- Bloom & Wild has been offsetting all carbon emissions from its bouquets since 2020
- Plus-Plus is made from low-density polyethylene
- STM Goods is a company specialising in backpacks, including its Eco range
- Ravensburger has their own sustainability initiatives, including an 89% reduction in plastic waste
Christmas 2024 is just around the corner and you may be planning your shopping lists and seeing what bargains are out there.
You may find that the challenge is finding toys, gifts and even advent calendars that will stand the test of time, and make them worth the investment.
Buying gifts with sustainability in mind will help achieve this, as well as reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in landfill.
In this guide, we analyse a range of gifts entering the market for Christmas 2024. The sustainability credentials could be from what the company does as a whole, to packaging updates. You’ll also find product information and pricing to help you make your decisions.
Bloom & Wild
Bloom & Wild is an online florist based in the UK. Its ethos is about celebrating the little things we all do for each other every day, and not just on the big occasions.
Sustainability and keeping its environmental impact to a minimum is at the heart of what it does. It is committed to:
- Reducing, offsetting and removing its carbon impact, in line with net zero targets
- Investing in improving the lives of its people and communities
- Lessening waste with a short supply chain, fully recyclable or compostable packaging and detailed forecasting
- Partnering with trusted, responsible growers, suppliers, and brands
The company has been offsetting all its carbon emissions from its bouquets since 2020 and become officially certified as carbon neutral through Climate Neutral Group in 2022.
This year, some of its products include The Festive Foliage (£37), The Jumper Biscuit Decorating Kit (£25) and The Christmas Dinner Tree (£40).
All of the brand’s packaging is fully recyclable and can be reused. In fact, it recommends “reusing the brown kraft paper and ribbon our flowers come in to wrap up your pressies.”
After Christmas, you can compost or dry the rest.
As well as that, all of its trees are grown on a sustainable family-run farm in the Dutch countryside, and can be replanted after Christmas. The company is also able to track the life and carbon cycle of its flowers.
Russell Hobbs
With energy prices where they are, you might be looking for small ways to reduce your energy usage, while continuing to use your regular appliances.
The Russell Hobbs handheld steamer can help. According to the supplier and based on a comparison to the average energy use of average EU washers and dryers, a steamer uses 60% less energy for clean, fresh looking garments, compared to machine washing and drying.
Additionally, replacing every other wash with steaming can help save up to 80l of water each year.
Russell Hobbs’ range of handheld steamers can be a strong gift for those moving into a new place or simply need to replace an old steamer.
Its Genie range includes a 2-in-1 handheld steamer (£59.99), an Aroma handheld steamer (£64.99) and even a colour control handheld steamer (£60).
Plus-Plus
Plus-Plus is a single-shape series of building blocks, offering “boundless opportunities for creativity,” according to its website.
It’s available in two sizes: Plus-Plus, where each piece measures 20mm x 12mm for children aged four and above, and Plus-Plus BIG, measuring 50mm x 30mm, providing a secure play environment from one year.
It’s made from low-density polyethylene (LDPE), which is used for many different products, like squeezable bottles, coatings for paper milk cartons and plastic bags for bread and frozen foods.
National Home Energy Survey 2024
Read the full findings from this year’s report by downloading the PDF here.
Download the reportBird & Blend Tea
Bird & Blend Tea has announced the return of its own Tea Advent Calendar. Originally launched in 2016, it offers 24 days of “tea exploration, with unique and delicious hand-blended tea flavours to savour”.
There are 48 tea bags in total, ideal for sharing with friends or loved ones. The advent calendar contains a mixture of both Christmas teas and fan favourites, including some limited editions: Snowball, Mince Pie, Buttermint, Candlelit Library, Mulled Cider, Gingernut Biscuit, Golden Egg, Star of the Show and a new blend.
The calendar is 100% plastic free, biodegradable and eco friendly, with one tree planted for every calendar sold.
There are regular and decaf versions. It costs £38 and is available online and in-store.
For the Matcha fans, you can buy the Bird & Blend Tea Co. Matcha Advent Calendar that offers a new flavour every day, each in its own resealable tin containing enough matcha for two cups per tin.
New flavours include Swampting, Honey Bunny, Peach Cobbler, Neapolitan and other limited-edition flavours, including Mince Pie, Eggnog and Candy Cane.
Similar to its other advent calendars, the Matcha Advent Calendar is 100% plastic-free, including its tea bags, and uses recyclable packaging.
It costs £52 and is available for pre-order now.
STM Goods
STM Goods is a company specialising in backpacks. Among its portfolio is the Eco bag range. According to the company, the Eco bag range is made from high-quality, 100% recycled 300D polyester fabrics and are GRS certified.
A GRS certification is a voluntary product standard for tracking and verifying the content of recycled materials in a final product.
There are two options to choose from within the range: Eco Brief and Eco Backpack, which is available in black, blue and olive.
Less of a gift option, rather something you’d buy in addition to the main gift is the company’s Ecoglass. Customers can purchase a screen protector for an iPad 7th to 10th generation, an iPhone 15, iPhone 14, as well as an iPad Pro, iPaid Air, iPad and iPad Mini. There is also an option for Microsoft Surface.
The SMT Ecoglass is 100% recycled and its shatterproof material provides crystal clear screen protection. It is constructed from edge-to-edge ultra thin (0.15mm) environmentally responsible 100% recycled polymer.
Ravensburger
Ravensburger is best known for their puzzles, which make for great Christmas gifts. However, they also have Disney Lorcana as part of their range, which is a popular trading card game.
This Christmas, its products include:
- Christmas Village 1000pc puzzle: The puzzle is the 27th in its annual limited-edition Christmas puzzle series and marks 50 years of the blue triangle logo and 20 years using its arter, Roy Tower. RRP: £14.99
- Brio Advent Calendar 2024: Consisting of 24 doors, the Brio Advent Calendar consists of track pieces, accessories, Mr and Mrs Claus figures and a special edition Snowy Stream Train. RRP: £34.99
- Chronicles of Light: Darkness Falls (Disney Edition) Game: Play as a Disney character to defeat the darkness threatening the realm. Suitable for eight years and above, RRP £29.99.
- Hylkies: There are six characters from each franchise (Star Wars and Marvel) to collect, each with 54 pieces and complete with a handy display stand. RRP: £9.99 each
Ravensburger as a company has their own sustainability initiatives, such as achieving an 89% reduction in plastic waste by eliminating shrink wrap. In fact, the company has saved over 36 tonnes of plastic (based on 2022 adult puzzle sales volumes).
According to Ravensburger, its puzzles now “boast a high-quality label that ensures transportation safety while providing a smooth peel-off experience without damaging the box.
“This approach not only minimises environmental impact, but also enhances the overall user experience.”
What’s more, each of its puzzles are now presented in smaller boxes, saving over 220 tonnes of cardboard savings.
“This compact box is not only eco-friendly but also easier to store at home, allowing you to enjoy the high-quality Ravensburger puzzle experience,” its website states.
Thermos
Arguably one of the earliest flasks that offered stainless steel technology to keep your drinks hot and cold, is the Thermos range.
New for this year is their Disney ‘Signature Collection’ Thermos range. The Collection features seven characters, including Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Daisy and Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto and Stitch from Disney’s Lilo and Stitch.
The 470ml drink flask retails at £30, uses durable stainless steel and helps keep cold drinks cold for 24 hours and hot for 10.
If you’re wondering how the product is sustainable, it’s aimed to help lower single-use plastic and help fewer products ending up in landfills by encouraging continuous use.
Thermos also offers a five-year guarantee on all its products, helping give you peace of mind that it lives up to its credentials.
“The Thermos Disney flask is perfect for any Disney fan, or for those looking to reduce their everyday plastic usage. Having tested the ‘Goofy’ flask over seven days, I can say it kept my drink cold all day and my plastic drinks purchases have reduced significantly. I haven’t used it for a hot drink, but that, I’m sure, will change as the weather gets colder.”
Tamara Birch, senior writer, The Eco Experts
Disclaimer: All views expressed are those of the journalist
Laura Ashley
Laura Ashley is a well-known fashion and homeware brand, who have put sustainability at the heart of its Christmas range.
The company’s wallpaper and paint licensee, Graham & Brown, is a carbon neutral business and have reduced their footprint by 29% since last year. The Laura Ashley wallpapers are printed on digital printers that run on 100% renewable energy, with all paper sourced from sustainable sources and managed forests.
The paint is also mixed to order and is water based, and made in the UK and supplied in recyclable steel cans.
Laura Ashley’s freckleface collaboration is its most-recent fragrance range. All products are suitable for vegans and use soya wax, a 100% natural resource. Local produce is used where possible and the company also tries to source botanical toppings from UK growers.
MGA Entertainment
MGA Entertainment is best known for its Baby Born and L.O.L Surprise products, which have been popular for several years.
Since 2021, Baby Born has not used any plastic packaging, which is identified on-pack by a ‘plastic-free sunflower’ on its packaging.
Similarly, most of its L.O.L Surprise packaging can be recycled across the UK, with plans to make it more sustainable in the future.
