Every year in December the phrase ‘unusual Christmas gifts’ more than doubles in volume frequency across the world’s search engines.
Over the past few years another set of search terms has also joined the yuletide party - ‘eco-friendly sustainable gifts’.
Statistics from Google show these terms now deliver 2-3 times the volume during the run up to Christmas - as consumer demand for unique and sustainable shopping continues to increase exponentially.
So at Switch2Zero, this year we figured we solve this challenge for everyone (😉) with the ultimate in eco-friendly, sustainable, unique and original gift ideas!
Sustainable Gifts: Thoughtful, Unique, and Environmentally Friendly
Unlike traditional presents that might last only a short while, S2Z’s sustainable gifts have longevity baked into them, some even lasting forever. And no plastic toy or pair of Dad socks can compete with that!
First up on our Santa’s eco-wishlist this year are what are best described as ‘gifts for the future’. Because as well as spending money on presents from shops, why not sprinkle a little green-magic on your loved ones too.
Tree-Planting: at just 37p per tree planted, our Instant Purchase tree planting service (via our Internationally recognised partners Eden Reforestation Projects and Trees for the Future) creates a whole host of festive cheer.
Trees not only help improve the soil and biodiversity of areas they are planted in, but done rightly - as our partners do - they support the socio-economic development of the communities we work with. And, in the long-run, they will help reduce the CO2 in our atmosphere too - helping reduce the impact of climate change at a global level.
- So for as little as £9.99 you can give the gift of 27 trees to a loved one this Christmas - while actually giving an incredibly valuable lifetime gift to another community too!
Plastic Removal: The UK generates around 2.5m tons of plastic waste every year, and with only about 44% recycled, it means a huge amount either goes to landfill or is exported overseas. Sadly, a lot of this remaining 54% therefore finds its way into the environment - ending up in the oceans or our food chain.
So this Christmas take a little action to help counter this problem, with a unique gift that delivers a lifetime of benefits.
- Just £0.60p will remove a kilo of plastic from nature, before it hits our oceans and coastal areas. Our partner Plastic Bank uses plastic removal as a way to not only make our planet cleaner and healthier, but as an economic lifeline that supports communities to combat poverty and empower them. Buying 16.5kg of plastic removal via our Instant Purchase will cost you less than a tenner (£9.90 to be exact), but will take the equivalent of 825 plastic bottles out of the world’s environments!
Offsetting: Living a net zero life free of any carbon emissions is a huge task - if an admirable goal. For example, a study by Leeds University in the UK found the average student was responsible for around 4.7tons of CO₂e during the academic year - from the emissions generated during their studies and by their university, to travel, food and drink, lifestyle, clothing, shopping - and everything else. Meanwhile the average UK resident emits around 4.2 tons of CO₂e every 12-months.
So while all of us have to do our bit in reducing, reusing and recycling, this Xmas, why not give someone the unique gift of a sustainable headstart and offset their yearly emissions - so everything they do to minimise their impact has twice the value?
- Offsetting 4.7 tons of CO₂e costs just £25.85 via our Instant Purchase page (4 tons is £22.00) - with your investment only funding Gold Standard and UN Certified offset projects - so you can be 100% sure your offsets are real and make a difference.
The Ultimate Christmas Gift - Christmas without the Environmental Impact
Along with all the wanted Christmas gifts people get every year, there is another unwanted gift that always tags along too - the season’s environmental impact.
There’s no easy way to say this, but Christmas really does cost the earth. A study by the Stockholm Environment Institute showed that on average people celebrating the season generate a whopping 650kg extra of CO₂e emissions during the festive period. This is as a result not just of travel and entertaining, but the emissions that come with gift giving (manufacturing, retail, disposal, wrapping), food production and everything else we enjoy.
The environment also takes a hammering from plastic waste with the UK discarding (rather than recycling) an additional 114,000 tons - about 2kg extra per xmas celebrant!
So this Christmas, as well as focussing on the three R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle) - why not also make a huge difference to everyone’s carbon footprint by using the Swtich2Zero Christmas Net Zero gift?
For less than £5 per person, you can ensure that all your family’s fun and festivities are offset to zero, helping ensure this wonderful time of year makes the world more sustainable for the future.
View our sustainable gift ideas — and remember, every gift comes with a dedicated certificate (without the prices included) to give to your loved ones, showing you care for the planet as much as you care for them.
