Ethical Christmas gifts for under £30
21/11/2022
The cost of living crisis has many of us pulling our Christmas purse strings a touch tighter this year. But while budgets might be smaller, the desire to delight our loved ones with great gifts remains the same.
You might also be weighing up whether to slacken your usual mindful shopping habits a little, in the search for cheap Christmas gifts. Before you do that, read this gift guide! We’ve got affordable Christmas gift ideas that are also ethical and sustainable.
These presents will be a hit with any friends and family who love beautifully, ethically made products with brilliant backstories. Everything is under £30, making the guide a top starting point for a budget-friendly Christmas. (We have more tips on how to plan a sustainable, money-saving Christmas coming soon. Watch this space.)
Christmas gifts under £10
Festive Flavours Duo Gift Set by Just Trading Scotland
Toast is turned into a wondrous wintry breakfast with this spiced jam and marmalade. Just Trading Scotland are experts in finding exciting foodie products, made to the highest ethical standards. The orange and cinnamon marmalade and peach and ginger jam come from a fair trade producer in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland).
Eucalyptus Soy Candle by Vegan Bunny
Treat them to the fresh, citrusy aroma of Vegan Bunny’s Eucalyptus Soy Candle. It’s consciously crafted with cruelty-free, natural ingredients and the brand plants a tree for each one sold, for long-lasting green impact too.
Jute Ring Christmas Tree Decoration by SO JUST SHOP
Gift a new ornament to the friend who gets their festive kicks from making the tree look pretty. A traditional red bow and bell are paired with a sustainable jute ring, handcrafted by Bangladeshi artisans at one of the many fair trade cooperatives SO JUST SHOP partners with.
Many Hands Make Premium Macaroon Flavoured Vodka Gift Set by Miss Macaroon
Forget mince pies and mulled wine – macaroons and vodka are here for Christmas 2022. Miss Macaroon’s Many Hands Make vodka is bold and aromatic, a perfect match for their fruity and herbaceous macaroons. 100% of profits help disadvantaged young people change their lives through the Macaroons that Make a Difference programme.
Three Can Gift Pack by Tap Social Movement
A refreshing selection of craft beers for them, a chance at a brighter future for someone else. Tap Social Movement helps break the cycle of reoffending, by teaching ex-offenders the art of brewing.
Christmas gifts under £15
All I Want For Christmas Is Louis Theroux Sock by Stand4 Socks
Even Christmas socks can do good. Your Louis Theroux-obsessed friend (we’ve all got one, right?) will love this pair by Stand4 Socks’. Meanwhile, a person experiencing homelessness also gets a specially designed pair of socks – a hard-to-come-by luxury for many.
Trio of Spice Kitchen Hot Chocolate
Would they prefer a traditional, a fiery gingerbread or a sweet and spicy chai hot chocolate? Let them put each to the taste test with this Spice Kitchen set. They create employment for disadvantaged women as well as supporting charities in the UK and abroad.
Melt and Mug by Refuge Chocolate
There’s more indulgent hot chocolate and giving back to a good cause from Refuge Chocolate. The chocolate rounds melt into a deliciously thick, Christmassy bev, while profits go towards an anti-human trafficking charity. The mug is great for future camping trips, if they’re inclined to nights under canvas.
Christmas Mini Dinner Candle Sets by Karakorum
Provide the finishing touch for your loved one’s Christmas dinner table with these beautiful mini candles, decked in festive patterns. Made by candle-makers in the mountain kingdom of Eswatini, they’ve been handpicked by Karakorum’s founder Natasha. She’s a magpie for magnificent, ethically crafted goods!
Limited Edition Festive Macaroons Box by Nourish
Nourish macaroons are a winning treat for people who follow a vegan, gluten-free or sugar-free diet. Their festive flavours are especially mouthwatering: chocolate mint pistachio, festive orange and spiced apple.
Christmas gifts under £20
The Christmas Chocolate Letterbox Gift
If they’re a chocolate connoisseur, introduce them to some of our fave social enterprise chocolatiers. Like Chocolate and Love, who use their exquisite bars to plant trees, and makers of raw, vegan chocolates Raw Halo.
One Gin Miniatures Gift Set
They can raise a Christmas toast to clean water for all with One Gin’s Miniatures Gift Set. These flavourful gins fund life-changing water projects in Rwanda, Kenya and Malawi. (p.s. they’ve also just launched their first vodka!)
Harry Specters Christmas – A Bit of Everything Selection Chocolate Box
A classic Christmas chocolate selection box with a twist. As well as some more unusual flavours, Harry Specters pours social impact into their recipes, by creating employment for young autistic people.
A Cosy Pair by Lovewell
Super soft socks made from recycled materials and a candle that melts down into massage oil – A Cosy Pair fit for relaxing on those chilled-out days after Christmas. 100% of profits go into Lovewell’s programme supporting survivors of trafficking and exploitation.
DIY Bath Salts Kit by Scintilla
Would some creative self-care go down well with your giftee? They can have fun combining the soothing salts, essential oils and dried cornflowers in this kit, before a well-deserved soak. Like all Scintilla products, it’s sustainable, natural and cruelty-free.
Christmas gifts under £25
Christmas Candle Set by Vegan Bunny
Surround them with comforting Christmas scents with Vegan Bunny’s trio of festive candles. Animal lovers will be pleased to know 5% of profits go to Viva!, the UK’s leading vegan charity.
Build Your Own Wine Gift: Sea Change Negroamaro & Divine Chocolate
Do they swoon over a good red wine and dark chocolate? We recommend Sea Change’s fruity, velvety Negroamaro matched with Divine Chocolate’s Dark Tangy Clementine in our Build Your Own Wine Gift. You’ll win extra brownie points with environmentalist mates, as this wine is helping clean up our oceans.
Ultimate Middle Eastern Spice Range by Wycombe Chef’s Table
Any keen cook will be happy to add these jars of dukkah, za’atar, rose harissa rub and ras al hanout to their spice rack. They come from Wycombe Chef’s Table, who are dedicated to giving back as well as great spices. 20% of sales support a charity mentoring young offenders.
Handwash Gift Box by Goodwash Company
This Goodwash Company gift box turns a simple hand wash into a little moment of luxury. Meanwhile, the brand is spreading positive ripples of change through support for a range of local projects, improving the lives of people and animals in need.
Swazi Elephant Candles by Karakorum
A stunning elephant candle they might be tempted to keep as an ornament. Eswatini artisans shape these candles using the ancient “millefiori” technique, first perfected in Italy to create the finest glass sculptures.
Christmas gifts under £30
Herbal Tea Gift Set by Rare Tea Company
Like all Rare Tea Company brews, these four herbal infusions have been sourced from farms with organic, sustainable growing methods and where workers are treated fairly. Flavours range from a clean, subtle chamomile to an earthy rooibos.
Peachy Ginkgo Valerie Eye Mask by rho
Set your giftee up for a comfortable sleep as well as helping survivors of domestic abuse find safe places to stay. £5 from every sale of this gorgeous block printed sleeping mask goes to Oasis, who run two refuges and other services for those affected by abuse.
Cocktail Party Tea Towel Bundle by Laura Barnes
Are they partial to a negroni, espresso martini or bellini? They’ll be thrilled with these bright cocktail-themed tea towels. Designer Laura Barnes crafts them in an environmentally friendly way and does even more good by donating 10% of profits to social inclusion charity The Baytree Centre.
Mini Relax Candle and Bath Salt Gift Box by Scintilla
A hand poured eco soy candle, natural bath salts and dried lavender flowers make up this gift box by green-minded brand Scintilla. 10% of profits also support environmental charities.
Brewgooder Gift Pack & Pint Glass
Christmas will be extra merry with this haul of Brewgooder beers to sample. Behind every can there’s a mission to make safe, clean water accessible to all.
Not ticked off your whole Christmas shopping list yet? Explore all our gifts and hampers.
