The way we buy, gift, and dispose of products can have a serious impact on our planet. As consumers, we’re in a great position to consider alternatives and make conscious decisions about what we buy. It’s easy to fall into old habits of last-minute shopping. This can be especially true at this time of year when we’re purchasing holiday gifts for others – whether for family and friends or for staff and clients. It’s time to rethink how we gift and vote with our dollars for a more equitable and sustainable future.
Wondering how you can make a difference? Here are seven ways you can gift with purpose:
1. Choose Sustainable Products and Social Impact Gifts
When you buy products and services, you are casting a vote for the organization you are buying from. Consider what you’re buying and where it comes from. Do the gifts you’re giving reflect your values? You can make your gifting impactful by purchasing sustainable products from local vendors or social enterprises. Look at options from our wide range of Social Enterprise products. Or give a gift that will help recipients adopt zero waste lifestyles and ditch the disposables. Fairware’s Zero Waste Lookbook has awesome product ideas to create positive change.
2. Give the Gift of Choice
Giving people the choice to receive a material gift creates a stronger sense of accountability for the products they say yes to, and it respects their choice to generate less impact if they choose to opt-out. If folks opt out – give them the gift of a high five and send a note thanking them for their lighter footprint. Give us a call to discuss tactics for giving your gift recipients the choice of opting out.
3. Give Quality Corporate Gifts that Last
Long lasting, durable and usable products will make recipients feel valued. Plan ahead and invest in custom gifts they’ll want to keep and will use often. Consider personalizing gifts with your recipient’s name or a personal note to make it feel extra special. Check out our Holiday Gift Guide for product ideas including examples of gifts that can be personalized.
4. GoDigital
In the spirit of ‘less stuff’, consider digital gifts. Ask us about our digital rewards programs. We can provide holiday gift cards that include a free e-book, magazine subscription or a night out at the movies. We can even give the gift of reforestation through our ‘Plant A Tree’ gift program.
5. Consider a Charitable Contribution
Tis the season for charity and we can help. We have various platforms to support Charitable gift giving on behalf of our clients. Put your corporate holiday gifting budget to use to support the issues and communities that are important to you.
6. Give Edible Gifts
Everyone loves food! Edible gifts are one of our top selling categories at this time of year. We have incredible options for high impact gifts with our social impact partners. Pairing your food gifts with reusable containers is a great way to deliver a delicious gift and keep your brand in the hands of the recipient long past the holidays.
7. Give the Gift of Carbon Offsets
As we face down the biggest environmental issue of our time, carbon offsets can be a conversation starting gift. The per capita carbon emission in the US and Canada is around 15 metric tonnes. While you work on reducing the carbon footprint of your operations, and use your voice to call for policy change, you can also add a gift of offsets. Talk to us about how to package up the gift of offsets with one of our Gold Standard partners.
Get in touch to learn how we can help you gift with purpose this holiday season, and throughout the year.
