Are you planning a plastic-free festive season this year? Or looking for other ways to reduce your carbon footprint at the time of year when many of us spend the most and waste the most? Or do you want to buy gifts that support charities? Then look no further than this gift guide, which has some bright ideas for how to be festive without the cost to planet or humans.
Instead of buying from multinational companies this year, consider buying from a small business or a maker. Handmade gifts can be found at these galleries and shops: Australian Design Centre, Craft Victoria, Craft ACT, Design Tasmania, JamFactory and Artisan.
You might also want to consider the option of gifting an invisible gift, like a subscription to a streaming service, or a ticket to a class or experience. Food is another great way to gift without waste.
1. Fjällraven is known for their stylish, quality backpacks and their latest offering, called Tree Kånken, is made from wood. This bio-material, called Pine Weave, is made from certified Swedish trees grown close to Fjällräven’s hometown of Örnsköldsvik and is part of the company’s efforts to find innovative new alternatives to fossil fuels. fjallraven.com.au
- 2. Books are the perfect gift. From a carbon footprint point of view, they deliver a lot for a little and, if you are worried about the trees, many are now made with recycled or alternative paper.
For design lovers, here are some ideas:
The Green Imperative : Ecology and Ethics in Design and Architecture by Victor Papanek (Bookshop by URO)
Architecture at the Heart of the Home by Jan Henderson and Dianna Snape (Thames & Hudson)
Architects After Architecture: Alternative Pathways for Practice by Editors: Harriet Harriss, Rory Hyde and Roberta Maraccio (Bookshop by URO)
The New Curator: Exhibiting Architecture and Design by Fleur Watson (Bookshop by URO)
Koichi Takada: Architecture, Nature and Design (Koichi Takada)
3. In the land of sustainable sneakers, Veja is king (or queen). Operating since 2005, the French brand mixes social projects, economic justice and ecological materials. The shoe pictured is Condor 2, which has a light upper, laces, cords and technical lining made from 100% recycled plastic bottles, a midsole made of sugar cane and an outsole made of Amazonian rubber and rice waste. www.veja.fr or iconic.com.au
4. When it comes to decorations, avoid plastic and instead invest in good quality items that you can bring out year on year. I love the green and white Stringybark Moss Tablecloth by Utopia Goods, an Australian brand with textiles inspired by Australian botanicals and made in India. Artist Bruce Slorach was inspired by The Grampians of Western Victoria, where he grew up, and the oblique shape of the Stringybark leaf. Photo: Derek Henderson utopiagoods.com
5. Defy Design is a Sydney-based organisation that makes plant pots, coasters, combs and other objects from recycled plastic, bringing new life to old waste. I particularly like the Calm Buddi Turtle, which was designed as a calming object for people who fidget. It has smooth surfaces on the outside and spiky surfaces inside, contrasting sensations that are proven to have a grounding effect to relieve symptoms of anxiety. www.defydesign.org
6. One of Twelve makes and sells ties, scarves and billum bags, working with Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art centres, and with community cooperatives in Papua New Guinea. This scarf features George Tjungurrayi’s untitled painting, which relates to the claypan site of Mamultjulkulnga, on the western side of Wilkinkarra (Lake Mckay). It features the artist’s signature two-tone palette and rhythmic linework, printed on both sides of 100% silk satin. oneoftwelve.com
7. As an alternative to single-use plastics, Memobottle makes a reusable bottle that is conveniently shaped with a long flat body to sit pressed up against a laptop, notebooks or books. Memobottle is a certified B Company and every bottle sold provides one person with five months’ access to clean water. Pictured is the A6 with silicon sleeve in Sea Mist. www.memobottle.com.au
8. Why not gift the experience of making with clay? There are workshop studios all over Australia selling classes or at-home kits – a great gift idea for someone creative. Project Snail is the closest one to me in Newtown (their pottery at home kit is pictured), but there’s plenty all over Sydney, including Kil.n.it Glebe, The Pottery Shed Surry Hills and Clay Sydney Enmore and Marrickville.
9. Buying for a little person? Kinderfeets is a US brand making balance bikes out of sustainable timbers. The Tiny Tot Trike is made of bamboo and is suitable for 12-month-old kids, and converts into a balance bike as they reach 24 months. Distributed in Australia by Artiwood and available from retailer Lucas Loves Cars. lucaslovescars.com.au
10. Happy Box is an initiative that boxes up toiletries and beauty products to send to women in remote communities in Australia. The organisation says: “The purpose of a Happy Box is to not only provide access to women who would otherwise go without, but to spread kindness and happiness.” They also sell Happy Totes, with every purchase allowing them to send the exact same tote to one of the women they support, except theirs arrives filled with all the essentials they may otherwise go without. happyboxesproject.com
