The Perfect Low Waste Gifts For Your Whole List

Struggling to find the perfect low-waste gift? Well not to worry: we’ve compiled all the best sustainable and eco-friendly gifts for anyone on your list! These low waste gifts prioritize reusable products, recycled materials, and plastic-free packaging for greener holidays and special occasions alike. Regardless of who you’re shopping for, the following items will help you find the perfect gifts for both your loved ones and the planet!

5 Low-Waste Gifts For the Eco-Friendly Newbie

The holidays are the perfect time to embrace sustainable living by reducing plastic and waste in our lives. For your friends who are eco-friendly newbies, start by gifting them The Big Five to get them started!

1. Reusable Water Bottle: Cutting out single-use plastic is easy with a reusable water bottle. Give the gift of a refill solution with a reusable water bottle to promote more sustainable living. Some of our favorite brands are Swell, Corkcicle, and Miik.

2. Coffee Mug: A reusable coffee mug (or tea mug) is a necessity in the winter and it makes for a great gift. Some of our favorite brands are Byta, Klean Kanteen, and Yeti.

3. Reusable Straw: Reusable straws make a great low-waste gift for your on-the-go eco newbie! They can come in all types of materials, like glass, silicone, and metal. We love the straws from Final Straw that come in a carrying case for easy transport!

4. Grocery Bag: Grocery bags make great low-waste gifts, and can double as sustainable gift wrapping! Give the gift to your loved ones and the planet by helping eliminate plastic bags. We love canvas bags and foldable bags from Baggu, so we can stay fashion-forward and eco-friendly.

5. Portable Silverware: For anyone who takes lunch on the go, portable silverware is a great eco-friendlyalternative to reduce the waste of plastic cutlery. We love EarthHero’s Bamboo To-go set and Mizu Cutlery’s silverware traveling sets!

4 Low-Waste Gifts For The Wellness Warrior

There are a lot of single-use items in fitness, but there doesn’t have to be! These items are great gifts for the eco-friendly fitness fanatic!

1. Girlfriend Collective Leggings: These leggings are made from recycled water bottles. They repurpose old plastic bottles to make the polyester used in their leggings. These leggings are a perfect gift because they are great for working out and great for the environment. Perfect for working out and the environment, they make a thoughtful, low-waste gift.

2. Water Bottle: Water bottles are a must for working out, but help your friends skip the plastic bottle in the gym. Give the gift of a reusable water bottle and help reduce plastic waste!

3. Memberships: A truly zero-waste gift, no packaging and no extra materials. Give the gift of a gym membership, ClassPass, or other fitness class! You can give your fitness fanatic the perfect gift without any waste at all by purchasing the class or membership on their behalf. Skip the plastic gift card if you are gifting a workout class, and instead gift a class or membership online.

4. Eco-Friendly Gym Bag: For the true fitness fanatic, there is always room in the closet for another gym bag. After all, everyone needs to carry their gear, especially if the bag they put in is eco-friendly and made from 100% organic cotton! We love the cotton canvas bags from TerraThread, or Dakine’s recycled polyester totes!

3 Low-Waste Gifts For The Holiday Host

Chances are you have a few holiday parties to attend this year. We have some ideas that will make you the favorite party guest.

1. Candle + Match Set: Candles make a great host gift, but this year, choose an eco-friendly candle and pair it with matches. Some candle brands we like are P.F. Candle Co. and Follain. Matches are plastic-free, making them a great addition to the candle gift.

2. Cheese board: Cutting boards or cheese boards make for great host gifts. This year, gift plastic-free with a wooden cutting board or cheese board. You can find great wooden boards from Material Kitchen and William Sonoma.

3. Online Cooking Classes: For all the cooks in your life, send credit for a virtual cooking experience. We’re obsessed with Serena Wolf–she’s a trained chef, cookbook author, and culinary instructor. Her classes are always a fun (and delicious) time!

5 Low-Waste Gifts For The Travel Lover

Staying plastic-free while traveling is challenging, but fixable with low-waste products. Help out the travel lover on your list by gifting them a few items that will help them stay plastic-free while on-the-go.

1. Stasher bags: Stasher bags are perfect for traveling. We love that Stasher makes reusable silicone bags in multiple sizes, so there’s always a place for leftovers and unused ingredients. Gift stasher bags and help your avid traveler ditch the airport snacks that come wrapped in plastic and go plastic-free!

2. Go Toob: Go Toobs are a great gift for your traveling friend. They are a clean, reusable alternative to plastic travel-sized bottles because they are made of silicone. They also make great stocking stuffers!

3. Travel Journal + Fountain Pen: Help your traveler be more mindful this holiday season by gifting them a travel journal and fountain pen. Try to find a journal made with recycled paper and with a cardboard or paper covering. A fountain pen is a great, eco-friendly gift that cuts out a lot of waste because it is refillable and reusable. Some pen brands we like are Cross, Pilot, and Lamy.

4. Socks: Any true traveler knows: when you’re on the road, it really helps to have comfortable socks. This is even more true in the frigid winter. So get your globetrotting friend some sustainable socks that will keep their feet comfy and warm. We love Maggie’s Organic 100% wool socks!

5. Hair Product Bars: If one of your loved ones travels with conditioner and shampoo bottles, then give them the gift of freedom from plastic. Shampoo and conditioner bars, like the ones from The Earthling Co., work just like bars of soap for your hair.

2 Low-Waste Gifts For The Fashionista

Give the gift of eco-friendly style to the best dressed on your loved ones list.

1. Comfy Clothes And Shoes: For some awesome streetwear, bomber jackets, all-weather boots, or dress clothing, look through the holiday selections of brands like Kotn, Alternative Apparel, The Good Trade Partner, Outerknown, Thought, and Allbirds.

2. For Clothes AND Accessories: For some ethically made jewelry, sweaters, accessories, and shoes, look through the holiday selections of brands like: Brook There, Parker Clay, Verishop, CatBird, Cled, and Nisolo.

4 Last Minute Zero-Waste Digital Gifts

Scrambling for a gift last minute? No worries! Digital gifts are zero-waste and can be gifted in minutes! Here are some of our favorite digital gifts this season.

1. Blueland Gift Card: The Blueland gift card is the perfect zero-waste gift! The digital card uses no plastic, and your loved one can choose just what they want to keep their home and the planet clean!

2. TV Subscriptions: Digital products mean entertainment without packaging waste. Give the gift of binge-watching, with a TV subscription. This gift is great for the movie and TV lover on your list and creates no waste at all!

3. E-Tickets: Give the gift of experiences with tickets to concerts, theater, or sporting events. Rather than gifting physical tickets, gift e-tickets to help keep the experiences as low-waste as possible!

4. Digital Magazines or Newspapers: Does your loved one love their favorite magazine or newspaper? With digital magazine and newspaper subscriptions, they can enjoy them on the go and without any paper waste!

For The Person Who Has Everything

We all have that one person who’s really hard to shop for. This year, instead of struggling to find a gift they don’t already have, give a gift in their honor. Giving to charitable organizations in someone’s name is completely waste-free and gives back to the community! If you want to give back to organizations that help the environment, check out Oceana, Cool Effect and the Lonely Whale.

When to Give Low-Waste Gifts

No matter the occasion, low-waste gifts are a thoughtful way to show you care about both your loved ones and the planet. Whether it’s for birthdays, holidays, or just because, these sustainable gifts can be enjoyed again and again. If you ever find yourself with a gift that isn’t quite the right fit, consider how to regift it responsibly to someone who will appreciate it. By choosing low-waste options and mindful gifting practices, you can make every present meaningful while reducing unnecessary waste.

Sources: 

• Zero Waste Europe. Assessing Climate Impact: Reusable Systems vs Single-Use Takeaway Packaging.

• Science Direct. Exploring the impact of holiday gifts: An economic and environmental comparison of DVDs and books received as gifts.

• NIH Environmental Management System (NEMS). PET Water Bottle Impact.