Top eco-friendly gifts for Earth Day

So you think you’ve found them the perfect gift? It’s unique, matches their personality and is something that you think they will actually like. Job done, right?

Unfortunately, we’re often all guilty of leaving our gift-buying mission there and don’t consider what effect they may leave on the environment. Excessive packaging that can’t be recycled or single-use gifts can stay on the planet for years and cause significant damage to wildlife.

At Photobox, we’re always looking to minimise our impact on the environment. We’re working to remove plastic packaging from our products — last year, we removed 0.15 tonnes of plastic packaging from our Art Photo Prints alone (that’s equal to an adult male panda!). We now package our personalised gifts in corrugated cardboard sourced from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) approved suppliers, which is made of at least 70% recycled material and is fully recyclable. 

On 22nd April the world will mark 51 years of celebrating Earth Day, where we acknowledge the environmental crisis we face and take action to save the Earth. This is a perfect occasion to change your approach to buying presents and discover sustainable gifts to give for any birthdays coming up or even to change the way you choose personalised gifts forever!

Canvas Prints

It can be difficult to gift a decoration for their home when the choice is often between wood or plastic.

That’s why we make sure all our Canvas Prints use wooden frames that are FSC certified. This means the wood is responsibly and sustainably sourced and in fact, all of the wood used in our Canvas Prints is FSC approved!

Choose a personalised gift, confident that the forests will remain evergreen and print their favourite photo on a Canvas to hang on their wall using sustainable wood. 

Soap

Soap always makes a great gift for any occasion because everybody uses it (we hope), but should you have to compromise on scent and aesthetic to save the planet? Definitely not. 

Did you know: liquid soaps need five times more energy for production than bars of soap and are often packaged in plastic which is difficult or impossible to be recycled. The good news is, an increasing number of independent businesses are producing their own beautiful and fresh fragrant soaps that offer cruelty-free, organic and plastic-free options where larger brands don’t. 

If you’re into crafts, you can even learn how to make your own eco-friendly gift soaps at home!

Why not fill a gift box with a selection of eco soaps to make personal wedding gifts or send your eco-friendly favourites as a green gift for Earth Day!

Jigsaw Puzzle

Finding unique gift ideas for the kids can be difficult when so many toys are made from plastic these days. Go retro with a one-of-a-kind personalised Photo Jigsaw Puzzle made from sturdy recycled cardboard that will last for years and won’t damage the planet. Upload a favourite photo to a Ravensburger puzzle to make a special and sustainable gift to suit all ages. 

Coffee cup or mug

Go green with each coffee bean! For so many people a coffee on-the-go is a part of their daily commute or work from home set up that they can’t be without. This is the perfect opportunity for a great gift and to have an eco-friendly zero-waste coffee! 

Reusable coffee cups come in a wide range of colours, patterns and sizes to suit all tastes and make wonderful gifts for all those organic coffee gurus. As gifts, they will keep on giving each time they use them, as many coffee shops now offer a discount for going green with a reusable cup. 

If they’re more of a homebrewer, then they may prefer having their own unique Personalised Mug to brighten up their mornings.

Photo Book

We know what you’re thinking, surely not paper printing?! Fear not, eco-warriors, we use special paper to print your photos that contains fibres from sustainable and controlled sources that are PEFC and FSC certified. This means that all chemicals and materials used in creating our print paper are environmentally conscious and responsibly sourced. 

Create eco-friendly personalised Photo Books for their Birthday or any special occasion, that last without compromising on quality.