How to give an ethical gift

Photo by Leone Venter on Unsplash

​This month, I made it a mission to send ethical gifts as a thank you to some clients I was finishing up work with. Besides, what better way to celebrate sustainability then sending a gift during April (a.k.a the month that hosts Earth Day)?

So off I went online to research sustainable gifts. I enlisted the help of my daughter, who came up with some wonderful ideas as well. Here were the criteria I was looking for:

- It had to be something that could be shipped. Most of the clients I work with are scattered across the globe, so international shipments were important to consider.
- It had to be something that was environmentally friendly in nature. So no single use plastics, or tchotchkes that would be thrown out immediately.
- Something that I could brand. It would be a nice touch to have our logo on something to commemorate the work we've done together.

"What's the budget?" my daughter wisely asked. "Give me all types," I replied. Sometimes gifts were occasional, or sometimes they were regular so it all varied.

Here were some ideas she came up with, as well as some of my own. There were numerous other ideas, but we can save that for a part 2.

Reusable Water Bottle

This is a no brainer. Reusable water bottles are a highly visible and impactful way of reducing our footprint on this planet and a great branding opportunity. There are so many choices out there for water bottles, but I'd generally select something that is glass (infinitely recyclable), metal like aluminum (also infinitely recyclable), or contains some post consumer recycled material.

Seed Cards

Seed cards are plantable cards, or postcards, that have seeds embedded in them. They are a lovely and small way of dropping a thank you note to a client, and enabling them to actually plant the seeds! Read the card, and then drop it under some soil and voila! You should have some beautiful plants or flowers growing in no time. I chose to purchase cards from Mary Kay Apothecary, and BlueCorn Candles.

Mini Plants

Yes, more plants- because what is a better way of celebrating sustainability than plants? My daughter found mini plants, both already grown or plantable, and they are a great way to add your logo as well. Lula's Garden is a great resource (they source from local family owned nurseries, and partner with water.org to support access to water in the developing world).

Ethically Sourced Treats

Most folks appreciate chocolate, which are great gifts. However, ensuring that chocolate is sourced ethically remains an ongoing battle. Cocoa is well known relying on child labour, and spreading child trafficking and deforestation. Source chocolates that carry a FairTrade label, or Rainforest Alliance label, which can provide some legitimacy to sustainability claims. Or look for single origin chocolate, ,which usually means that there is more transparency in the cocoa supply chain.

Donation

A donation is sometimes the easiest way to show appreciation to a client. Find a local charity that you can donate to, and make a donation in your client's name. Forward/mail the receipt and a note of appreciation to your client. These donations can range from biodiversity to forestry organizations, or can impact social causes such as fighting hunger and improving the livelihoods of farmers.