< Back to Main Blog Posted: Nov 2021

A guide for sustainable Christmas gifting

No idea what to get your beloved ones this Christmas? Our gift guide contains ideas for most type of people and gives a shout out to an array of fellow B Corps, who are all striving to do their bit for the planet, so by shopping with them, you make the world a better place and your gifting a little more sustainable.

For those who already have everything:

Hobbs House Bakery is a fifth generation family bakery. All their bread is handmade in their Chipping Sodbury bakery by skilled bakers. They pride themselves on only using the finest ingredients. They use ethical and sustainable decisions to reduce their flour footprint. Hobbs House Bakery has five shops and sells their bread online and wholesale distribution. Their mission is handmade bread for everyone.

Allbirds, Toms, Veja and VivoBarefoot all provide sustainable footwear for shoes people feel good in and about.

Finisterre makes enduring outdoor wear inspired by the sea and built for adventure. Check their range of jackets, organic tees, recycled swimwear and more on their website…

Pala Eyewear offers quality, design-led, sustainable eyewear created using eco-friendly materials in small batch production – and delivers lasting change, by funding eyecare projects in Africa with profits from each pair sold.

Riverford was founded by farmer Guy Singh-Watson in Devon in 1986, where he started delivering organic vegetables to 30 local homes via what was one of the first veg box schemes. Riverford now delivers around 70,000 organic veg boxes every week across the country to a loyal band of customers who share the company’s environmental and ethical ethos. Why not buy one of their boxes as a present this year?

What says ‘I love you’ more than delicious ice cream delivered to your door? Jude’s has the perfect solution: their ice cream gift box for that special someone, the gift box is carbon negative and all emissions from shipping are fully offset… Now that’s a sweet treat with a conscience!

For those with a sweet tooth:

Tony’s Chocolonely's vision is 100% slave-free chocolate. Not just their chocolate, but all chocolate worldwide. With incredibly tasty chocolate they lead by example and show the world that chocolate can be made differently.

Divine Chocolate is the only Fairtrade chocolate company that is also co-owned by cocoa farmers. The company is driven by its mission to use the amazing power of chocolate to delight and engage, while also bringing people together to create dignified trading relations, thereby empowering producers and consumers globally.

Doisy & Dam, co-founded by best friends Edward Smith & Richard Wilkinson, is on a mission to bring a bit of healthy indulgence into our lives. They make innovative and exciting chocolate but aim to keep it as simple as possible. There are no hidden ingredients and nothing artificial, just superdelicious, real chocolate. Each bar is lovingly hand-crafted in the UK using the best quality, organic ingredients, ethically sourced from all over the world.

For those who love tea:

Brew Tea Co. is an independent tea company based in Manchester. They make awesome tea with rolled, whole leaves, and supply their Drinkers and Stockists with proper brews all over the world.

Nick and Louise started Teapigs in November 2006 with one mission – to get the nation drinking real tea again and make great quality tea accessible to everyone.

For those who love coffee:

So This is Coffee (Amamus): a small business with huge ambitions to improve the quality of coffee in the workplace with an exclusive focus on the stories and people behind Specialty grade coffees.

Cafédirect is the leading Fairtrade hot drinks brand in the UK. Launched three years before the Fairtrade mark, they pioneered its introduction in the UK and were the first coffee brand to carry the certification. Since the beginning, Cafédirect have used business as a force for good to improve livelihoods and build communities.

For the eco-warriors:

Cheeky Panda makes household, Baby & Beauty products out of glorious bamboo that are kind to you, and our planet too.

Beeswax Wrap Co.'s mission is to make a small but positive difference in a kind and thoughtful way, both through the products they sell and the way they operate. The materials, community and process behind their products are just as important as the final plastic-free product. Handmade in the Cotswolds using local beeswax, the wraps from The Beeswax Wrap Company are the beautiful, reusable and plastic free alternative to cling film and sandwich bags. Do check them out!

Klean Kanteen's reusable drinkware and food solutions are built with love — the love of adventure, the love of conserving wild places and the love of replacing single-use plastic.

Loving Earth's Oceans (L.E.O.’s Box) is an eco friendly subscription box trying to make it easy and affordable to live in a sustainable way. Through the ease and value that they offer in each box they know that they are helping customers to live in a plastic free, chemical free and caring for the planet way.

Inspired by the opportunity to reduce single use plastics, source sustainable coconut shells and provide jobs for local artisans and farmers - Coconut Bowls was born. Their mission is to replace plastic with natural products and in doing so inspire a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. Their beautiful bowls will be the perfect addition to any kitchen counter.

Green & Blue’s founders Kate and Gavin just want to make a difference, make a positive impact for our wildlife. They believe passionately that every new house built needs to provide a home for wildlife as well as for us. With so many species in decline we have to rethink the way we plan, build and manage both housing and within our own gardens. Discover their beautiful products that help us all to make the changes necessary to protect our environment for future generations. #GiveNatureAHome

4ocean's business model is simple: they fund their global ocean cleanup operation by offering sustainable and reusable products that raise awareness about the ocean plastic crisis and empower people to end their reliance on single-use plastic. Every time you shop from 4ocean, you pull a pound of trash and help them advance their mission to end the ocean plastic crisis.

Rubies in the Rubble makes an award-winning range of ketchup's, mayo's, and relishes. They believe that food should be valued as a precious resource. That’s why their products are packed with delicious ingredients that would otherwise go to waste - not because they taste any different, but often because they’re the wrong shape, size or colour. Some say this is a load of rubbish, they take that as a condiment.

For the book lovers, get a book from:

World of Books is a leading global seller of used books online. A circular economy, for profit business that supports charities and protects the planet by enabling more goods to be reused.

Bookshop.org supports indie bookshops by donating 30% of the cover price to your chosen bookseller. All their deliveries are carbon neutral and their packaging is plastic free and made from recycled materials.

For those with kids:

JojoMamanBebe is our go-to. With a French nautical influence, the designs which originate from their London studio, combine Breton styling with quirky British humour to build collections which are unique and exciting. JoJo is best known for its fashionable and affordable maternity wear, adorable new baby gifts, stunning children's clothes and practical nursery products. The company works hard to retain its values of putting people and planet above profit and making sure that there will never be a conflict between doing well and doing good.

For those with pets:

Lily’s Kitchen create wholesome food for happy, healthy cats and dogs. This means delicious, natural recipes using proper ingredients like fresh meat for complete and balanced diets.

Scrumbles makes gluten-free pet food that sensitive stomachs love. They only use natural, responsibly sourced ingredients and human grade meat! Their delicious pet food recipes are made in the UK & Ireland by their independent, family company and is packed in recyclable packaging. Because they love animals as much as you do!

For that special someone:

Elvis & Kresse's highly skilled craftspeople make beautifully designed bags and homeware from reclaimed materials. 50% of Elvis & Kresse's profits are donated to charities related to their raw materials, 50% of their profits from the fire hose range go to The Fire Fighters Charity. The team reclaims more than 12 different materials and has saved over 300 tonnes of material from landfill.

And for something a little different:

Giftcards: most of these companies sell giftcards on their website, so let your friends and relatives pick for themselves what they really like rather than trying to guess what will please them!

If they like reading the news, get them a subscription to The Big Issue or The Guardian.

Finally, we could not not plug ourselves! Why not send out a COOK meal box or a giftcard to those you can't go to this Christmas?

And for the preparations, ahead of the big day, don't forget that cleaning can also be done sustainably, by buying products from fellow B Corps Wilton London and Delphis Eco. Cleaning products that are kind to the planet, smell amazing and look tip top on your worktop!

Support Sustainable Businesses For Christmas 2021

COOK is a founding member of the B Corp movement in the UK and more and more companies are joining this global movement of responsible and sustainable business. Any products carrying the little B logo come from a company that has taken a strict test about how they treat their staff, their communities and the planet. They retake the test every few years and, if they fail, they lose accreditation. Simple as that.

There you are, we hope you are now full of ideas for sustainable gifts this Christmas! We wish you and yours a Happy Christmas!