Gift Guide 2021: Dopper's sustainable gift picks
Written by: Anika Morris, Copywriting Intern Extraordinaire
The holiday season is upon us. It seems to start earlier every year. But don’t panic, we at Dopper have curated the gift guide of all gift guides, full of sustainable ideas and eco-friendly gifts to help you through all the chaos this silly season. And because we know ‘shop local’ are two of your favourite words, we've selected the very best from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Enjoy.
The Netherlands
The gift of good fortune
J Label was founded by two BFFs that share a mutual love for sustainability and fair clothing. They are all about conscious clothing choices, ethical production, fair working conditions and transparency. And it shows... pun intended.
Their newest collection features the crane bird which represents luck and good fortune. This is for the person in your life who wants to know who made their clothing, likes organic cotton and wants to rest easy knowing trees have been planted to offset the emissions from shipping. Plus, a little luck is always welcome.
Setting the sustainable mood
Candles are always a good idea. And this one is from our friends at Four Leaves, the sustainable and of course organic cotton bed linen and towel company. Meaning you can support their wonderful mission, even if your giftee doesn't need new sheets.
This gift is for that person that could use a little R&R after work. The candles are not only aesthetically pleasing, they also smell amazeballs because of the essential oils packed into them. Think Lavender, Neroli, and Ho Wood. Yes, that’s a real thing. Don’t google it. The best part is the stress-relieving effects and the distinct scent of Sri Lankan Cardamom which promotes a positive mood. Winning.
Support the Shepherds
Ahoy! When it comes to sustainable gift ideas, there's probably no better gift than to donate on behalf of someone. Sea Shepherd is really on the front line when it comes to marine life protection. But it’s a storm sea out there, Matey. So, a donation goes a long way. While the founder was Canadian (hi there, Paul), the Dutch chapter can use all the help they can get. Of course, every donation comes with a dolphin backflip, turtle high five and a whale wave.
But how to gift it? We have you covered. Nope, not a boring email. How about a trip to the beach and a message in the sand? (Perhaps just make sure they're not expecting the other kind of message people write in the sand. That could be awkward.)
Get (re)cycling
Did you hear the latest from Swapfiets? They have e-bikes too. This really is a gift for anyone. Friends with a long commute. An older relative. That keen bean person who has wanted to try an e-bike for the longest time. Or that person who seems to collect memberships (Disney+ ánd Netflix?); add this one to their subscriptions.
Swapfiets made the list because of their sustainability efforts which contribute to more liveable cities. By closing the loop of repair, reuse, refurbish, recycle, their bike memberships help make bicycles more circular and sustainable.
Germany
It's in the bag
This is the gift for that ‘always on the go’ person. An upcycled plastic (from the ocean) rolltop backpack. Ta- da! Because we love a company on a mission to rid the oceans of plastic pollution. Sound familiar? (Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge.) Buying one of these bags means 3.5 kg of marine plastic will be recovered from the ocean and upcycled into what we think is a pretty cool bag. Fashionable, sustainable and upcycled. How amazing is that?
Lead the sustainable way
Gift a net. To a dog, and its owner of course. Confused? Let us explain. Bracenet helps save the seas by recovering fishing nets that have been abandoned – also (eerily) known as ghost nets – and upcycling them. So these leads are made from pieces of ghost nets, which means they’re no longer destroying ecosystems and marine animals’ lives. Bonus: recycled fishnet leads are strong. Like really freaking strong. They can take a beating. So, that means doggo can have a whale of a time in the park. No worries.
The case for less plastic waste
More than 1.5 billion plastic phone covers are disposed of every year. That’s a lot of unnecessary plastic waste. So, what’s the alternative, you ask? A sustainable, compostable, non-plastic, chic UNUYA case. Each set sold helps to collect 1 kg of plastic in Cambodia with Pro Ocean. Creating jobs and fighting plastic pollution – seems like a win, win in our humble opinion. Bonus: the cover comes with a recyclable strap. Perfect for that person in your life who’s always misplacing their phone. Bless their little cotton socks.
Belgium
Raise your wine bottle
Ever thought to yourself whilst recycling your empty wine bottles: “Someone should make these into glasses”? Wellll... someone has, and funnily enough they go by the name IWAS. Get it? IWAS.. a bottle? We like their style. This is the perfect gift for the person who (nearly) has it all, because we bet they don’t have these funky glasses in their kitchen. We also bet they will enjoy sharing the cool story that goes with them, because who doesn’t love upcycling?
Plastic-free tea. Or shots.
Gimber. Like gember. Like ginger? That's right, it’s the ginger drink. Perfect for tea, shots or even a cheeky cocktail. It could be the gift for that healthy lifestyle person we all know and love. Or the ginger addict and possibly the experimental bar(wo)man. Bonus, with Gimber your tea drinking buddy can ditch the plastic-containing teabags. This ginger drink will give them a boost of natural energy with its high-quality organic ginger and it comes in a gift set so you're ready to rock and roll. Did someone say glass swizzle sticks? Cheers!
Sustainable soaking
Who stole the soap from the bathtub? The robber ducky. Yep, we made that joke and we're not ashamed of it. Jokes aside, we found the perfect sustainable gifts to class up any bathroom: plastic-free, locally made, soaps and shampoo bars from L’arbre à Savon. We had you at plastic-free, right?
This gift is for... anyone who bathes, really. And who doesn’t want a bathroom full of single-use plastic bottles. Whether it's the person who loves to take a moment for themselves and their 10-step skincare routine, or the 1-step kind of person with one shampoo bar for everything. (They know who they are.)
Unwaste their time
From the bin to your desk - Redopapers starts from waste. They look for available waste streams then they start to design their product. So smart. The end result? No waste, and cool products. Clever, much? They have planners, notebooks, to-do lists, you name it. This is a great gift for that organised person in your life - or the unorganised one that needs a little help. Sustainability is at the core of this company. All their products are made from paper that would normally go straight to landfill.
That's a wrap!
On our sustainable gift ideas. On the off chance that you didn't find your perfect gift yet, we’ve got one final ace up our sleeve: our very own Dopper Insulated. Yes, we're absolutely biased. But we’ve also never met anyone who didn’t enjoy being gifted our ocean-saving insulated water bottle for all seasons.
After all, who wouldn’t want a bottle that keeps your water hot for 9 hours, cold for 24, and keeps you saving our oceans. All. Year. Long.
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