A Christmas gift that won’t cost the Earth
Christmas can be a joyous time of year – a time to celebrate the year that was with your nearest and dearest. But from the bauble-laden trees to the garlands of sparkly tinsel, it can also be notoriously punishing on the environment.
Australian company, good.eco is all about turning that around – it’s a one-stop-shop for sustainable and healthy products. From clothes and shoes to homewares and summer essentials like sunglasses and sunscreen, it has sourced the most environmentally healthy range so you can fill your stockings with gifts that are great for the planet.
Here are 10 top gifts from good.eco that your family and friends, and the planet, will thank you for. As a special offer, Australian Geographic readers can receive a 10 per cent discount on any purchases before Christmas.
1. Koala Eco
Made with Australian essential oils and packaged in recycled bottles, Koala Eco produces a range of home, cleaning and hand and body products.
Developing and maintaining a connection with nature is something Koala Eco is passionate about says co-founder Jessica Bragdon. “As a purpose-led brand inspired by and centred around the natural world, a core part of our mission is to aid our community in connecting with and experiencing nature. A connection with nature enhances mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing.”
2. Urth
This Byron Bay-based company designs photography accessories for creators who care about the environment.
“We believe photography plays an important role in the global conservation movement,” says Urth co-founder Christian Gibson. “We use natural and recycled materials in our products and plant five trees with every purchase in areas affected by severe deforestation. Our mission is to plant 1 billion trees by 2032. The simple but powerful act of planting trees helps offset the carbon footprint of our products many times over.”
Urth also offers an online gallery – a space where artists can offer for sale physical and digital works. “We support every step of the creative process. From inspiration and creation to exhibition.”
3. Cariuma sneakers
Designed to be sustainable and long-lasting, the Cariuma range is made from materials sourced from manufacturers that recycle and re-use 100 per cent of the water in the process, and all their deliveries are carbon neutral and packaged in recycled materials.
Nurturing the planet is a cause that’s very dear to the founders of Cariuma, David Python and Fernando Porto. The duo established a reforestation program in their homeland, Brazil, where the rainforests are home to an increasing number of endangered plants and animals. For every pair of sneakers sold, they plant a pair of trees in the rainforest to directly aid in the restoration and preservation of these natural habitats. A pair for a pair!
4. Outerknown
With the mantra ‘sustainability is everything’, Outerknown “creates great clothes with a commitment to sustainability”, according to co-founder, former world champion pro-surfer Kelly Slater.
“Our goal is to make excellent-quality, sustainable products that last a lifetime, keeping our garments out of landfills and in circulation forever. In 2021, we took a huge stride in furthering that goal by launching a platform to breathe new life into previously owned Outerknown garments. Feel good, share the love, and support a circular future.”
5. Decomposition Books
Decomposition by name and nature, this US company has been making its signature notebooks since 1949 and using 100 per cent post-consumer-waste (PCW) recycled paper, which means every square inch of every sheet in its books, cards and gift wrap is paper that was used and discarded, then saved from the waste stream to be processed into new paper.
Decomposition founder, Michael Roger, grew up with a nature preserve at his doorstep. “Since we began selling Decomposition Books®, our use of 100 per cent PCW-recycled paper has saved the equivalent of nearly 40,000 trees, over 16 million gallons of wastewater and thousands of tons of CO2 and solid waste.”
6. ACBC footwear
Founded in 2017, ACBC is the first certified B Corp Italian footwear brand. It has pioneered a scientific approach to sustainability in fashion and released innovations such as its customisable modular footwear – anything can be changed.
The brand invests in research and development, and analyses environmental impact data to begin the design process. Because of this, ACBC has received a slew of awards and certifications, including winning the Sustainable Fashion Award at Monaco Fashion Week in 2021.
7. Parafina
Parafina creates high-quality designer polarised eyewear made from 100 per cent recycled and organic materials, including corks, PET and HDPE bottles, rubber tyres, aluminium cans and sustainably grown bamboo.
Founded in Madrid in 2014 by Javier Rodriguez, Samuel Soria and Alfonso de Luján, Parafina set out to “change the world by the way we look at it. If we don’t recycle these products, they’ll end up in our oceans, be burnt in our atmosphere or buried in our land. Now they can serve a new purpose, which is to give eyewear some of the amazing characteristics these materials have: flexibility, resistance, lightweightedness. It’s a win for our planet and a win for our glasses.”
8. Karst
All of Australian paper company Karst‘s products are made with calcium carbonate, aka limestone, which makes them waterproof. B Corp-certified, Karst also produces a set of 24 solid coloured artist pencils.
Made without a wood barrel, the pencils are full lead body – they have five times more usable pigment and material than any standard pencil. Designed specifically for use with Karst paper, they’re suitable for all paper types.
9. Nomadic State of Mind
Founded with an ethos and intention to preserve the planet and protect its people, Nomadic State of Mind began with vegan sandals handmade from recycled rope in Nicaragua by workers in ethical factories who are paid a fair, living wage. These factories were set up by business founder Chris Anderson.
“We aim to produce as little waste as possible during production,” Chris says. “We’ve also chosen to use recycled cloth bags for packaging, rather than shoe boxes to further reduce waste. Most importantly, these sandals are built to last, with a fully traceable supply chain that betters the planet and its people.”
10. Clothes Doctor
Your wardrobe is a key part of the war on waste, and Clothes Doctor is here to help. With plant-derived formulations that are gentle on your clothes and the planet, the brand’s range of laundry essentials is designed to help your favourite outfits last longer, which in turn helps to reduce the carbon, water and landfill impact of each garment.
Founded by Lulu O’Connor in 2017, Clothes Doctor is vegan, cruelty-free, palm oil-free and plastic-free. “Every aspect of is designed to be kind to the planet,” says Lulu. “We are here to help people extend the life of their clothes by cleaning, protecting, repairing and altering, the way our parents and grandparents did.”
Note: Repair and alteration service is not available in Australia.
11. Outland Denim
A brand dedicated to uplifting people and the planet, Australia’s Outland Denim is at the cutting edge of denim garment production. Founder and CEO, James Bartle, says the company uses a raft of sustainable practices to produce its jeans, from organic cotton – farmed with zero use of agrochemicals – to its denim mill, where laser beams are used to create distressed-looking fabric.
“Traditionally this process was done using a high chemical content or by hand scrapping, both of which can have an effect on the health of person and the environment,” Jams says. “No water is used, and we source and use vegetable or organic dyes.
“While we set out to create something 100 per cent socially sustainable, we soon discovered the opportunity to help clean up the denim industry. No smoke. No mirrors. No greenwashing.”
For all your sustainable Christmas gifts, visit good.eco, where an environmentally healthy range has been collated to assist you to make better choices for yourself and the planet. Use the discount code AUSGEO10 at the checkout for 10 per cent discount specially for Australian Geographic readers.
This article was brought to you by good.eco.
