10 Thoughtful & Sustainable Mother's Day Gifts to Show Your Love (2024)
Image Credit: Laura Elizabeth
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliated; we may earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. We only ever add brands & products we truly believe in. Thank you for supporting the brands who are working to make the world a better place!
The Best Sustainable Mother’s Day Gifts
Mother's Day is just around the corner, and what better way to show your love and care than by gifting something thoughtful and sustainable? Instead of opting for conventional presents, why not choose something unique that aligns with your mother's values and supports a more eco-friendly lifestyle? In this article, we have curated a list of 10 thoughtful and sustainable Mother's Day gifts that will not only make your mom feel special but also contribute to a greener planet.
From beautiful handmade jewelry to non-toxic candles, each gift on our list is carefully selected to prioritize sustainability without compromising style and quality. We understand that every mother is different, with unique tastes and preferences, which is why we have included a wide range of gift ideas to suit diverse personalities. Whether your mom is a nature enthusiast, a health-conscious individual, or a fashion-forward trendsetter, our list has something for everyone.
Benefits of sustainable gifts
Sustainable gifts offer numerous benefits, not only for your mom but also for the environment. Firstly, these gifts are often crafted with care and attention to detail, making them unique and special. They show that you have considered selecting something that resonates with your mom's personality, interests, and values.
Secondly, sustainable gifts are designed to minimize harm to the environment. They are often made from recycled or upcycled materials, reducing the demand for new resources and minimizing waste. By choosing sustainable gifts, you support companies and artisans prioritizing ethical and eco-friendly production practices.
Lastly, sustainable gifts can inspire others to make more conscious choices in their own lives. When your mom receives a meaningful and sustainable gift, she may be encouraged to explore other ways to reduce her carbon footprint and embrace a more eco-conscious lifestyle. The ripple effect of your gift can extend beyond Mother's Day, positively impacting the environment and society as a whole!
The impact of traditional Mother's Day gifts on the environment
Traditional Mother's Day gifts, such as flowers, chocolates, and perfumes, may bring joy to moms worldwide, but they often come at a significant environmental cost. Let's take a closer look at the impact of these conventional gifts:
Flowers: While beautiful and fragrant, many flowers are grown using harmful pesticides and chemicals, which can pollute water sources and harm wildlife. Additionally, the vast amount of water required to grow flowers, especially those out of season, contributes to water scarcity in many regions. Moreover, transporting flowers over long distances generates carbon emissions, adding to climate change. Read more about sustainable flowers here.
Chocolates: The production of chocolate often involves deforestation, as cocoa beans are primarily grown in tropical regions. Deforestation not only destroys vital habitats but also contributes to climate change. Additionally, the chocolate industry has been associated with child labor and unfair wages in some regions, highlighting the ethical concerns surrounding its production. Read more about sustainable chocolate here.
Perfumes: Many perfumes contain synthetic chemicals that can harm human health and the environment. These chemicals can persist in the air and water, contributing to air pollution and water contamination. The production of perfumes also requires large quantities of natural resources, including water and energy. Read more about non-toxic perfumes here.
Considerations when choosing Sustainable Gifts
When selecting sustainable gifts for your mom, there are a few key considerations to keep in mind:
Quality and durability: Look for well-made gifts built to last. Opt for durable materials that can withstand the test of time, reducing the need for frequent replacements. We included brands known for their quality!
Ethical production: Choose ethically produced gifts, ensuring fair wages and safe working conditions for the artisans and workers involved. Look for certifications or labels that indicate ethical sourcing and production practices. All brands listed here are known for their ethical manufacturing.
Eco-friendly materials: Seek out gifts made from sustainable materials, such as organic cotton or recycled metals. These materials have a lower environmental impact compared to their conventional counterparts.
Minimal packaging: Consider gifts that come with minimal or eco-friendly packaging. Excessive packaging contributes to waste and adds unnecessary materials to the landfill. Opt for products that use recycled or recyclable packaging materials.
Support local and small sustainable businesses: Look for gifts from local artisans and small businesses prioritizing sustainability and ethical production practices. Supporting local economies and businesses helps create a more resilient and sustainable community. It’s always nice to do some shopping in your own community, first!
Besides gifting one of these beautiful, sustainably-made goods, we also encourage shopping secondhand or gifting experiences. For example, many vases are ready to find a new home at a thrift store you can fill with local flowers.
our favorite Eco-Friendly & sustainable mother’s day gifts:
1. Gift Card to Sustainable Fashion Brand PAKA
Price: $25-200
How about letting your mom treat herself to some new sustainable clothes from Peruvian brand PAKA? PAKA has created a natural, sustainable clothing line for those who love the outdoors.They believe using eco-friendly materials like their super soft Royal Alpaca that can connect consumers more to nature and sustainably support small communities. We love that PAKA is a certified B-Corp that works hard to create a better, sustainable future for the fashion industry!
2. Non-Toxic Candle
Brand: Grow Fragrance
Price: $34
Grow Fragrance is a North Carolina-based brand that creates certified 100% plant-based and toxin-free candles and air and fabric fresheners. It has a great selection of beautiful scents for every ambiance, including a few limited editions that you can only get at certain times of the year. And if yo3.u are not sure which scent to choose, Grow Fragrance has a helpful quiz that you can take to determine which one is best for your mom!
3. Sustainable Passport Holder
Brand: Poppy Barley
Price: $119
What a great idea this is for the Mama who loves to travel with her family! This leather passport holder comes in five different colors and 3 sizes (2 - 4 - or 6 passports). Poppy Barley is a Canadian brand and B-Corporation founded by two sisters in Edmonton, AB. Their company is committed to rethinking every step to create sustainably made, fairly-priced products designed to be used & worn on repeat.
4. Non-Toxic Perfume Gift Set
Brand: Sana Jardin
Price: $49 (value $60)
Sana Jardin is a socially conscious, luxury fragrance house crafting sustainable eaux de parfum and candles, all with delightful scents. As a true luxury brand, its fragrances are created by world-renowned Master Perfumer Carlos Benaim using only the finest ingredients. The Summer Fragrance Gift Set features 3 of their top-selling enchanting and exotic scents: Berber Blonde, Revolution de la Fleur, & Venus of Verbena.
5. Mama-Friendly Handmade Jewelry
Brand: Laura Elizabeth
Price: $165
I absolutely love Laura Elizabeth’s collection of necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings. And for all the mamas out there with babies and toddlers, Laura even has a collection of non-toxic, durable, and “tuggable” jewelry that is not only safe for little ones to put in their mouth, but also sturdy enough for you to wear and not worry about it breaking. Everything is made by hand in Los Angeles out of recycled metals, and some of her pieces are even made using real plants!
6. Organic PJ Set
Brand: Printfresh
Price: $98+
Moms deserve to relax in comfort and luxury!
A pajama set, nightgown, or robe is a great gift idea for just about any mom.
Printfresh is a woman-owned luxury sleepwear brand offering whimsical prints on 100% GOTS certified organic cotton and screen printed by hand by their ethical partners in Jaipur, India.
Designed with inclusivity in mind, their sizes range from XS petite to 6X, and they also offer women’s, men’s and all-gender silhouettes.
7. Reusable Water Bottles & Coffee Tumblrs
Brand: Klean Kanteen
Price: $35 - 37
This brand has some of the sweetest prints for your mom’s new to-go beverage container. Klean Kanteen is a Certified B Corp brand, Climate Neutral Certified, and Family and employee-owned! They use 90% post-consumer recycled stainless steel with a chip-resistant Klean Coat™ powder coat finish that is dishwasher safe!
8. Non-Toxic Skincare Set
Brand: Ilia
Price: $52 ($61 value)
One of the best clean cosmetic brands on the market, Ilia now has a non-toxic skincare line to go with your favorite makeup!
This mini skincare set is ideal for travel and features their Cleanse Soft Foaming Cleanser, Base Face Milk, Lip Wrap Overnight Treatment.
Free from animal testing, Ilia runs a recycling program so that your empties never see landfill.
9. Sustainable Flowers
According to this article in ideas.ted.com, flowers are annually a 55-billion-dollar industry in the USA. Most of the flowers we buy don’t come from the USA, most come from Columbia, and the environmental impact of growing and transporting them is much greater than we realized - and exposure to toxic chemicals for labor in the floral agriculture industry is high! Luckily, we have an article that covers all the ways you can purchase flowers sustainably because we know how much mothers appreciate a beautiful bouquet.
These lovely flowers pictured here are from one of our favorite online flower shops, Bouqs!
10. Sustainable Chocolate
The chocolate industry is profitable thanks to a high-demand product with hard-to-regulate production.
Many companies underpay their workers, provide unfair working conditions, and often use child labor. Thankfully, we don't have to stop eating chocolate to combat this.
This Mother’s Day, we can make a difference by supporting ethical and fair trade chocolate brands instead!
DIY Sustainable Gift Ideas
If you're feeling creative and want to add a personal touch to your Mother's Day gift, consider these DIY thoughtful and sustainable gift ideas:
Handmade cards: Get crafty and create a personalized card using recycled paper or cardboard. Add color with natural dyes from flowers or vegetables, and write a heartfelt message to show your love and appreciation.
Herb garden kit: Create a DIY herb garden kit using recycled containers, organic seeds, and soil. Include instructions for planting and caring for the herbs so your mom can enjoy fresh flavors in her cooking.
Homemade candles: Make eco-friendly candles using soy wax, essential oils, and reusable glass jars. Customize the scent and design to suit your mom's preferences and create a calming ambiance.
Photo album or scrapbook: Gather cherished family photos and create a photo album or scrapbook that captures special memories. Use recycled or repurposed materials for the cover and pages, and add personal touches with handwritten captions and decorations.
Personalized recipe book: Compile your mom's favorite recipes into a customized book. Use recycled paper and materials for the pages and cover, and include handwritten notes or illustrations to make it extra special.
These DIY gift ideas showcase your creativity and thoughtfulness, minimize waste, and promote a sustainable lifestyle.
How to wrap your sustainable gifts
Once you have selected the perfect sustainable gift, it's essential to consider how you wrap it. Traditional gift wrapping often involves single-use paper, plastic ribbons, and excessive decorations, contributing to waste. Instead, opt for eco-friendly wrapping alternatives:
Reusable fabric: Wrap your gift in a beautiful piece of fabric, such as a scarf or a tea towel. It adds an elegant touch, and your mom can reuse it in various ways.
Recycled paper or newspaper: If you prefer traditional wrapping paper, choose recycled or eco-friendly options. Look for wrapping paper made from recycled materials, or use old newspaper to wrap your gift creatively. We also have a post dedicated to sustainable wrapping paper.
Natural elements: Incorporate natural elements like twine, dried flowers, or leaves into your gift wrapping. These elements add a rustic and eco-friendly touch while avoiding unnecessary waste.
Gift bags: Invest in reusable fabric or paper gift bags that can be used repeatedly. These bags are eco-friendly and convenient for your mom to reuse for future gifts or other purposes.
By choosing sustainable wrapping alternatives, you can extend the eco-consciousness of your gift from the inside out.
MAKE SURE TO PIN THE PHOTO BELOW TO SAVE THIS POST FOR LATER!
WANT MORE SUSTAINABLE BRANDS? VISIT OUR BRAND DIRECTORY!
Our Brand Directory is home to hundreds of sustainable brands, from makeup to cleaning supplies, from underwear to shoes. We have broken everything down by category for easy shopping, along with discount codes unique to Sustainably Chic viewers.
