This year I made a conscious effort to purchase gifts that are more ethical and sustainable. Not all the Christmas gifts I gave fit these categories, but in past years, I never even considered whether the gifts I bought for loved ones were ethical. Rather than overhauling my lifestyle overnight and burning out after a couple of weeks, I’m making small, manageable changes and building on them over time. With that in mind, I wanted to share the progress I’ve made this month by talking about some of the gifts I purchased. These are all items that I actually gave to my friends and family this year.

For my sister, I bought this ring from ABLE, a brand working to end generational poverty and create jobs for women who have overcome extraordinary circumstances. With this purchase, I not only got to give a unique, handmade gift, but I am also helping to provide jobs for women in a safe and healthy environment.

I gave my brother this water bottle from Hydro Flask. It keeps cold drinks cold, hot drinks hot, and keeps plastic bottles out of landfills. Hydro Flask also has its own charitable giving organization, Parks for All, which helps build, maintain, and improve access to parks. 

One thing I gave my boyfriend this year was this three-pack of socks from PACT. He really needed some new “work socks,” and these are made from organic cotton in Fair Trade Certified factories. They’re also really affordable. Win-win!

I also wrapped all my gifts this year in 100% recycled packing paper. It’s a little less festive than the regular kind, but I dressed it up a bit with some ribbon I had on hand, and I think it turned out pretty well. Next year I hope to make even more progress in giving ethical, sustainable gifts that hopefully won’t end up in the back of someone’s closet, or worse, taking up space in a landfill.

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored. All items shown were purchased with my own money.