Plastic free gifts & zero waste gifts

Choosing plastic free gifts

The most useful plastic free gifts replace something the person would otherwise buy again and again in plastic. A soap bar replaces a bottle of shower gel, a safety razor replaces disposable razors, and reusable pads replace cotton wool. Pick swaps that suit their routine, so the gift gets used rather than put away. Swole Panda, Bouclé, Habulous, Flawless and Faith in Nature make many of the gifts here. We checked each brand for what its products are made from and how they are packed.

Bathroom swaps

Faith in Nature makes soap bar packs in tea tree, coconut and aloe vera, plus shampoo and body wash refill sets in aluminium bottles. Flawless makes a shampoo and conditioner bar bundle, and Clean U Skincare makes a bamboo double edge safety razor. Auklett makes reusable bamboo cotton pads with a konjac sponge, and Georganics makes oral care bundles. Bouclé makes a refillable amber glass hand wash bottle, which looks good by the sink and can be topped up from a larger refill for years.

Plastic free presents to wear and keep

Habulous makes recycled glass necklaces and bracelets, and Swole Panda makes rope bracelets and woven belts, some in recycled materials. Votch makes solar watches charged by light, and Bear Essentials makes sunglasses with wood temples and a cat-eye pair with recycled ocean plastic. Bouclé makes recycled woven shopper bags with screenprints, and SKNFED makes a reusable cotton drawstring bag that doubles as gift wrap.

A lower-waste Christmas

Keep This Cracker makes reusable Christmas crackers you fill yourself and use again each year. So Just Shop sells jute star Christmas decorations, and Bouclé sells matches in an amber glass jar. For the kitchen, Green Island makes a bamboo dish brush and soap dish bundle, and MadeKind makes a cleaning kit with refills. Wrap gifts in fabric or recycled paper and string to keep plastic out of the whole present. Christmas & Seasonal has reusable crackers, Plastic Free Soap has more soap bars, Gift Wrapping has eco gift wrap, and Zero waste swaps for everyday life: The prioritised list has more swaps.