The guide to giving zero waste gifts in 2024 (150 eco gift ideas!!)

It's here! The annual zero waste gift guide, yay! We cover all things low waste gifts from giving physical items from zero waste brands to gifting experiences and even some DIY and FREE gift ideas this year. I hope you're ready for this low waste gift guide! What eco gifts are you giving this year?

Videos mentioned/recommended:

Timestamps:
00:00 - Tips for eco gift giving
2:06 - Eco themed book ideas
3:32 - Eco hobbies
6:40 - Zero waste swaps
7:48 - Gifts for the home
10:14 - Health and beauty
11:47 - Accessory ideas
12:23 - Clothing gifts
13:47 - Tech gifts
14:35 - Food and drink
16:28 - Gifts for your pets
16:57 - Eco gifts for kids
17:36 - FREE gift ideas!!
22:39 - Experience gift ideas
23:57 - Use your skills
24:36 - General gift ideas
25:13 - Zero waste stores to support
25:45 - Go giftless this year
26:25 - More tips for an eco Christmas
27:07 - Bloopers

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[melissam]

Great list as always! Last year instead of buying everyone gifts I brought over a bunch of home canned pie filling, jam, and applesauce and let people take what they wanted. It was a hit! This year I'm planning on making some baking and spice mixes as well.

[karinhart]

Wow! Lots of great ideas! Want to underline the idea of giving your friends some babysitting. Some friends were getting overwhelmed with 2 boys under 10, so I gave them coupons for 12 nights of babysitting so they could have a DATE NIGHT once a month during the coming year. 😎

[gkb_wildlife]

I was skeptical about Pela cases at first cause I wasn't sure how biodegradable they really were. Well, I did field work in the Sahara Desert where the temp was 130 Fahrenheit (54 Celsius) and it started to disintegrate haha so they definitely biodegrade! (also i've dropped my phone so often and pela has always protected it so when it's not so boiling outside it's super sturdy!)

[josephhughes]

Great list!!! definitely interested in a Fairphone review/deep dive, they definitely seem decently sustainable but there are such mixed reviews on the fairphone 5 & their new Fairbuds, it seems a love it or hate it thing, their Fairbuds are their most interesting product in my opinion, I need a new phone so I’m currently considering it.

Walking pads (compact treadmills) are something I would recommend looking into, great idea especially if you’re on the move a lot/living in an RV, I want to try one to calm my ADHD/mental health without my autism getting over stimulated by the outside haha.

This comment is so long oh no 🤣 but a friend gifted me a donation to a children’s charity last year without me asking and it almost brought a tear to my eye it was the best gift in my life 😭

[MichaelSmith-fjdi]

I suggest that, when giving someone something, give them an experience, money, a gift card to a place that you know that they’ll use it at, or something that they asked for or that you know they’ll use. For instance, for my sister’s birthday this year, I took her to see the eclipse as her birthday was three days before the eclipse. That’s what I recommended, and I think something like this is more sustainable than clothing or other stuff that they might not use.

[helmickkm]

I LOVVVVEEEE Oak and Willow! Hailey got me hooked with just her fun personality, then I fell in love with her business model, then she made me a forever customer with how good her products are! Because of the shipping cost, I just place one large order a couple times a year, and I’m always foaming at the mouth waiting for my delivery.

[lostinthemission]

Thank you so much for this video! It’s not only a great time to gift but reminds me it’s a great time for a purge of items to my no buy group, then maybe they can be used as gifts ☺️

[nataliet]

This was SO comprehensive with so many ideas and examples. And unique ones, too - not just the same stuff I always hear. Immediate subscribe!

[Julia-ydbo]

My wife and I never give each other presents, we cook good food on the holidays and enjoy our time, maybe lend a movie.
We live really minimalistic and when she wants something for her hobbies (she loves art) I search for the best product and buy it whenever she wants it, just not as a holiday gift.
We don't really have a lot of friends we give presents to but when we do I propagate plants and give them some plant cutting in a cute recycled jars or bake a bread.

[TranquilityChiba]

I'm planning on making some jar gifts, specifically desserts. But I also got a jar soup recipe book and there are a few different bean soups you could pair with the heirloom beans. The jar soups were for me lol. I got both books from my local library's second hand store.

[PassingThrough-pl]

Lots of great Ideas, thank you! Most of these would be applicable for birthdays also. We did decide not to do the big family gift exchange this year, just doing gifts in our own households.

[Lnel]

The most zero waste gift is giving money. My husband’s family’s idea of a great Christmas is to have piles of presents under the Christmas tree, the bigger the happier you’re supposed to be, so, people get tons of unwanted things for Christmas and you spend countless hours hunting for things at the stores.

[meganhamlyn]

I have a Breezi bidet- it’s amazing! Great video…lots of variety!

[big_and_bookish]

Could you possibly do a video on some good charities to request that family members could donate to on our behalf as a Christmas gift? I want to ask friends and family to donate to some charities but I’m not sure where to start finding ones that legitimately put their donations toward the cause they claim they support. Thank you!

[Legostarwarslover]

WAIT STOP A BOOK SLEEVE IS SO SMART!!! My paperbacks are hanging on by a THREAD 😅

[emilywilson]

Thank you so much for the time you put into your videos, I love your perspective towards gift giving. I like how customizable your tips are so no matter your budget or accessibility, there is something for everyone. :)

[logand]

Thanks for such a thorough, creative and inspirational video!

[ciannacoleman]

Love Thriftbooks! 90+% of the books i buy whether gift or personal are second hand. Especially good since with 10 kids in the extended family all of whom get books for Christmas/birthdays it is way easier on my budget 😂
Bidets are 10/10 i have Luxe ones. Just got a second for my fiance's house and had to explain to my mom why i needed a second and didnt just move mine (which is getting put in the second bathroom after the wedding), apparently i have not veen very vocal about how wonderful the bidet is.

[ArtichokeHunter]

I might have missed this but I've gotten some fun free gifts for people from clothing swaps (with the added bonus of finding new homes for items I won't use). sizing can be a challenge, but if you know it well or you go for accessories, you can find good stuff and keep it out of the thrift store or landfill.

[imogenepaige]

Perfect!! Thank you so much! As a side note, I wouldn’t take books from the free little library, as the people who’s house it is in front of actually pay for those books (at least in my area) so when people take them they have to find a new book to put in the library. They are intended for people to read and then return. Great video!!