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Ecologi’s top 20 list of Eco-gift ideas for the festive season 2020

With the festive season fast approaching it’s important to remember that the gifts you buy can show your love, not only for your friends and family, but also for the planet. It can be so easy to just click ‘buy it now’ on Amazon, but more than ever it is important to consider the environmental impacts of your gifts and to support independent businesses that are doing good things. It is much more important to buy less, but buying well is also key! 
It can sometimes be difficult to find small local businesses that sell the thing you are after, and more often than not big businesses dominate our search engines. Some good tips include looking on websites such as <a href="https://www.etsy.com/">Etsy</a>, <a href="https://www.notonthehighstreet.com/">NotontheHighStreet</a>, <a href="https://www.trouva.com/">Trouva</a>, <a href="https://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/">Social Enterprise UK </a>and local ‘made in’ websites like <a href="https://madeinfolkestone.co.uk/">Made in Folkestone</a> to find independent brands from your local area. A lot of small businesses sell on Instagram too. So, try searching some hashtags such as #ShopSmall #ShopLocal and #SmallBusinessess. If your friend has a company that you think is great – buy from them and tell all your friends to share the message! You can also find ethical brands, and get ethical ratings of your favourite brands on the Good On You ethical fashion App. 
For so many of us the festive season is tied up with consumerism. We learn from a young age that it is all about presents, and that you must buy gifts for absolutely everyone otherwise you don’t care about them. However, we are starting to learn that this is neither sustainable nor necessary. There are so many alternatives to buying presents: you can give your time, give an experience, or even give preloved items. When you do buy presents, it is important to consider whether the person will really value it, and to make sure that it will have a positive impact somehow- e.g. climate smart or supporting local businesses. For those that want to buy less and buy well but have no ideas, we’ve compiled a list of our top 20 eco gift suggestions.

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Guerilla gardening grenades filled with flower power potential, these bombs contain a mix of wildflower seeds that will grow into bright and beautiful nectar rich flowers loved by bees. All you need to do is throw the bomb, and it will split open upon impact with the ground and grow. Seedbombs are quick and easy ways for us all to help our local biodiversity. 
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-2130 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208110438/Pollinator-Beebom-Seedbom_LS_SQ-S-copy-600x600-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208110438/Pollinator-Beebom-Seedbom_LS_SQ-S-copy-600x600-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208110438/Pollinator-Beebom-Seedbom_LS_SQ-S-copy-600x600-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208110438/Pollinator-Beebom-Seedbom_LS_SQ-S-copy-600x600.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://kabloom.co.uk/product/pollinator-beebom/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link to Seedbomb </a>    Price: £3.95

2.  Climate Positive Gin from the Arbikie Distillery

Dubbed as the ‘world&#8217;s first climate positive gin’ this gin is made from peas! It has a carbon footprint of -1.54 kg CO2e per 700ml bottle, as well as a smooth and refreshing taste with undertones of citrus leaf and lemongrass.
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-2162 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201209123652/1582043731SinclairBay-1-273x300.jpg" alt="" width="273" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201209123652/1582043731SinclairBay-1-273x300.jpg 273w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201209123652/1582043731SinclairBay-1.jpg 676w" sizes="(max-width: 273px) 100vw, 273px" />
<a href="https://www.arbikie.com/item/23/Nadr-Gin.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link to Gin</a>     Price: £43

We are spending more time than ever at home right now, so it’s especially important to make it smell nice! Good Candles make candles that are hand poured with responsibly sourced soy wax and they donate 10% of the sales to good causes, including funding climate solutions and planting trees, the National Literacy Trust, and CALM. 
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-2132" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208110924/candle-forest-fire-soy-candle-planting-20-trees-for-every-sale-1_1080x-e1607591955951-300x178.png" alt="" width="505" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208110924/candle-forest-fire-soy-candle-planting-20-trees-for-every-sale-1_1080x-e1607591955951-300x178.png 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208110924/candle-forest-fire-soy-candle-planting-20-trees-for-every-sale-1_1080x-e1607591955951-1024x609.png 1024w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208110924/candle-forest-fire-soy-candle-planting-20-trees-for-every-sale-1_1080x-e1607591955951-768x457.png 768w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208110924/candle-forest-fire-soy-candle-planting-20-trees-for-every-sale-1_1080x-e1607591955951.png 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 505px) 100vw, 505px" />
<a href="https://good-candles.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link to Candles</a>     £35

4. Plastic Free Bath Products from Ethique 

Ethique produces cosmetic products that are 100%  free from plastic and palm oil. They are also carbon neutral and vegan! Try this gift trial pack containing a shampoo bar, conditioner bar, solid face cleanser and solid butter block. This is the ideal gift pack for someone trying to go plastic free and the products smell incredible too!
<img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-2134 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208111425/Picture-Ethique.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208111425/Picture-Ethique.png 273w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208111425/Picture-Ethique-150x150.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://ethique.co.uk/products/gift-trial-pack-for-normal-skin-hair?geo_redirection_stay=1&amp;geo_currency=GBP" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link to Gift Pack</a>     Price: £11

Give the gift of long-lasting climate action. Ecologi Gifting allows you to buy your loved ones Christmas Trees (forests of 100, 250, or 500 trees) this Christmas. The trees in these gifts do amazing things, supporting local biodiversity and local communities, and these benefits will be felt for many years to come! Your recipient can keep track of their trees in their very own virtual forest where they can watch them grow and learn more about them. 
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-2135" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208111639/gifting_pr_1-1-1-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="533" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208111639/gifting_pr_1-1-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208111639/gifting_pr_1-1-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208111639/gifting_pr_1-1-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208111639/gifting_pr_1-1-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208111639/gifting_pr_1-1-1.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px" />
<a href="https://ecologi.com/gifting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link to Ecologi Tree Planting gifts</a>     Price: From £24.00

The ethos behind this dutch chocolate company is to fully eradicate slavery in chocolate production. They also actively train the farmers they work with to implement more environmentally-friendly production methods, such as minimising the use of pesticides, offset their emissions, and deforestation within their supply chain is strictly prohibited. Try the milk caramel sea salt bar &#8211; it&#8217;s delicious! 
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-2136 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208111755/Tonys-Chocolonely-Fairtrade-Chocolate_1c13dc4e-f908-407c-9805-25aabfcce5a8_1024x1024-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208111755/Tonys-Chocolonely-Fairtrade-Chocolate_1c13dc4e-f908-407c-9805-25aabfcce5a8_1024x1024-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208111755/Tonys-Chocolonely-Fairtrade-Chocolate_1c13dc4e-f908-407c-9805-25aabfcce5a8_1024x1024-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208111755/Tonys-Chocolonely-Fairtrade-Chocolate_1c13dc4e-f908-407c-9805-25aabfcce5a8_1024x1024-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208111755/Tonys-Chocolonely-Fairtrade-Chocolate_1c13dc4e-f908-407c-9805-25aabfcce5a8_1024x1024.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://tonyschocolonely.com/uk/en/our-chocolate/product/milk-caramel-sea-salt-180-gram-1-bar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link to Chocolate</a>     Price: £3.98

55 African elephants are killed a day for their tusks, and in Asia elephants have disappeared from 85% of their historic range. By adopting an elephant you are helping to fund WWF’s work to protect elephant habitats, reduce poaching and address human-elephant conflict. You will receive a welcome pack, regular updates and a personalised adoption certificate to give to your loved one. 
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-2137" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208111902/WWF_Elephant_Online_Certificate_1-300x176.jpg" alt="" width="510" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208111902/WWF_Elephant_Online_Certificate_1-300x176.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208111902/WWF_Elephant_Online_Certificate_1.jpg 539w" sizes="(max-width: 510px) 100vw, 510px" />
<a href="https://support.wwf.org.uk/adopt-an-elephant?_ga=2.225425118.51780786.1605099322-285360307.1605099322" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link to Adopt an Elephant</a>      Price: from £3 a month

Turtle bags are a stylish way to reduce your plastic footprint. They are made from certified organic cotton and available in a wide range of beautiful colours.
 <img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-2138 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208111957/Screenshot-2020-12-07-12.28.16-298x300.png" alt="" width="298" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208111957/Screenshot-2020-12-07-12.28.16-298x300.png 298w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208111957/Screenshot-2020-12-07-12.28.16-150x150.png 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208111957/Screenshot-2020-12-07-12.28.16.png 584w" sizes="(max-width: 298px) 100vw, 298px" />
<a href="https://www.turtlebags.co.uk/product-page/organic-short-handled-string-bag" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link to Turtle Bags</a>     Price: £6

E-waste has become the world’s fastest growing waste stream, and a typical new phone creates at least 79kg of CO2 emissions. Reboxed provides a sustainable alternative by selling certified refurbished phones and allowing high-spec handsets that would otherwise go to waste, to find new homes. What’s more, they aim to make every phone carbon positive by planting 10 trees and paying to offset its lifetime CO2 emissions! 
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-2139 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208112121/reboxed-boxes_1200x_041febd6-a243-468a-aa6d-2b11f4232c28_900x-300x295.png" alt="" width="300" height="295" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208112121/reboxed-boxes_1200x_041febd6-a243-468a-aa6d-2b11f4232c28_900x-300x295.png 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208112121/reboxed-boxes_1200x_041febd6-a243-468a-aa6d-2b11f4232c28_900x-768x754.png 768w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208112121/reboxed-boxes_1200x_041febd6-a243-468a-aa6d-2b11f4232c28_900x.png 900w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://reboxed.co/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link to Reboxed Phones </a>    Price: from £200

10. Zero-waste Shave Gift Set from Know the Origin

This zero-waste shave gift set gives an amazing shave, while also helping to reduce single-use and plastic waste. It comes with a stainless steel razor, 10 razor blades, a shaving bar, razor disposal tin and an organic cotton drawstring bag, all vegan and free of palm oil, and is packaged in a recycled cardboard box.
<img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-2140 size-medium aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208112313/Zero-Waste-Shave-With-Bag_540x-e1607426694498-300x275.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="275" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208112313/Zero-Waste-Shave-With-Bag_540x-e1607426694498-300x275.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208112313/Zero-Waste-Shave-With-Bag_540x-e1607426694498.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://knowtheorigin.com/products/zero-waste-shave-giftset" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link to Shave Giftset </a>    Price: £35

Artfinder sells artwork from local artists that can awaken our imagination and transform our homes. They aim to provide a platform where artists can make a living doing what they love, and anyone can easily find and buy original artworks – no matter their taste or budget. Every single piece is unique and signed by the artist, carrying its own story.
<img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-2192" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201211094107/0E143C27-0C31-463F-A4FB-393A68061BD5-300x238.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="238" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201211094107/0E143C27-0C31-463F-A4FB-393A68061BD5-300x238.jpeg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201211094107/0E143C27-0C31-463F-A4FB-393A68061BD5-1024x811.jpeg 1024w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201211094107/0E143C27-0C31-463F-A4FB-393A68061BD5-768x608.jpeg 768w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201211094107/0E143C27-0C31-463F-A4FB-393A68061BD5.jpeg 1364w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://www.artfinder.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link to Artwork</a>  Price: From £18

Food wastage contributes 6.7% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Rubies in the Rubble make products that are packed with delicious ingredients that would otherwise go to waste &#8211; not because they taste any different, but because they’re the wrong shape, size or colour. Try this delicious taster pack of chilli onion relish, tomato ketchup and chilli mayo. 
<img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-2144 size-medium aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208112822/TasterBundle_grande-e1607592019581-300x263.png" alt="" width="300" height="263" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208112822/TasterBundle_grande-e1607592019581-300x263.png 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208112822/TasterBundle_grande-e1607592019581.png 400w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://rubiesintherubble.com/products/taster-pack" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link to Taster Pack </a>     Price: £10

Homemade gifts are a cheap and creative way to show someone that you care, all while being great for your carbon footprint! The Sustainable Cooks have a great blog on handmade gift ideas- from truffles, to quilts, to natural lip balm. 
      <img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-2145 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208113056/dark-chocolate-truffles-1-e1607427084460-288x300.jpg" alt="" width="288" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208113056/dark-chocolate-truffles-1-e1607427084460-288x300.jpg 288w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208113056/dark-chocolate-truffles-1-e1607427084460.jpg 700w" sizes="(max-width: 288px) 100vw, 288px" />
<a href="https://www.sustainablecooks.com/handmade-gift-ideas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link to Blog</a>     Price: from £0

In the UK alone, 2.5 billion coffee cups are thrown away each year. Frank Green’s reusable cups are a sustainable and stylish alternative to this. You can customise to your heart’s content, choosing different colours for the lid, the button, and the base, and all coffee cups are recyclable at the end of their use. 
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-2146 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208113322/Picture1-300x300.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208113322/Picture1-300x300.png 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208113322/Picture1-150x150.png 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208113322/Picture1.png 375w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://uk.frankgreen.com/collections/reusable-cups" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link to Coffee Cups </a>     Price: from £19.99

Use your gifts this year to make a difference to those who really need it. The Choose Love store allows you to buy items for those living in refugee camps, from a hot meal, to sleeping bags, to legal aid. These purchases also come with an option for a link to a downloadable gift card that can be wrapped up to give to your loved one. 
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-2148 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208113618/Picture-Chose-Love-300x300.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208113618/Picture-Chose-Love-300x300.png 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208113618/Picture-Chose-Love-150x150.png 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208113618/Picture-Chose-Love.png 602w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://choose.love/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link to Choose Love Store</a>      Price: from £5

Many tea bags that we buy actually still contain plastic! Teapigs produce quality tea, sourced sustainably, in packaging that’s better for the environment and their teabags are entirely plastic-free and compostable! Their teas are also delicious and they have some exciting winter flavours like gluhwein tea and spiced pear tea. Try this selection box of 12 teas, which allows you to test out a whole range of flavours.
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-2149" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208113832/Picture-Tea.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208113832/Picture-Tea.png 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208113832/Picture-Tea-150x150.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://www.teapigs.co.uk/collections/gift-sets-1/products/tea-pick-n-mix" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link to Teapigs Giftset</a>      Price: £17.99

This cookbook is the complete guide to how you can make your food stretch further in order to reduce your waste. Packed full of over 100 creative recipes, Giovanna Torrico and Amelia Wasiliev highlight how you can make use of the food that so often goes to waste. 
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-2150 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208113921/9781784882471-227x300.jpg" alt="" width="227" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208113921/9781784882471-227x300.jpg 227w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208113921/9781784882471.jpg 378w" sizes="(max-width: 227px) 100vw, 227px" />
<a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-zero-waste-cookbook/giovanna-torrico/amelia-wasiliev/9781784882471" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link to Cookbook </a>     Price: £16.99

These great-tasting, vegan beers are committed to saving water in an otherwise wasteful industry. Typically it requires 8-10 pints of water to brew a single pint of beer, however the team at Small Beer have whittled it down to just 1.5 pints of water per pint. Try the craft beer gift pack which includes 4 x 350ml bottles of Small Beer and 2 x branded half pint glasses. 
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-2151" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208114137/Picture-Beer-e1607592119908-300x142.png" alt="" width="424" height="200" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208114137/Picture-Beer-e1607592119908-300x142.png 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208114137/Picture-Beer-e1607592119908.png 602w" sizes="(max-width: 424px) 100vw, 424px" />
<a href="https://theoriginalsmallbeer.com/products/small-beer-gift-pack" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link to Beer </a>      Price: £18

Designed scientifically, this odourless, biomorphic worm composter turns food scraps into fertiliser. Drop fruit and vegetable peelings, grain foods, and tea bags into a top opening and the worms-in-residence will quickly turn it into compost! The composter can process over two pounds of food a week, enough to keep up with most or all of the scraps in a two-or three-person household. Spread the easily removable compost next to your plants or in pots, and watch them grow.
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-2152 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208114254/47184_1_640px-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208114254/47184_1_640px-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208114254/47184_1_640px-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208114254/47184_1_640px.jpg 640w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://www.uncommongoods.com/product/living-composter?clickid=3uJTJq2jsxyLWguwUx0Mo3EFUkEzhLx1AxE7zw0&amp;irgwc=1&amp;utm_source=Skimbit%20Ltd.&amp;utm_medium=affiliates&amp;utm_campaign=8444&amp;utm_term=Online%20Tracking%20Link&amp;trafficSource=Impact&amp;sharedid=housebeautiful.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link to Composter</a>     Price: £148.30

Lucy &amp; Yak make beautiful, high-quality garments with the aim that everyone that has an input is treated, and paid, fairly. Clothes are made from organic fabrics and produced in a factory in India, where workers are paid four times the minimum wage. All their packaging is also 100% biodegradable and these colourful Co-ords are beyond funky! 
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-2153 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208114436/Lucy_And_Yak_29_28_10_201369_2bff3cb9-530f-4331-ad4a-d47006ae5164_600x-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208114436/Lucy_And_Yak_29_28_10_201369_2bff3cb9-530f-4331-ad4a-d47006ae5164_600x-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20201208114436/Lucy_And_Yak_29_28_10_201369_2bff3cb9-530f-4331-ad4a-d47006ae5164_600x.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" />
<a href="https://lucyandyak.com/collections/colourful-co-ords?page=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link to Colourful Cords </a>   Price: £30-52

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Christmas is definitely one of the most wonderful times of the year, however it is also one of the most wasteful. In the UK, an<a href="https://www.biffa.co.uk/media-centre/news/new-research-shows-brits-are-dreaming-of-a-green-christmas" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> extra 30% of rubbish</a> is produced and discarded throughout the festive period when compared with the rest of the year. This is in the region of 3 million tonnes. One big culprit is Christmas wrapping paper. An estimated <a href="https://www.biffa.co.uk/media-centre/news/new-research-shows-brits-are-dreaming-of-a-green-christmas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">227,000 miles</a> of wrapping paper is thrown away in the UK each Christmas, meaning that the average household will go through four rolls of wrapping paper and about 40 million rolls of sticky tape. You don’t want to go through all the trouble of buying super eco-friendly gifts just to wrap it in wasteful, non-recyclable paper! Switching to plain brown paper or newspaper fastened with string or ribbon instead of tape is one way to reduce your waste. 
Wrapping presents in lengths of fabric, following the Japanese art of fabric wrapping: furoshiki, is another option that is becoming more and more popular. These cloths are both beautiful and reusable and can be passed from person to person. When you do use wrapping paper, make sure to do the scrunch test to determine if it can be recycled. This involves schrunching the paper in your hand, and if it remains schrunched it is recyclable. You can also unwrap your presents very carefully and save wrapping paper year after year! 
If you are sending presents to loved ones, <a href="https://heapsgoodpackaging.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HeapsGood packaging</a> has some brilliant compostable packaging options including 100% biodegradable Ecomailers that will break down in 3-6 months! 
There are many ways that you can adapt your wrapping habits to be more sustainable and thus, in our eyes, more in line with the true spirit of Christmas.

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We hope that this blog has given you some great tips for how to have a more sustainable festive season. There has never been a better time to try something different and step back from the excessive consumerism that so often dominates this time of year.
If you want to do more, and help plant trees and fund climate solutions, <a href="https://ecologi.com/plan">sign up</a> to Ecologi today.

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Hopescrolling: The good news timeline

It’s not all bad. While there’s a lot of negative news about the climate, let’s not forget the good stuff. Find climate wins, reasons to be hopeful and plenty of positivity in our good news timeline.

The good news timeline

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We know that funding high-quality carbon credits provides vital funding to impactful projects <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/2023/03/20/press-release-ar6-synthesis-report/">which prevent and avoid emissions</a>.
However, it’s vital to look at the bigger picture: how carbon credits are being used is critical in taking meaningful climate action for our planet.
Simply using carbon credits to offset our business-as-usual emissions (often referred to as becoming ‘carbon neutral’) without taking steps to reduce those emissions directly <a href="https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/40875/EGR2022_KR.pdf?sequence=3">will not solve climate change</a>. In addition, there’s increasing pressure on businesses following recent crackdowns on green claims, such as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/15/uk-advertising-watchdog-to-crack-down-on-carbon-offsetting-claims-aoe">claiming ‘carbon neutrality’ through offsetting alone</a>. So, across our industry, we need to rethink carbon offsetting completely, from the ground up.
Let’s unpack this.

Offsetting to compensate for business-as-usual emissions is OUT

Science is clear that minimising global warming requires substantial emissions reductions globally. The IPCC has called for <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/spm/">50% reductions in emissions by 2030</a>, and global net-zero emissions by 2050, if we are to limit the global temperature increase to below 2°C, and as close as possible to 1.5°C. Every year that we continue to increase emissions, the steeper the curve needs to be for the world to decarbonise in time, 
Traditional carbon offsetting involves paying for carbon credits, each representing one tonne of emissions reduced or avoided by a project (like a solar farm). To offset, you would produce one tonne of greenhouse gas emissions through your business activities, and then offset that tonne by buying a carbon credit. 
However, traditional offsetting also gives free licence to businesses to continue generating emissions, or even increase them! Provided that they are also paying to offset them. You can see this in the visual below.
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-7760" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20230516164950/COP27-Net-Zero-Pathway-Workshop.png" alt="" width="960" height="540" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20230516164950/COP27-Net-Zero-Pathway-Workshop.png 960w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20230516164950/COP27-Net-Zero-Pathway-Workshop-300x169.png 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20230516164950/COP27-Net-Zero-Pathway-Workshop-768x432.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" />
Even when businesses fund high-quality projects and offset their emissions in full, those direct emissions are still taking place. The benefits of avoided emissions are effectively cancelled-out if the projects funded are only being used to offset your business’s continued emissions. The same is true, even if you are doing your offsetting with carbon removal credits &#8211; because the climate impacts of emitting and then removing greenhouse gases are not the same as simply not emitting them.
This is unsustainable. We need to reconsider completely the way we think about offsetting.

Reducing emissions whilst committing to fund high-quality climate‌ action is IN

For businesses to align their operations with <a href="https://www.iema.net/articles/ghg-management-hierarchy-updated-for-net-zero.">the science of climate change</a>, making direct emissions reductions <a href="https://ecologi.com/articles/blog/charting-the-path-to-net-zero-for-businesses">across your supply chain is paramount</a>. That’s a separate process, which offsetting doesn’t contribute toward.
Funding impactful projects through carbon credits still has a huge role to play. The SBTi (Science Based Target initiative) deems <a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/blog/net-zero-urgent-beyond-value-chain-mitigation-is-essential">funding carbon credits as an &#8220;essential&#8221; step</a> in the journey towards global net-zero. 
Supporting these high-quality carbon avoidance projects (that’s the same kinds of projects which are traditionally used for offsetting) is a perfect entry point for businesses to start their climate journey &#8211; whilst these businesses gather their plans to reduce their emissions directly.

Reducing your business emissions is a marathon, not a sprint

One of the SBTi’s core requirements for a business to achieve net-zero is to achieve a <a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/net-zero">minimum 90% reduction in emissions in most sectors</a>. This emissions-reduction journey will not be easy, since that’s a BIG task!

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Imagine having to reduce your financial budget by 90% &#8211; it would require a lot of planning, researching, and implementation, over a long period.

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Near-term targets are going to be crucial to break down those larger long-term goals. SBTi <a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/reports/sbti-progress-report-2021">research in 2021 showed that</a> if your business had set its science-based targets that year, you would need to make emissions reductions of just 4.2% per year &#8211; a much more understandable and manageable target for most businesses.
Remember as well that, even if simply offsetting your business emissions was your goal, then the higher your emissions are, the more it will cost to your business to offset them. This means that whilst there’s an enormous challenge in reducing emissions over a sustained period, it will be much better in the long run, both for your business and for the planet.

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This is a long-term commitment which all businesses need to undertake. That’s why funding high-quality climate action is crucial at the same time. You can give back to our planet throughout the process &#8211; and by doing so, you can have a real, measurable impact <a href="https://sdgs.un.org/goals">on people, communities and biodiversity</a>.

High-quality climate action that ‘goes beyond’

This funding of high-quality climate action outside of a business’s operations is referred to by the SBTi as ‘<a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/blog/going-above-and-beyond-to-contribute-to-societal-net-zero">beyond value chain mitigation</a>’ or ‘BVCM’. They highlight this as a critical contribution to reaching societal net-zero because it has a positive climate impact outside of your business’s direct sphere of influence. Your company can leverage its BVCM strategy to generate positive global change for our planet.
The great thing about BVCM is that it allows your business to select project types and locations that matter to you: you can build your own mix of projects to support.

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Don’t be put off by the scientific terminology. Simply, it means continuously funding climate action via high-quality carbon avoidance credits (and other types of impactful climate projects) whilst reducing your business emissions on your journey to net-zero.

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At Ecologi, we select the carbon avoidance projects we support according to our<a href="https://ecologi.com/articles/updates/how-ecologi-finds-and-funds-the-most-impactful-climate-solutions"> climate impact regionalisation strategy</a>, which focuses on directing funding towards locations and projects with the greatest potential impact.
This approach allows our in-house team to identify which, out of the ~200 quotes for carbon credits we review every month, are the most impactful.
The projects we support &#8211; which you can fund through <a href="https://ecologi.com/impact-shop">our Impact Shop</a> or through <a href="https://ecologi.com/business/integrations">our automations and integrations</a> &#8211; are also independently scrutinised by organisations like our friends at <a href="https://www.sylvera.com/">Sylvera</a>.

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Reframing carbon offsetting in a way that makes a real difference

Don’t let your business fall into the trap of thinking that buying carbon credits gets you off the hook by compensating for emissions which you haven’t attempted to reduce. That way of thinking is all wrong.
<a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/net-zero">The net-zero pathway</a> allows you to fund carbon removal credits to ‘offset’ your unavoidable emissions. However, you need to reduce your emissions as much as possible first, and only use removals for up to a maximum 10% of your initial emissions, and it has to be carbon removal, which is very expensive!
Think about your BVCM as funding climate action, full stop. It’s not about compensating to let your business keep producing emissions. It’s just one cost of running a responsible business, whilst you work to reduce your emissions directly. 
Don’t think about it in the context of letting your business carry on emitting as it was before &#8211; because that won’t contribute toward solving the climate crisis.

How to take the first step on your climate journey

Every business is different, and that means that although reducing emissions is vital, funding climate action might be the most suitable entry point for you, on your climate journey.
Through Ecologi, you can do this and more:

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If you’re still not sure where to start, <a href="https://ecologi.com/business/overview#get-in-touch">reach out to our friendly team of experts</a> who will be more than happy to find the right climate solution for your business and for our planet.

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Ecologi - Our story

How Ecologi grew from a climate action subscription to the ultimate climate companion for businesses. Read our story here!

<h2>The thought that turned to action</h2>
The story of Ecologi started one morning in 2019, when our founder <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliotcoad/">Elliot</a> picked up his morning coffee and wondered what would happen if he instead spent that money on addressing the climate crisis? 
As a keen ‘armchair environmentalist’ and self-confessed nerd, his research took him down a few rabbit holes and geek out sessions, as he explored the potential impact of just 10% of the world redirecting their loose change from cappuccino to climate action. 
He soon realised that there are ample climate solutions already available to address climate change and restore nature, and the world’s pocket change is more than enough to fund them. The idea just needed to galvanise support and turn into collective action. 
Ecologi began as a family and friend business. Elliot is experienced in product and development, and his wife <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucyjackk/">Lucy</a> is a website designer who is a deft hand with illustration and branding. They were joined by their friend <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/remotealex/">Alex</a>, a talented developer and entrepreneur who had just finished building a subscription product of his own.
Ecologi was born!

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<h2>Ecologi 1.0</h2>
Ecologi started as a subscription service for individuals to take climate action and was founded as a for-profit social enterprise to scale this idea rapidly. In a world of Netflix, Spotify, Headspace and countless other affordable subscriptions, we figured that there must surely be room in the market for something that could literally change the world? 
We decided on the name ‘Ecologi’ in awareness of two great threats to humanity; global warming, and biodiversity loss. These issues are interconnected, and we cannot solve one without the other. Therefore, the projects that we offer give our customers the opportunity to support both climate action and nature restoration in conjunction.
With an ethos based on transparency and putting our planet ahead of profit, we’ve grown a passionate community of over 18,000 businesses and 40,000 members in under five years. Through the support of our community, we’ve funded the planting of over 60 million trees, prevented over 2.5 million tonnes of CO2e from entering our atmosphere through certified carbon avoidance projects and achieved B Corp Certification. 
Our <a href="https://lookerstudio.google.com/reporting/adfb141d-4153-4c22-b6b4-976f7f3930b2/page/p_9zis9oxt3c">Public Impact Ledger</a> lifts the lid on what goes on behind the scenes here at Ecologi and delves into the evidence and detail of all things climate impact. Check out our <a href="https://ecologi.com/transparency">Transparency page</a> for evidence of our impact and finance, and meet the teams driving us forward.

<h2>The next chapter </h2>
We’ve had a great start, but there is still a lot of work to be done, and we can’t do it alone. So we’ve reset and refocused, with a bold new mission to inspire and empower businesses to accelerate global action on climate and nature. 
SMEs make up 99% of the UK business population and contribute half of all business-driven emissions in the UK. But according to a 2021 survey by the British Business Bank, only 6% are likely to have measured their carbon footprint in the last five years. <a href="https://ecologi.com/articles/blog/climate-commitments-survey">Our own research</a> also found that over four in 10 (41%) of SMEs would like their business to have a net-zero strategy, but feel confused about how to get started.
In the years ahead, the team at Ecologi will champion SMEs as green revolutionaries, empowering them on their journey to reduce emissions and take climate action. There are millions of SMEs in the UK and we believe that with the right support, they can help turn the tide on the climate crisis. 
SMEs are powerful enough to make an impact, agile enough to act fast, and unstoppable when working collectively. Just imagine what would happen if every SME rose up and took action as one? 
<h3>Check out our Climate Commitments Report</h3>
<div class="ecologi-video-full-width"><iframe src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20230328090053/Ecologi_BBB_Report_V6.pdf" width="960" height="900" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
 📁 Download the PDF report <a href="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20230328090053/Ecologi_BBB_Report_V6.pdf">here</a>

<h2>Supporting the revolution</h2>
We’ve recently concentrated our efforts on being the ultimate climate companion for SMEs, no matter what stage of the journey to net-zero they&#8217;re on. From calculating their carbon footprint, to reducing their emissions, to funding climate projects, to sharing their impact with their community. And we’ve developed a suite of products to support that journey.
<a href="https://ecologi.com/business/zero">Ecologi Zero</a> is our free and easy-to-use carbon footprinting tool for UK-based SMEs. It’s designed to remove the high-cost, technology and skills barriers to carbon footprinting by connecting seamlessly with Xero accounting software to calculate emissions from existing business data, and requiring no expertise or experience. We’re really proud of it and its potential to be a game changer in enabling SMEs to take the first step on their net-zero journey. 
We’ve also launched our all-new <a href="https://ecologi.com/business/impact-shop">Impact Shop</a>. This pay-as-you-go store for climate impact lets businesses make a purchase for our planet with no strings or subscriptions attached. This allows SMEs to support whatever type of projects mean the most to them, and fund as much impact as they like, whenever suits them. From funding tree planting in specific countries to supporting community-based projects, SMEs can choose from a range of high quality climate solutions and know that they are making a positive impact.
Finally, <a href="https://ecologi.com/business/climate-positive-workforce">Climate Positive Workforce®</a> allows SMEs to bring their employees along on the journey of climate action. This product operates like a regular subscription, compensating for the approximate carbon footprint per number of employees in your business country of operation, while also funding the planting of trees through our trusted reforestation partners. In doing so, your organisation will visualise their impact in their virtual forest, learn more about the different carbon avoidance projects they support each month, and share their impact online.
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<h2>For our planet </h2>
Our planet. This is what brought us together. It’s why we started Ecologi. It’s the purpose of our community. The reason we take collective action. And when we speak to our community, they often say that they work with us so they can do something positive for our planet. 
As we look ahead to the next chapter of Ecologi, these three small-but-mighty words have become our north star, and the core of our brand. 
Now is the time to act together. Let’s rewrite our future. For our planet. 
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Ecologi’s top 20 list of Eco-gift ideas for the festive season 2020

How to lower your impact this Christmas

1. Seedbomb

2. Climate Positive Gin from the Arbikie Distillery

3. Good Candles

4. Plastic Free Bath Products from Ethique

5. Ecologi Gifting

6. Tony’s Chocolonely Chocolate

7. Adopt an WWF elephant

8. Turtle Bags

9. Planet-Friendly Phones from Reboxed

10. Zero-waste Shave Gift Set from Know the Origin

11. Art from Artfinder

12. Rubies in the Rubble Taster Pack

13. Homemade Gifts

14. Frank Green Reusable Coffee Cup

15. Choose love, Help refugees

16. TeaPigs Pick n’ mix Gift Sets

17. The Zero-Waste Cookbook

18. Eco-Friendly Beer

19. Living Composter

20. Lucy & Yak Colourful Co-ords

A note on packaging...

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