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Instead, shell out those dollars at mom-and-pop retailers. When you shop at local businesses, you’re doing your part to support the local economy. It turns out that of every $100 you spend locally, $68 goes back toward supporting the community.
These artisan keys become necklaces and are repurposed and made by people in Los Angeles who are transitioning out of homelessness. You can customize each key with a word that carries meaning for the recipient and conveys that this gift carries both a personal and a societal impact. MMI is a longstanding member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling® (NFCC®), the nation’s largest nonprofit financial counseling organization. Founded in 1951, the NFCC’s mission is to promote financially responsible behavior and help member organizations like MMI deliver the highest-quality financial education and counseling services. MMI is proudly accredited by the Council on Accreditation , an international, independent, nonprofit, human service accrediting organization.
Snacks that give back: Women’s Bean Project
If he or she cares about children, you could sponsor a vulnerable child in the United Kingdom through a charity like The Children’s Society. Alternatively, you could sponsor a child experiencing poverty in a developing country. By sponsoring a child through a charity like Compassion UK, children suffering hardships can receive life-changing care such as food, healthcare check-ups and education. If you’re curious whether a business is indeed a socially responsible one, go to their website to learn about their mission and business model.
Made of 100% GOTS certified organic cotton mulmul, the Saanvi Ankle Dress is the perfect holiday dress. Fun and fresh with a flattering smocked bodice and pockets, it can be dressed up or down. Because of that, every piece is totally unique, often with surprise patterns hiding behind zippers. More than simply diverting waste, BeeKeeper Parade puts profits into supporting education for children in Cambodia, where Saly opened a school in his sister’s name in 2014. One way of reducing your carbon footprint is to purchase gifts locally from independent creative people. Buying local arts and crafts products not only leads to a more sustainable future.
Handmade jewelry with a cause.
For more ideas, hit up online marketplaces ShopWithMeaning.organd Latch Co., and choose by category, geography or cause. What you put on your body is just as important as what you put in it. Pamper yourself or that special someone with natural, non-toxic skin and hair care products from Seaweed Bath Company. Their innovative products help to detoxify, repair, and protect skin and hair.
This certified B Corp uses upcycled wool scraps , FSC certified natural rubber, and recycled polyester soles for the softest, coziest slippers you’ll love snuggling in. Crafted in Korea, they’re also responsibly made, carbon-neutral, and machine washable (!!!). Gift sustainable style this season, with Avocado’s dreamy Alpaca Wool Throws. Stocked in six gorgeous colorways (including a grey/camel fade ombré we’re swooning over), these blankets are handmade by Peruvian artisans with 100 percent ethically sourced alpaca fiber. Plus, they’re Climate Neutral Certified and give back via 1% for the Planet. Whether your loved ones are celebrating a new home, baby, or career milestone, this will be the most thoughtful gift for them to snuggle in and enjoy.
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This holiday season, choose gifts that don’t just put a smile on the face of the person receiving them. These thoughtful presents also make a difference to the artisans who create them, the organisations that sell them and the communities they support. Spice up your holiday cards with sustainable stationery from Paper Culture. They're offering 50% off holiday cards with the code GIVEBACK. As you begin to tackle your holiday giving goals, it makes sense to be thoughtful about buying green or socially conscious gifts. Not only does it show you honor those on your list for whom activism may be a priority, but it also enables you to use your hard-earned dollars to give a little back to the broader community.
Here, we highlight five social enterprises to help you double down on holiday cheer this season. N.B. This gift guide is written from my perspective as an adult with boomers in my life who looooove to give gifts. The mission of St. Coletta of Greater Washington is to empower children and adults with intellectual disabilities to discover their full potential. One of the easiest ways we can advocate for our planet and for producing less waste is by voting with our wallets and choosing who to buy our gifts from. Our daily lives aren’t often shaped by the struggle for basic necessities, but many people living on other continents are profoundly affected by the quest for food and clean drinking water. Private donors already cover fifty percent of the cost of these stylish expanding phone grips and phone stands, so 50% of the profit provides clean water to people in need.
Unless you’re a total scrooge, the holiday season conjures up the spirit of charitable giving along with dreams of tinsel-tied packages. Gifting for good in this way empowers marginalized groups, who benefit from the jobs and training created by these enterprises. That translates into fair wages and marketable skills for them and unique gifts with a thoughtful twist for you to share with everyone on your nice list. Fuse is a socially-conscious footwear brand that empowers women artisans in Pakistan. The purchase of their hand-embroidered sneakers supports education and financial empowerment for rural Pakistani women through employment and fair wages.
It also leads to finding more exciting and unique presents. A one-of-a-kind item will often be cherished more than a mass-produced product bought from a large chain. Soul of Africa is a social enterprise that facilitates job creation and knowledge transfer, and income generation through shoemaking, creating sustainable supply chains, and supporting community projects. The simple design of Soul of Africa’s Ababa shoes, which are hand stitched in Ethiopia, pays homage to the original humans of the Rift Valley. Soul of Africa’s shoes for adults and children are independently verified for locally sourced materials and ethical production methods by Proudly Made in Africa. Skip the big box, corporate retailers and strip mall franchises.
You can also use a reusable tote bag or used, unwanted cloth to wrap your presents. Not only will you be helping independent businesses, but you’ll reduce your carbon footprint by avoiding excessive packaging and shipping, points out Kwok. You won’t be wasting fuel on shipping, while also cutting back on unnecessary packaging.
Surprise your loved ones with colorful, handcrafted sarees, jackets, dupattas and other apparel and crafts from RangSutra. RangSutra is a collectively-owned company that is creating sustainable and fairly paid jobs for a community of over two-thousand artisans across rural India. Their beautiful handcrafted pieces are modern in design, but made using traditional techniques.
Whereas if you shop at a big box retailer, only $43 goes back into the community. Plus, you’re doing your part to keep your stomping grounds unique with its own sense of character. Ten Thousand Villages in Pasadenaspecializes in fair trade items. They have been creating opportunities for global artisans in developing countries to sell their products here locally. The store offers a wide variety of items for any budget. For our introverts, homebodies, or partners who are “impossible to shop for,” Allbirds’ Wool Dwellers are perfect for all genders and ages.
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