeply relaxing, 100% natural, Salt & Oil Bath Soaks contain the purest Dead Sea Salts and Pink Himalayan Salts, with 84 minerals, including iron, magnesium, potassium, calcium and zinc.

 

 

Over £20

 

✨ The Contented Calf Cookbook: Nourishing Recipes for Breastfeeding Mums - £23 ✨

Inspired by a friend’s quest to improve her milk supply and her discovery of lactogenic foods, this unique cook book gives new parents a one-stop collection of delicious, lactogenic meals, snacks, drinks and treats. The majority of the meals are designed to be made and frozen in the weeks leading up to the birth of your child.

 

 

✨ Plant-based Skincare: Natural Calm & Soothe Face Mask, by Meadow Skincare - £24 ✨

Treat your skin this winter to a soothing and calming face mask. The blue yarrow essential oil creates an earthy scent that promotes skin healing, especially helpful for those with scarring or unbalanced skin. The cucumber, broccoli and elderberry botanical blend helps to tighten pores and firm skin.

 

 

✨ Glass Infuse Flask, by Qwetch - £24 ✨

These stunning Qwetch Glass Infuse Flasks are perfect for drinking loose leaf tea, herbal tea or fruit infused water at home or on the go. A truly beautiful plastic-free, zero waste gift, who love their drinks on the go and care about the planet too.

 

 

✨ Plant-based Skincare: Gently Nourishing Cleansing Balm, by Meadow Skincare - £25 ✨

Your first step to clean, clear skin. Our 100% natural cleansing balm gently sweeps away make-up, dirt and pollutants without stripping skin of natural oils. Leaves your skin glowing and with a soft, supple feeling. 

 

 

 

✨ Plant-based Skincare: Hydration Boost Moisturising Face Balm, by Meadow Skincare - £28 ✨

This balm is superfood for the skin! Packed with nutritional goodness that skin needs. it promotes hydration, stimulates collagen production and leaves skin glowing.

 

 

 

✨ Plant-based Skincare: Gently Resurfacing Facial Exfoliant, by Meadow Skincare - £28 ✨

Sloughs away dull skin for a brighter, hydrated, balanced complexion. Gentle enough for daily use even for sensitive skin. Citrus scent livens up the senses while the oat and butter blend calms irritation. Multi-tasks as a moisturiser due to deep hydrating properties.

 

 

✨ Plant-based Skincare: Cleanse & Restore Gift Set, by Meadow Skincare - £30 ✨

Treat someone to the gentlest way to deep cleanse. Gift set includes: 100ml Gently Nourishing Cleansing Balm; Bamboo Wash Cloth & Sustainable coconut spoon

Comes ready to gift! Housed in a beautiful kraft gift box.

 

 

✨ Plant-based Skincare: Overnight Replenishing Oil, by Meadow Skincare - £35 ✨

Our Overnight Worker! A natural youth elixir blend of 13 seed oils, Replenishing Overnight Oil gets to work while you rest. Awaken with skin hydrated, toned and smoothed.

 

 

 

✨ Recycled Bottles & Organic Cotton 'Somewhat Fearless / Imperfect / Rebellious' Slogan Sweatshirts, by Seven Shades Shop - £40 ✨

The producers of these sweatshirts first take used plastic bottles and recycle them into polyester, they then collect all the off cuts from the production of organic cotton T-shirts and weave them together producing a recycled poly/cotton fabric. Salvage products have the Global Recycle Standard Mark, and use certified organically produced cotton and certified Fair Wear Production ensuring decent local pay and working conditions. Material: 60% Recycled pre-consumer cotton organically grown 40% Recycled post-consumer polyester

 

 

✨ Experiences Not Things - from under £50 upwards ✨