The Ultimate Guide To Avoiding Amazon At Christmas
“The warehouse had the atmosphere of what I imagine a low-security prison would feel like.”
This post contains affiliate links; advertising is ethically screened
Amazon’s convenience comes at a cost.
The list of reasons for the nine-year boycott against them is long.
It might feel like there’s nothing you can do, but you’re wrong.
Alongside every other customer, you have a huge influence on corporations.
Boycotts are a social movement - get enough people and brands to start to worry about their reputation.
So you being here right now is everything.
I know you’re busy so I’m trying to make it easy for you. In this guide, I’ve put together a comprehensive list of sustainable businesses so you can avoid shopping with Amazon.
To reduce shipping for my international readers, I’ve included ethical companies from the following places:
United Kingdom
United States
Australia
Europe
I’m going to start by providing some more information on the boycott so that you have the resources to spread the word.
Just think - if everyone tells one person about Amazon’s bad behaviour then our movement will grow much faster.
Are you in?
Whether you’re new to green living and don’t know where to start, or you’re looking for a place to buy a more sustainable Christmas gift, hopefully, you’ll find what you need today.
(And if you don’t, let me know in the comments or send me a DM on Instagram.)
I’ve also teamed up with some ethical companies on an affiliate basis so make sure you check out my discount code page for money off selected brands.
COMING UP
Why is there a boycott against Amazon?
Five reasons to avoid shopping with Amazon this Christmas
Shopping small and privilege
Local = eco-friendly
Where can you buy preloved gifts?
Toiletries and beauty gift sets
Sustainable clothing
Ethically-made pyjamas
Eco-friendly underwear
Sustainable fashion
Non-toxic toys
Booksellers that aren’t owned by Amazon
Ethical marketplaces for all your consumables
1. Why is there a boycott against Amazon?
If you’re going to avoid Amazon, I suppose you should know why you’re boycotting them, huh?
The boycott, started by Ethical Consumer Magazine in 2012, came about for a few reasons but the main one was tax avoidance.
Aggressive tax avoidance
Amazon has been avoiding paying corporation tax for a long time.
2009 - Amazon UK makes £207 million but pays no corporation tax
2017 and 2018 - Amazon US pays no corporation tax
In 2019, Amazon declared £13.7 billion in UK sales, yet only filed £5.5 billion. So where did £8.2 billion go?
That would be to Luxembourg where Amazon has been caught (legally) hiding large amounts of money so it doesn’t have to pay tax on it. The total amount Amazon reported in Luxembourg in 2019 was €57 billion.
With overworked nurses relying on food banks and 4.3 million children living in poverty (some even going to school without breakfast), putting money back into the community is absolutely vital.
Unfortunately, the government would rather cut benefits and public services than fix this loophole that allows many corporations to avoid paying tax on the billions they’ve taken from the economy.
The old Prime Minister, Theresa May, once said, “there’s no magic money tree” (a quote that right-wing voters love to repeat as if it’s the smartest thing ever).
We could grow an entire forest of “magic money trees” and the government would just cover their eyes while Amazon greedily cuts them all down.
Unfortunately, the government would rather cut benefits and leave disabled people struggling to make ends meet than force the likes of Jeff Bezos to pay what they owe.
Amazon is the real benefit scrounger.
2. Five reasons to boycott Amazon this Christmas
Big corporations, like Amazon, get away with whatever they want. They make huge profits while their employees struggle to make ends meet.
One of the reasons I write about boycotting Amazon a lot is because I strongly feel that to create a safe planet that is sustainable for everyone, we have to take power and wealth away from the 1% who are profiting from capitalism and poverty.
Instead, we must support local communities and independent businesses.
Five reasons people are boycotting Amazon:
An investigation by ITV discovered Amazon was destroying millions of unsold items every year. Secret video footage showed them putting unused smart TVs, MacBooks, drones and even 20,000 face masks still in their packaging into a box labelled ‘destroy.’
Amazon is killing the planet. Its carbon footprint increases every year - in 2020, it grew by 19%! Then in 2021, Amazon bought 11 jets to make delivery times shorter. All they care about is profit.
Amazon has been caught multiple times with child labour in its supply chain.
International employees are boycotting Amazon again on Black Friday 2021 for their poor working conditions, low wages and for underpaying delivery drivers.
In 2020, many businesses went bust while Amazon’s profits increased by 200%. Small businesses cannot compete with Amazon’s low prices (think how many people pay for Prime to allow for these discounts).
As you can see, it would be beneficial to both people and the planet if we all cancelled Amazon Prime and gave our money to hardworking people by supporting small businesses that don’t exploit workers.
I’m going to go into more detail on this in the next section where I’m also going to discuss the privilege of boycotting.
3. Shopping small + privilege
Every time you choose Amazon, you are choosing convenience over independent businesses.
Sometimes this can’t be helped because sustainable shopping requires a certain level of privilege.
Say you’re disabled and rely on their delivery system or have a low income with no choice but to go for the cheapest price (although, Amazon definitely isn’t always the cheapest).
No matter what your circumstances are, please don’t feel this is an attack on you for using Amazon. I just want to make it easier for people to reduce their reliance on Amazon - if they are able.
As a neurodivergent woman, I understand that ableism is a big problem in green living circles so I really want to be clear that when I encourage conscious consumption it is aimed at those with disposable income and the ability to choose small, local businesses.
If, for whatever reason, this isn’t possible for you - that’s okay. There are other areas you can apply your strengths.
It’s best to focus on what you can do. Hopefully, you still manage to get some tips today.
4. Local = eco-friendly
One of the problems with consumerism in the world today is that we buy products online that have come from all over the world in unsustainable amounts. Ingredients are grown in one place and manufactured in one place before being shipped to countless other places.
A great way to lower your carbon footprint is to buy products that were made local to you.
Last year I bought a mud kitchen for my son. I could have chosen one from the supermarket (probably made in China), but I found a local carpenter who made them from reclaimed pallets for the same price.
Choosing independent businesses supports real people with families instead of supermarkets that shamelessly avoid taxes and create tonnes of plastic pollution.
Local businesses to support this Christmas
Greengrocers - seasonal fruit or vegetables
Butchers - for local meat at Christmas dinner
Zero waste shop - to refill dried goods, buy consumables or Christmas gifts
Charity shops - second-hand gifts and books are the most sustainable
Independent bakeries, coffee shops and restaurants
Work-at-home mums/parents (WAHMs) - handmade gifts puts money back into the community rather than in a billionaire’s pocket.
Christmas fairs - you can find small businesses to support here, although, some are full of multilevel marketing reps who work for multinational corporations which are not ethical. Read more about MLMs here.
5. Buying secondhand this Christmas
Amazon encourages overconsumption to the point it has made up promotional days where its sales reach record levels - Prime Day, Cyber Monday, Black Friday. If you want to shop without any guilt, choosing preloved is the way to go.
Thankfully, secondhand shopping has never been easier.
Charity shops and eBay were all I had growing up whereas now there are so many different websites and apps that you can browse from your sofa.
When shopping on eBay, remember to filter the condition to ‘used’ and set the location to the country you live in.
Where to buy secondhand?
eBay - everything
Kidmajig children’s clothes
Preloved - everything
Graceful Changes - organic children’s clothing rental
Depop - adult clothes
Vinted - adult clothes
Poshmark - clothes
Facebook marketplace - everything
6. Buying sustainable, clean beauty gift sets + consumables
At Christmas time, people feel they must buy gifts for people to avoid appearing rude.
It can be hard to buy presents for your family you don’t see often which results in unwanted gifts - an average of three per household according to a survey by Ziffit.
While perfume is the most likely to be regifted or thrown away, the average British woman will throw away two beauty gifts each year.
Buying toiletries or cosmetic gift sets makes sense because everyone showers and lots of people like makeup, but before you go running to Boots or Supermarkets, here are a few questions to ask yourself:
Is the recipient open to trying new products? Many people like to use the same products and brands over and over.
Do they have any allergies or avoid certain ingredients (like SLS or animal-derived ingredients)?
Buying their favourite beauty brand may mean supporting companies that test on animals and use a lot of plastic packaging - if this is the case, would it be more useful to buy something different? You don’t want to be that person who buys gifts only you would like.
The following image shows some of the problems with mainstream beauty gift sets.
Before I tell you some sustainable brands that sell beauty gift sets, it’s worth asking yourself:
What products does this person use?
What brands do they like?
Do they enjoy checking out new brands?
Are you sure they won’t just give it to a charity shop?
If you can’t answer the questions, it might be worth seeing if your friend wants to try something new this year, like homemade gifts if you’re crafty or maybe you could both use the money you’d both spend to have a meal together.
Buying presents is automatic to most people because our capitalist society never stops encouraging us to consume. But your time and presence make a lovelier gift, don’t you think?
Where to buy sustainable, non-toxic beauty gift sets
UK:
Fiils - refillable hair and body
US:
7. Sustainable fashion, underwear and pyjamas
I like to think that you can live more sustainably and still enjoy life. For some families, that may mean keeping up family traditions - like Christmas matching pyjamas.
With that in mind, here are some sustainable facts, tips and slow fashion brands that prioritise people’s wellbeing and the planet.
What’s the deal with Christmas pyjamas?
I don’t really get it myself but people love buying new pyjamas at Christmas.
Social media newsfeeds become filled with matching Shein pyjamas that were probably made in sweatshops with poor working conditions and no protection from covid-19.
The worst part is that *some* people only wear their pyjamas once, or just for the Christmas period. By the time December comes back around, most kids need a bigger size.
Eco tips: Christmas pyjamas
Don’t buy any. If you already have pyjamas, the most sustainable thing you can do is wear them. I’ve had some of my pyjamas for a decade and they are in perfect condition.
Buy preloved pyjamas. Get on eBay or pop down to your local charity shops and see if you can find any that people donated last year.
Choose ethically-made pyjamas. There are sustainable fashion brands that make excellent quality pyjamas from organic cotton - which means they don’t use toxic pesticides and pay garment workers fair wages.
Where to buy sustainable pyjamas
READ NEXT: 15 ETHICAL KIDS PYJAMA BRANDS (UK+US)
UK Children PJs:
Frugi - an eco-friendly brand that sells pyjamas for adults and children and has the option to match too.
Polarn O Pyret - a Scandinavian brand that sells a small range of pyjamas for adults and a much bigger collection for children. They also offer matching items.
Kidly - this children’s retailer sells its own brand of adorable organic cotton pyjamas alongside other ethical brands, like Little Green Radicals.
UK Adult PJs:
People Tree - a UK ethical fashion brand for adults that makes comfortable pyjama sets from Fairtrade, organic cotton.
Boody - an Australian brand (with a UK setup) that make high-quality sleepwear from bamboo with a closed-loop system to reduce chemical pollution.
Thought - this UK brand sells easy-to-wear and ethically-made sleepwear made from bamboo, hemp, and organic cotton.
US Children’s PJs:
Finn + Emma - Made using 100% natural and organic materials, Finn and Emma create beautiful clothing and accessories in Fairtrade factories.
Under The Nile - made from certified organic Egyptian Cotton
US Adults:
Pact Apparel - a sustainable brand that uses non-toxic, organic materials to make a variety of sleepwear in Fairtrade factories.
Sustainable pyjamas
Underwear is another sought-after gift at Christmas (I’ll list some sustainable brands below).
It’s the perfect opportunity to grow your collection of ethically-made garments because they are typically more expensive than the high street alternatives.
This is a tricky issue that is systemic in nature, partly because people don’t want to buy second-hand underwear.
Fast underwear vs Slow
Garment workers in Asia deserve a fair hourly wage that covers their cost of living for making underwear (which no high street clothing brand or supermarket currently provides).
The other problem is, poverty is an issue in Western countries too. So while we have a lot more privilege and working rights, high street fast clothing is all some people can afford.
“Ultimately, the problem lies with the fashion corporations. While fashion CEOs take home million-pound salaries, garment workers in Bangladesh earn £46.40 ($61.77 USD) a month.”
The cost of sustainable underwear
If you can’t afford to buy sustainable underwear (which is fairly priced when you remember that these brands pay their workers enough money to feed their families and cover their rent), please don’t feel guilty.
The capitalist system that allows rich white people to profit from the exploitation of BIPOC workers, is also increasing poverty and inequality in the UK.
You can fight back by avoiding overconsumption, boycotting tax-avoiding corporations and choosing second-hand clothing whenever you can.
You can also email or tweet fashion brands to let them know your thoughts on their poverty wages.
Sustainable underwear brands
Don’t forget to check out my discounts page for money off some of these brands.
The following brands have been conscious about the materials they use (many are organic), have a sustainable supply chain and do not produce an excessive amount of clothes like fast fashion.
For more information about each brand and its certifications, check out my post on sustainable underwear for men and women.
In the UK:
In the US/CA:
In AU:
Which high street clothing brands are the most ethical?
According to Ethical Consumer Magazine, the most ethical of the unethical underwear brands is H&M - but only their Conscious range which uses some eco-friendly materials. Like every other fast fashion brand, H&M don’t pay a fair wage yet their highest-paid director received a £1.2 million salary in 2020.
The lowest-scoring brands were Debenhams, M&S, Amazon, Asda and Primark.
If you’re surprised, that’s because it’s easy to greenwash.
Where to buy sustainable fashion for adults?
UK:
US/CA:
Children’s Clothing
If you’re on the lookout for ethically-made clothing for children, I’ve covered this in a separate blog post.
8. Where to buy eco-friendly, non-toxic toys?
If you truly want to feel good about the toy you buy for your child, you need to be aware of greenwashing.
Companies know you want to avoid plastic, they know you care about the environment, and they are trying to profit from that.
Wooden toys are no exception.
While it’s good that more companies are thinking about the environmental impact, it’s important to remember that just because a brand is producing products from natural materials, it doesn’t mean they are ethically sourced.
Wood, bamboo and paper are all renewable materials, but they aren’t harvested in a sustainable way.
Humans are taking natural resources way faster than they are replenishing them. Illegal deforestation is a serious issue, even in FSC certified forests (the FSC is a fraud).
This is having a devastating impact on wildlife and escalating climate change. Deforestation is destroying entire ecosystems and stripping indigenous people of their livelihoods and human rights.
All of this happens overseas where we can’t see, just like we can’t see if:
the toymakers are being paid starvation wages.
there are children working at the factories.
they are using illegally harvested timber.
Transparency matters.
It is easy to boycott Amazon when buying toys because there are so many wooden toy retailers now.
Here is a list of places you can shop for sustainably-made, non-toxic toys:
UK
US:
Haba (the range made in Germany)
AU:
9. Ethical places to buy books (that aren’t owned by Amazon)
Book publishing in the UK alone uses an estimated 15 million trees worth of paper a year so choosing a seller that is actively working to reduce its environmental impact is important. Many booksellers don’t even have an environmental policy nor do they report the impact of their supply chain.
Amazon is the world’s largest bookseller and owns the following brands:
Audible
Kindle
Book Depository
Abebooks
Buying from Amazon’s company helps Amazon maintain a monopoly over the book market. One alternative is to support your local independent bookshop (and I don’t mean Waterstones or WHSmith); this ensures the author gets paid fairly and keeps the high street alive.
Libraries are a sustainable choice too. Not only can you borrow books in all different mediums, the authors still get paid.
If you want to give a book as a gift and would like to avoid deforestation then you can buy secondhand books from a variety of places.
secondhand books:
UK:
eBay - set condition to ‘used’
US:
eBay - set condition to ‘used’
Ebooks + Audiobooks
Librivox (free audiobooks)
10. Ethical marketplaces for all your consumables
Photo: Before July
Amazon is convenient because you can buy everything in one place, see reviews for almost anything and avoid postage costs.
Although, if you’re paying Amazon £79 a year for Prime, it’s not really free, is it?
I get it though, I hate paying postage costs too. I’ve spent years trying to get all my products from the same sustainable stores so that I can do a big order each time.
I get most of my household essentials, like cleaning products, toiletries and Fairtrade food and drink from Ethical Superstore. If I need new clothing and beauty products, I choose Know The Origin because everything is ethically-made. There are so many plastic-free shops now that you’re spoiled for choice.
The following small businesses sell a wide variety of household essentials, cosmetics, clothing, toys, cleaning products, food, small appliances and aromatherapy.
Ethical alternatives to Amazon:
UK
Ethical Superstore (large eco essentials store)
Bower Collective (online refill store)
Rainbow Life (Fairtrade gift shop)
Wearth (small business marketplace)
& Keep (eco essentials store)
Planet Organic (organic supermarket)
Greenbay (vegan supermarket)
Natural Collection (eco essentials store)
The Nappy Gurus (reusable products)
Eco Sal (plastic-free essentials store)
AU:
US:
Grove Collaborative (natural cleaning)
Ten Thousand Villages (Fairtrade products)
Life Without Plastic (EU)
Smallable (EU)
I hope you found what you were looking for today. You can help spread the word by sharing it on social media where you’ll find me on Facebook and Instagram - don’t forget to say hi!
All my sustainable living guides are completely free because I want green living to be accessible to all. If you’re able and would like to support my work you can say thanks by buying me a coffee.
What are you finding hardest about avoiding shopping with Amazon?
Have a great day
Sophie xx