It's Friendship Day! It's never too late to give a thoughtful gift to your friend, and if you are someone who cares about climate change and irresponsible consumption patterns, then why not gift your friend something that's eco-friendly and sustainable.
Here are five ideas to choose a gift for your friend:
Ethical beauty products: There are many high-profile and lesser known brands in India today creating zero-cruelty and ethical beauty products and you can take your pick according to your budget and preferences. Check out sites where every product is genuinely handmade with certified organic ingredients. Look for ingredients where there is an organic certification to ensure that everything from the soil to the water used has no adulteration. And then choose from goodies for face, hair and body, spa treats and gifts for him and her to green home products like laundry and dishwashing bars and organic towels. You will for sure find something online that is just right for a friend who worries about environmental conservation and whether or not a gift is biodegradable.
Sustainable apparel: Many brands are also going not just vegan but carbon-neutral too. So pick up something special for a special someone and help the planet and a farmer in the bargain. Fast fashion is no longer in style. Thoughtfully created, eco-senstive garments are the way forward so do a little research and you will find multiple options that are kinder to the planet.
Gift a tree: Why not choose a living and breathing gift that significantly benefits the planet? Why not gift trees to honour a cause or a loved one? Surprise a friend with a green gesture and inspire others to do the same. Check out Grow-Trees.com which is a movement to expand green cover, nourish wildlife habitats as well as forests with afforestation drives. It engages and benefits local communities and involves corporates and individuals as well. Grow-Trees.com will carry your greetings via an eTreeCertificate® to the person you are honouring to let them know about your heartfelt gesture. You can also gift trees to several people at once. This social initiative is pioneering a web-enabled, cost-effective service for individuals and companies so that they can easily plant trees globally.
Earth-friendly utilities: Big changes begins with small gestures so why not initiate a friend into a more sustainable way of living by offering them a gift hamper packed with earth-friendly goodies like a bamboo or a neem toothbrush, exfoliating loofahs and other zero waste and eco-friendly personal care products? Check out sites that offer guilt-free gifts and promote slow living, resource conservation, biodegradable packaging, fair trade , ethical sourcing, plant-based utalitarian products and a lot more.
Eco-friendly stationery: If your friend likes to journal, visit sites that offer quirky, sustainable and upcycled stationery, notepads, diaries, pouches, newspaper pens and pencils. Make sure that he products are made with 90% upcycled materials and are handcrafted. Opt for reversible, washable and organic face masks, veggie bags and home accessories ranging from furnishings, glasses, planters, coasters and a lot more upcycled stuff. Support eco-friendly brands that use waste, offcuts and extra fabric and shop for a gift that is truly green.