Purchase with purpose this holiday season.
This year, we could all use a little more compassion. For loved ones, for strangers, for people whose lives are connected to ours, even if simply through the products we buy. We don’t know what the new year will bring, but this year has brought us back to the heart of the holiday season: to embrace the power in the simplest acts of care and kindness.
Why not opt for sustainable holiday gifts that make a positive impact? By choosing Fair Trade Certified™ products, you’re not only giving thoughtful presents but also supporting the well-being and livelihoods of workers, supporting fair and responsible business, and sharing these values with your loved ones. This sustainable holiday gift guide features something for everyone on your list, including options that support small businesses, businesses with diverse ownership, and women-owned businesses. You’ll even find affordable and eco-conscious choices.
Shop by Category: Clothing | Hats & Bags | Home Goods | Health & Beauty | Chocolates | Coffee, Tea & Spirits | For Kids | Baking & Cooking
Clothing Gift Ideas
Who doesn’t love a gift that supports a good night’s sleep? Coyuchi’s Isla Organic Cotton Pajama Set is made from organic cotton and includes a blooming floral motif. Designed to be lightweight and breathable, this long sleeve top and pants features a percale weave.
These lightweight pants are woven from twill fabric, have an elastic pull-on waistband, and have a standard fit, straight cut. View Pact’s Woven Twill Roll Up Pant.
Made in a Fair Trade Certified factory in India, Pact’s Corduroy Peg Pant features wide-wale cord, and comes in a slim fit.
Pact’s Everyday Cropped Camisoles have a scoop neckline, adjustable straps, and a built-in, wireless shelf bra. Check out the 3-packs, available in different color combinations.
Pact’s Boulevard Jumpsuit is a one-and-done outfit! It’s made from light woven twill with a touch of stretch, and has chest pockets, two side pockets, two back pockets.
Aventura’s Eden Turtleneck is an ethical and modern take on a classic style. Made from organic cotton and in a Fair Trade Certified™ factory in India, this top is available in a variety of colors.
Looking for an ethically sourced flannel? prAna’s Westbrook Flannel Shirt comes in a standard or slim fits, and is made from 100% recycled materials.
The women’s plus-size REI Co-op Lightweight Base Layer Tights are made from a polyester blend to help wick sweat and stay dry in all seasons.
REI Co-op’s Midweight Base Layer Half-Zip Top features high neck coverage, thumbholes, and recycled polyester/spandex fabric.
Patagonia’s ’73 Skyline unisex hoody incorporates a graphic that riffs off a label the brand sewed onto gear years ago.
Hats & Bags
Terra Thread’s newer tote bag is travel-friendly with a zipper on top to keep your belongings secure. It can be strapped to your suitcase handles and can sit on most carry-on cases.
This is a gift for the person who is always on the go! Peak Design’s Travel Backpack 30L is Fair Trade Certified and 100% carbon neutral. It can be used for everyday use or traveling; it meets international carry-on size requirements in expanded (33L) and compressed (27L) form.
Home Goods
These Coyuchi Air Weight Towels are loomed from long loops of pure organic cotton. Available in a variety of colors and sizes: hand towels, bath towels, guest towels, washcloths, and more!
Boll & Branch’s Waffle Bed Blanket is made in a Fair Trade Certified factory from 100% organic cotton.
You can reduce the environmental impact of your paper use by swapping out single-use napkins with sustainable cloth ones. West Elm’s Sustainable Threads Handwoven Napkin Set is made from organic cotton, and hand block printed by displaced artisans in India.
Shopping for any whiskey or wine fans? West Elm has striking glass decanters available in two styles.
Upgrade your dinner parties with a set of rustic winter-themed Rustic Forest Stoneware Appetizer Plates, handcrafted in a Fair Trade Certified factory. It even comes in a square gift box!
Who doesn’t enjoy a soft and warm sherpa blanket? This Marshmallow blanket from Pottery Barn is available in an array of classic neutrals.
Health & Beauty
This multitasking body scrub from Conscious Coconut is made in small batches with a blend of shea butter & coconut oil.
Did you know 75% of e.l.f. Beauty products are manufactured in a Fair Trade Certified factory? Whether you’re looking for a single stocking stuffer or want to put together a gift basket filled with beauty products, e.l.f. offers a variety of ethically sourced products you can feel good about giving. You can start with this Liquid Poreless Putty Primer, a lightweight, liquid primer intended to grip makeup and give a poreless-looking finish.
Looking for an ultra-glossy tinted lip oil that nourishes, hydrates and enhances your lips’ natural color? Check out e.l.f’s Glow Reviver Lip Oil.
e.l.f’s Halo Glow Liquid Filter is a complexion booster and skincare-makeup hybrid infused with squalane and hyaluronic acid. It’s available in 12 shades to suit a range of skin tones and undertones, and can be worn 4 ways: alone, over or under makeup, mixed with foundation, or as a highlighter.
This Badger Lip Balm is made from a base of extra virgin olive oil and beeswax layered with Fair Trade Certified cocoa butter.
Another Fair Trade Certified lip balm option from is Kroger’s Simple Truth Organic™ Moisturizing Lip Balm Variety Pack featuring strawberry lavender, honey vanilla, and rosemary mint.
Chocolate
Lake Champlain Chocolates is a multi-generational, family business based in Vermont. The Holiday Candy Bar Pack contains: a classic dark chocolate bar, a milk chocolate bar, and a dark chocolate bar with peppermint candy cane pieces.
Lake Champlain’s Hot Chocolate Sampler contains three flavors: traditional, mocha, and spicy aztec. All contain Fair Trade Certified ingredients and are vegan-friendly.
Hit the sweet spot with Bark Thins, a snacking chocolate bark made with Fair Trade Certified chocolate. Look Bark Thins at Walmart or other local grocery stores.
Coffee, Tea, and Spirits
Flor de Caña is the world’s first spirit to be carbon neutral and Fair Trade Certified. It hails from a distillery that is five miles away from San Cristóbal Volcano in Nicaragua, and comes from a family-owned business now in its fifth generation.
Co-founders, Pernell & Rod, created BLK & Bold Specialty Beverages with the desire to unite coffee and tea lovers worldwide through a common interest of investing in community, specifically for the youth. BLK & Bold not only offers Fair Trade Certified coffees, it also pledges 5% of its gross profits to nonprofit organizations across America that are aligned with supporting childrens’ well-being. Find BLK & Bold coffee.
Each Equator Coffees subscription includes a rotating monthly selection of coffees for 3 months, curated by expert roasters. You can choose between three options: coffee blends, espressos, and single origin selects.
Death Wish Coffee follows strict grading requirements for all coffee beans to ensure quality and consistency from cup to cup. They source Fair Trade Certified™ arabica and robusta coffee beans from India, Peru, and other countries throughout South and Central America. This bundle includes a bag of ground beans in the Dark Roast, Medium Roast, and Espresso Roast. View the Turn Up Trio Bundle.
From the makers of Honest Ice Tea, Just Ice Tea is crafted with organic, Fair Trade Certified tea leaves and ingredients. The Just Ice Tea Organic Iced Tea, 16 Fl Oz Glass Bottles Variety Pack comes in 6 flavors.
For Kids
Patagonia’s Baby Furry Friends Hat is made with 100% recycled polyester high-pile, double-faced fleece. And it’s sourced from a Fair Trade Certified factory in Vietnam.
Senda’s futsal balls and available in sizes for all ages: size 2 (ages 7 and under), size 3 (8-12 years old), and size 4 (13 and up). Compare and find Futsal Ball sizes here.
Hazel Village dolls were dreamed up by Brooklyn designer Jane Van Cleef and handmade by artisans in a Fair Trade Certified Factory in Nepal. Every doll has a unique story: Ada is an imaginative creator whose inventions include a treehouse snack elevator and a homemade spyglass. Each doll is sewn from organic cotton and detailed with hand embroidery. Shop Pottery Barn’s Hazel Village Ada Doll for a special child in your life.
Mightly’s designed this 3/4 Sleeve Twirl Dress to be pretty enough for parties and comfortable enough for everyday wear. It’s Fair Trade Certified and made from 95% GOTS Certified Organic Cotton. Discover all colors and styles.
Elevate your children’s winter adventures with waterproof Timber Mountain pants for Kids from REI Co-Op! They have a microfleece lining, internal gaiters to keep out the snow, and a waist adjustment to refine fit and allow for growth.
Baking & Cooking
‘Tis the season for baking and cookingcomfort foods that bring families and friends around a table to share old memories and create new ones. As you’re shopping at your local grocery store for ingredients to make your favorite holiday foods, keep an eye out for the Fair Trade Certified label on baking products, produce, seafood, and more!
Here are just a few of the many Fair Trade Certified options out there.
Guide to Ethical and Sustainable Gifting
Choosing sustainable presents can be a meaningful way to show care and appreciation, but it can also be an opportunity to make a positive impact. Explore these tips on selecting thoughtful presents that align with your values. Whether you’re looking to support fair labor practices, reduce environmental impact, or simply give more mindfully, this guide will help you make choices that are good for both people and the planet.
What is an Ethical Gift or Conscious Gifting?
An ethical gift, also referred to as conscious or mindful gifting, is a present that considers the recipient, the environment, and the broader community. These gifts are produced and sourced in a way that aligns with ethical principles, such as fair labor practices, environmental sustainability, cruelty-free processes, support social causes, ensure fair wages for workers, and minimize environmental impact.
How Do You Choose and Give Sustainable Holiday Gifts?
To choose sustainable holiday gifts, you can shop Fair Trade Certified products online or visit a store near you and look for the Fair Trade Certified label. Otherwise, you should consider:
- Production Methods: Choose products from companies that prioritize environmental responsibility and ethical practices. This includes businesses that use eco-friendly production methods, pay fair wages, and maintain safe working conditions for their employees.
- Longevity and Reusability: Select gifts that have a long lifespan or are reusable, reducing the need for frequent replacement. Reusable gifts like water bottles, shopping bags, or bamboo utensils are great options as they help minimize waste and encourage sustainable habits.
- Supporting Local: Supporting local artisans and businesses is another way to gift sustainably. Buying locally made products can reduce transportation emissions, support local economies, and often involve less packaging. This choice not only benefits the environment but also strengthens community ties.
- Reusable: Consider gifts that are reusable, such as water bottles, coffee cups, straws, or travel utensils. These can reduce the use of single-use items and save money in the long run.
- Wrapping: Consider using more eco-friendly wrapping options, such as newspaper or beeswax wraps. Newspaper is recyclable, and beeswax wraps can be reused in the kitchen.
For the person who has it all
Make a gift in honor or memory of a loved one this holiday season and donate to Fair Trade USA. Your donation helps Fair Trade workers around the world build better lives for their families, support their communities, and protect the environment.