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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://x.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://x.ecologi.com/plan">sign up</a> to Ecologi today.

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Carbon Compensation vs. Contribution - What’s the difference?

Climate change is a topic that many of us are discussing at work each day. You may have heard terms such as ‘carbon compensation’ or ‘contribution’ being used in conversations about how to take meaningful action against climate change, but what do they actually mean, and how do they differ from one another? 
We regularly speak to businesses who have similar questions and in this guide, we’ll break it all down. Here’s a quick run-through of what we will cover:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">What are the definitions of carbon compensation and contribution?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">What is the purpose of each approach?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">What mechanisms do both approaches utilise? </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">What types of projects do they involve?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">What types of certification are associated with each approach?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">What kind of costs are associated with each approach?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">What role do they play in achieving net zero?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">What are examples of each?</li>
</ul>

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<h2>Definitions of carbon compensation and contribution</h2>
 
Carbon Compensation
Carbon compensation refers to the idea of balancing out a certain amount of carbon emissions by investing in projects that prevent or remove an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide elsewhere. This tonne-for-tonne ‘balancing’ or ‘offsetting’ is compensatory.
 
Contribution
This approach focuses on separating financial contributions from any compensatory claims. Instead, it involves directing funding to projects that will support global net-zero and nature restoration – but crucially without making compensatory claims. <a href="https://www.onepercentfortheplanet.org/join?utm_feeditemid=&amp;utm_device=c&amp;utm_term=one%20percent%20for%20the%20planet&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=ppc&amp;utm_campaign=&amp;hsa_cam=20766754741&amp;hsa_grp=155667469859&amp;hsa_mt=b&amp;hsa_src=g&amp;hsa_ad=680329727495&amp;hsa_acc=%7B8900384824%7D&amp;hsa_net=adwords&amp;hsa_kw=one%20percent%20for%20the%20planet&amp;hsa_tgt=kwd-299092657918&amp;hsa_ver=3&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwooq3BhB3EiwAYqYoEs0haU6oWnJZze5_b4QrYSQvdqPvXRSRdMCOrjloCv_URVN-RaIXIBoChu8QAvD_BwE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1% Percent For the Planet </a>is an example of this kind of scheme.

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<h2>What is the purpose of carbon compensation and contribution</h2>
 
Carbon Compensation
Compensation is aimed at achieving a ‘carbon-neutral’ status by offsetting specific emissions through equivalent carbon reduction elsewhere.
 
Contribution
Contribution focuses on supporting and financing sustainability projects and initiatives to encourage environmental stewardship, without associating this with compensation for emissions.

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<h2>What mechanisms do carbon compensation and contribution utilise?</h2>
Carbon Compensation
Compensation is carbon-centric and relies on detailed measurement and verification processes to ensure that the projects avoid or remove the claimed amount of CO2. Whilst projects may have ‘co-benefits’, project quality and credit utility is predicated on whether the carbon dioxide benefit is being delivered.
 
Contribution
Contribution is not predicated on carbon dioxide. It involves making donations to strategic funds which are designed to produce a range of benefits for net-zero and nature restoration – but may not require rigorous CO2 measurement or verification, but other kinds of monitoring and reporting are essential to ensure benefits are being realised.

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<h2>What types of projects do carbon compensation and contribution involve?</h2>
 
Carbon Compensation
Compensation is limited to projects which generate carbon credits,  typically those that are issued to an ICROA-endorsed carbon standard like Verra, Gold Standard or Puro. It includes projects such as afforestation, blue carbon removal, landfill gas, cleaner water systems and enhanced rock weathering.
 
Contribution
Contribution can include carbon credit-issuing projects but is not limited to them. Other projects that can be financed include funding for environmental research, habitat restoration, conservation programs, reforestation projects, educational initiatives, and donations to NGOs working on climate action.

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<h2>What type of certification is associated with carbon compensation and contribution?</h2>
 
Carbon Compensation: 
Carbon compensation requires third-party verification and certification by bodies such as the Gold Standard, Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and Puro to ensure the credibility of carbon credits. 
 
Contribution:
Contribution typically does not require certification as it is focused on voluntary financial support for environmental causes. However, reputable organisations receiving contributions may provide transparency reports or impact statements.

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<h2>What kind of costs are associated with carbon compensation and contribution?</h2>
 
Carbon Compensation: 
Costs for carbon compensation vary depending on the project type and verification costs. The price per tonne of CO2 offset can differ significantly with some being much more expensive than others.
 
Contribution: 
Contribution is usually more flexible when it comes to costs. This is because the focus is on voluntary contributions towards environmental outcomes,  rather than compensating for a specific amount of emissions.

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<h2>What role do carbon compensation and contribution play in achieving net zero?</h2>
 
Carbon Compensation:
The <a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/net-zero" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SBTi’s Net-Zero Standard</a> specifies that businesses must achieve a minimum 90% reduction in emissions on their path to net-zero &#8211; at which point a compensatory approach can be applied for the remaining &lt;10% of emissions which cannot be reduced directly. In this case, compensation is limited to carbon removals only, not carbon avoidance credits. To understand the difference between carbon avoidance and removal credits, <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/articles/blog/carbon-removals-vs-carbon-avoidance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">read our blog post here.</a>
 
Contribution:
The SBTi also promotes ‘beyond value chain mitigation’ known as BVCM. This involves a company funding climate action to support global net-zero efforts. BVCM does not count towards the organisation’s own corporate net-zero goals, however, the SBTi considers it “urgent and essential” that businesses contribute to global climate action outside of their value chain.

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<h2>Examples of carbon compensation and contribution</h2>
 
Carbon Compensation:
A company offsets its annual carbon emissions by investing in carbon credits from a landfill methane capture project that prevents an equivalent volume of emissions.
Contribution: 
A company contributes to an environmental project that works on biodiversity conservation, without claiming an offset of its own emissions. Instead, the company reports on how much it contributed, and the outcomes intended, and monitors the project’s progress over time.

<h2>Conclusion</h2>
In summary, Carbon Compensation focuses on the idea of ‘balancing’ or ‘offsetting’ emissions through purchasing carbon credits. The credits purchased are often used to offset emissions generated by businesses.  Contribution focuses on funding projects that support global net-zero goals without compensatory claims. Through supporting a contribution model, you can support a wide range of projects all offering crucial co-benefits, and in some cases, credit-issuing projects too. 
Both approaches play a critical role in supporting climate action. The Oxford Principles for Aligned Net Zero recommend a combination of carbon compensation (durable removals only)  and contribution to help maximise impact. At Ecologi, we believe that while both have their merits, prioritising high-quality, holistic climate action through a contribution-based approach is the best way to support global net-zero efforts and future-proof your sustainability strategy. This is why we created <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/business/ecologi-impact-funds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Impact Funds</a> &#8211; to allow our customers to support a wide range of projects that contribute to a particular climate goal.

<h2>Why did you create Impact Funds?</h2>
Our industry is moving and evolving all the time in an effort to reach global Net Zero goals and at Ecologi we witnessed the challenges firsthand through our Impact Partners, below is a quote from our Impact Partnerships Manager, Katie; 
<blockquote>At Ecologi, our partners were extracting tree-planting costs from a wider landscape restoration project because that’s what the market wanted. We need to change this &#8211; and educate the market on the solutions our planet needs.</blockquote>
Contribution models are increasingly focused on outcomes rather than inputs and go beyond metrics such as carbon credits purchased, or the number of trees planted. These projects produce a host of diverse impacts that aren’t being captured by single metrics. Supporting projects such as landscape restoration focused on the wider strategy &#8211; in addition to tree planting, landscape restoration captures co-benefits such as increased biodiversity, improved soil health, and reduced pollution.
Interested to learn more? <a href="https://info.ecologi.com/ecologi-impact-funds/get-started" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get in touch to find out more about our Impact Funds</a>.

Speak to our team. We're here to help you find your perfect climate solution.

Case studies

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Case Study: BioPak UK

<h2>About BioPak UK</h2>
A world without waste. That’s the mission of BioPak, and they’re working hard to achieve it. By disrupting the current take, make, waste model, BioPak’s sustainable food packaging solutions are leading the way to a truly circular economy.
Founded in 2006, BioPak has become a globally recognised brand, loved by businesses and consumers across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the US, Hong Kong and Singapore.
BioPak’s packaging solutions are designed to be better for our planet. They use renewable plant-based materials that are sourced responsibly. To promote responsible disposal of their packaging, BioPak encourages composting through their Compost Connect scheme—a not-for-profit initiative that connects customers to compost pick-up services.

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BioPak is better for people too. The company is B Corp certified and donates 5% of all profits to positive change via their Give Back Fund. BioPak is a business that’s truly committed to the principles of the Triple Bottom Line: People, Planet, and Profit.

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<h2>Issue</h2>
BioPak’s commitment to combating climate change is unwavering. Having been carbon neutral certified for over a decade, in 2022 the team took the strategic decision to shift away from carbon-neutrality, and instead focus on emissions reduction.
This decision wasn’t taken lightly, but they recognised the need to move beyond mere carbon offsetting. They view it as a leap forward rather than a step back, and a move to create a more substantial positive influence on the planet. 
The team believes that understanding their total carbon footprint is vital. They are dedicated to clarifying the sources of their emissions, which span the entire product lifecycle, encompassing offices, product transportation, packaging production, raw material extraction, and end-of-life emissions.
BioPak uses an independent third party to measure their carbon footprint, cost to the environment (including impact on biodiversity, human health, climate change and material scarcity) and lifecycle phases of their products. This is done to enhance transparency, accountability and demonstrate their commitment to combating greenwashing.
BioPak is serious about combating climate change, with reducing carbon emissions being crucial in achieving this goal. A key part of this goal is supporting industrial composting through the Compost Connect scheme. The team is committed to diverting food waste and compostable packaging from landfill and incineration by making compost facilities more accessible across Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
Working together with customers, BioPak truly believes it can pave the way for a more sustainable world for future generations.

<h2>Challenges</h2>
As a B Corp and leader in sustainable food packaging, the team at BioPak feels a keen obligation for environmental stewardship. They describe BioPak as a “profit for purpose business”, and as such are driven to preserve and protect the environment while giving back to the communities in which they operate. 
To honour this obligation, BioPak set up its Give Back Fund in 2012, and since then have dedicated their time and energy to partnering with leading environmental and social charities to bring about positive change. So far they have donated a total of £2,495,352.
In the last decade, BioPak’s commitment to Australian environmental conservation has flourished through a partnership with Rainforest Rescue, which has planted and safeguarded 95,720 trees and reclaimed eight hectares of endangered Daintree Rainforest.

<h2>Solution </h2>
BioPak donates 1% of all profits to community and environmental projects, and here in the UK we’re proud that Ecologi has been chosen to support that commitment through tree planting. The team firmly believes that tree planting is a powerful solution that produces oxygen, stores carbon, and helps tackle climate change.
BioPak’s reforestation work with Ecologi underpins a global commitment to ecological restoration. This ambitious initiative is a cornerstone of BioPak’s corporate responsibility ethos, aiming to not only mitigate the impacts of climate change but also foster local biodiversity, enhance soil health, and support local communities in achieving sustainable development goals.
Working with Ecologi proves BioPak’s cast iron commitment to the environment, and in turn boosts its credibility, enhances its brand reputation and helps its customers make a positive impact. The team regularly communicates their sustainability milestones with customers and colleagues alike, through impact certificate, emails and internal communications.

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<h2>Outcome</h2>
Since 2021 BioPak has planted 102,479 trees with Ecologi, and the team plans to continue to regularly donate to increase this figure as much as they can. 
As a profit-for-purpose business, BioPak’s commitment to protecting the environment is vital in retaining current customers and attracting new customers, who are looking to make a positive impact through their supply chain. The Give Back Fund, and the work with partners like Ecologi, remains a fundamental part of BioPak’s brand messaging and ethos.
Sam Walker, Technical Director at BioPak UK, said:
<blockquote>It&#8217;s great to partner with Ecologi and support both the large scale reforestation projects they do and the more grass roots initiatives which really make a difference locally&#8230; Reforestation and habitat restoration are the foundations of reversing biodiversity loss and critical in the fight against climate change. We&#8217;re proud to work with Ecologi and share the impact data with our customers.</blockquote>

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<h2>Is your business ready to take climate action?</h2>
If this article has inspired your business to start its climate journey, talk to our team today.

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At Ecologi we believe in transparency, which is why, when we make changes, we want to let you know.
As of Tuesday 1st October 2024, we will be making a few changes to the Ecologi Impact Shop, including discontinuing some projects, as well as adding new ones and changing our prices slightly. 
Keep reading to find out more, or jump to the section on <a href="#customers">What these changes mean for our customers</a>, or our <a href="#faqs">FAQs</a>.

<h2>Update to our ‘Carbon avoidance’ project</h2>
We will be removing our generic ‘<a href="https://x.ecologi.com/impact-shop/support-carbon-avoidance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Carbon avoidance</a>’ product from the Impact Shop, and replacing it with a new type of carbon avoidance project, which specifically supports landfill methane capture. This project is among the first in the world to receive the CCP-Approved quality label from the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM).
<h3>Why are we making this change?</h3>
In June of this year, the ICVCM, an independent governance body dedicated to establishing a global benchmark for high-quality carbon credits, <a href="https://icvcm.org/integrity-council-announces-first-high-integrity-ccp-labelled-carbon-credits-as-assessments-continue/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced the first carbon-crediting methodologies</a> that meet its high-integrity Core Carbon Principles (CCPs).
As part of this, the ICVCM have applied its ‘CCP-Approved’ label to a variety of projects that tackle potent greenhouse gases by capturing methane from landfill sites (like our supported <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/projects/avoiding-methane-emissions-from-landfill-in-brazil" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Macaubas LFG project</a>), and by destroying ozone-depleting foams and refrigerant gases from discarded equipment such as refrigerators and air conditioners.
We have been supporting landfill gas projects through our platform since our early days, including some of these first projects which have received this ICVCM stamp of approval. Effective on 1st October 2024, we are replacing the general ‘support carbon avoidance projects’ product on our Impact Shop, to specifically support these newly CCP-Approved landfill methane capture projects.

<h2>Discontinuation of our ‘Renewable energy carbon avoidance’ project</h2>
In addition, we will be removing the ‘<a href="https://x.ecologi.com/impact-shop/support-renewable-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Renewable energy carbon avoidance</a>’ product from our Impact Shop. The ICVCM recently decided it would not award the existing renewable energy credit methodologies its CCP-Approved label, so we’ve opted to preemptively stop offering these on our platform. For additional insight into this decision, we encourage you to read our <a href="#faqs">FAQs</a> further down on this page.
<h3>Why are we making this change?</h3>
One of the next decisions made by the ICVCM as part of its assessment of carbon credit methodologies was to acknowledge that existing renewable energy generation credit methodologies do not meet the standard to achieve CCP-Approval. 
One key reason these methodologies don’t meet the CCP-Approved criteria is that the methodologies themselves fail to meet the stringent requirements for additionality, a key factor in ensuring that carbon credits represent genuine emissions reductions that wouldn&#8217;t have occurred without the carbon finance. See this quote from Sylvera on what additionality refers to: 
<blockquote>Additionality refers to the causal relationship between the project&#8217;s activities and the climate benefits it claims including the risk of the project over-crediting. A project is considered additional if the project activities would not have occurred without the revenue from a voluntary carbon credit. The additionality score is a function of how likely it is that the project is additional, and how likely it is that the project is over-crediting on the carbon avoidance or removal it is delivering.</blockquote>
Ecologi has always had a regionalised approach to our impact, consistently applying additional scrutiny to the projects we elect to support through our platform. Only six renewable energy projects are currently eligible for receipt of funding from our platform – out of an estimated &gt;2,200 renewable energy projects on the voluntary carbon market. Our careful selection process has ensured that we consider not only the type of project but also its specific implementation location.
For example, we have deliberately chosen not to fund large hydroelectric dams due to their associated social and environmental risks and we have generally steered clear of offshore wind projects, favouring onshore wind solutions that are more appropriate for the regions we support. We have always prioritised those situated in areas where the energy grid is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels, such as Morocco and Mexico, to maximise impact as much as possible.
This all said, following the ICVCM’s ruling on renewables, we have made the decision to stop offering renewable energy carbon credits via our Impact Shop.
We believe it is a good thing that the ICVCM is rejecting certain methodologies from receiving its high-quality label. This rigorous approach is necessary to maintain and improve the integrity of the carbon market – to raise the quality of projects across the board – and to ensure that all participants can trust that their investments are driving real, additional climate benefits.

<h2>Updates to pricing on the Impact Shop</h2>
Finally, on October 1st we will be updating pricing across our Impact Shop to reflect recent changes in market prices, and as a result some of our products will be cheaper to support.
<h3>Why are we making this change?</h3>
As part of our commitment to staying aligned with the evolving voluntary carbon market and providing the best prices we can to customers, we are also adjusting our pricing structure. To better reflect current market prices, we have reviewed and updated all the prices for carbon projects, some of which have reduced in price slightly. We are pleased to report that none of our existing projects have increased in price.
Pricing in the carbon market is dynamic, influenced by a variety of factors including regulatory updates, market demand, geographies, ratings, and broader project qualities. We aim to stay responsive to these changes and ensure that our offerings continue to provide value to all stakeholders involved, from project developers to buyers and the communities benefiting from these projects.
As an impact-driven organisation who put planet first, we want to ensure that we are responsive to the market and our customers are getting the best deal for the impact they want to support.

<h2>What do these changes mean for our customers?</h2>
There are no direct actions that our customers will need to take in light of these changes.
As of October 1st you will notice that our generic ‘<a href="https://x.ecologi.com/impact-shop/support-carbon-avoidance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Carbon avoidance</a>’ project and our ‘<a href="https://x.ecologi.com/impact-shop/support-renewable-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Renewable energy carbon avoidance</a>’ project will no longer be available on the Impact Shop. You will also notice that our new CCP-Approved landfill gas capture project will be available to support, and that the price of some of our existing projects have decreased slightly.

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...

More posts

Carbon Compensation vs. Contribution: what’s the difference?

Case study: How BioPak UK is engaging customers and leading the way to a world without waste

Upcoming changes to the Ecologi Impact Shop

Stay in touch with Ecologi