20 Sustainable Valentine's Day Gift Ideas In the UK
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Looking for sustainable Valentine’s Day gifts for your loved one?
Surprise your favourite person with these romantic (but not cheesy!) gift ideas that are kinder to the people and the planet.
Eco-friendly flowers
As red roses are associated with love, they are everywhere on Valentine’s Day, however, they are not seasonal in the UK in winter. Growing them in England involves huge greenhouses that need high amounts of energy to heat them which is not sustainable.
In places like Columbia and Ecuador, roses are seasonal. However, due to increasing demand in February, it takes hundreds of extra cargo planes to transport the flowers to Western countries.
While the large demand for roses on Valentine’s Day comes with a lot of environmental issues, it is worth remembering the flower industry is vital to the economies of developing countries as it provides employment opportunities and improved livelihoods to millions of people.
To boycott overseas flowers could be harmful to people who rely on selling roses as their livelihood so choosing Fairtrade flowers is a sustainable choice, however, it is best to avoid them at times the demand is high`, like Valentine’s Day.
THE SAMARITAN’S - SEASONAL UK FLOWERS
This Valentine’s Day, choose a box of joy from The Samaritan’s, a suicide-prevention charity that provides emotional support to people in emotional distress or struggling to cope with their mental health.
Its seasonal box of joy contains a variety of British seasonal flowers and foliage.
FAIRTRADE ROSES
You probably know Fairtrade as a scheme that provides farmers with a fair price for their product, but were you aware that farmers also have to protect the environment too?
Sadly, like many overseas industries, flower workers have poor working conditions, work with toxic pesticides, and are paid poverty wages. Rather than boycott overseas flowers altogether, you can support communities who rely on the flowers for their livelihood by choosing Fairtrade roses.
Arena Flowers has been listed as the most ethical supplier of flowers in the UK, read more about the sustainability of their Fairtrade roses by clicking here and scrolling to the bottom.
DRIED BRITISH FLOWERS
Dried flowers grown in the UK are less wasteful than fresh blooms which last a significantly shorter length of time than dried. The fact that they don't wilt or require any water makes dried flowers a thoughtful gift that's better for the environment.
Shropshire Petals grow its own flowers in the UK so know they are seasonal and sustainable.
CROCHET ROSES
The problem with flowers is they don’t last long and then they become waste, even the sustainable choices. Why not be a bit different and buy a crochet rose that you can keep forever?
These roses are handmade in the UK from natural wool.
PRESTIGE
If you’d like to be more sustainable than buying cut flowers this Valentine’s Day, why not opt for a houseplant?
Prestige is another ethically-accredited small business in the UK that offers a range of houseplants, British flowers that are grown using solar panels and without pesticides, and Fairtrade roses.
Check out Prestige’s sustainability info here.
Sustainable drinks
When choosing a drink, alcoholic or not, you tend to focus on the taste. Most of us have no idea if the fruit in our favourite drinks was harvested ethically or how many pesticides were used to grow it.
One of the most popular beverages in the UK is wine. An investigation by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) found that grape farmers in South Africa were being paid as little as $4 a day, and did not have adequate protection from the toxic pesticides that were used. (Source)
If you’d like to avoid financially supporting producers that exploit people, the following Valentine’s Day gifts have taken extra steps to protect farmers and the environment.
INGENO WINE (VEGAN)
Choosing organic wine this Valentine’s Day is the best way to protect workers, the environment, and yourself from the harmful effects of pesticides.
Wine in Europe and outside the EU is pretty much always grown with pesticides, for example, 80% of France’s pesticides are used in its vineyards. Pesticides have been linked to health conditions like cancer and Parkinsons, and are responsible for the decline in bees and other insects.
If your partner is a fan of dry white wine, Ingeno has a sustainable Pinot Grigio grown organically in Italy for £9.99.
PLANET ORGANIC DRINKS
Whether you like cider, beer, wine, or non-alcoholic drinks on Valentine’s Day, Planet Organic has you covered with its collection of sustainable drinks.
Planet Organic is a London- based supermarket and all of the beverages it sells are organic. The majority are vegan too and clearly labelled.
ALCOHOL-FREE WINE
Belle & Co alcohol-free sparkling wine is a sophisticated alternative for those who are pregnant, designated drivers, or just don’t want to drink alcohol.
It is sparkling and made from fermented grape juice so is apparently similar to prosecco.
Made in Germany, Belle & Co is not organic, but it is vegan and free from palm oil.
SMALL BEER BREW CO
The Small Beer team is a sustainable Brewery in London that makes vegan beer with a lower alcohol content to reduce that hangover. It was London’s first brewery to become a B Corporation in 2019 – the leading accreditation to recognise social & environmental responsibility.
They sell different types of beer and have an organic IPA (the green bottle) which you can buy individually at Planet Organic, or in cases at Wearth.
Perfume
You may be surprised to learn that perfume isn’t necessarily sustainable. Perfume and aftershave can contain palm oil, and toxic chemicals, like phthalates which have been linked to hormone and fertility issues. Corporate tax avoidance is also a problem.
One of the ethical issues you may not have thought about is the use of animal-derived ingredients and animal testing. Some of the non-vegan ingredients are pretty vile, like Castoreum which is an anal secretion from beavers that smells like vanilla or Ambergris which is also known as “whale vomit.”
Due to the fact that fragrance companies can keep their ingredients secret, it is difficult to know what is being used. The word “perfume” on an ingredients list could mean a mixture of a hundred different chemicals.
Designer perfume brands all score very low in Ethical Consumer Magazine due to their lack of transparency, palm oil, and poor environmental policies.
HAOMA
Haoma perfume is handmade in England from plant-based ingredients and certified organic essential oils. There are 5 different scents to choose from, all of which are cruelty-free and vegan.
Its packaging is glass bottles with plastic-free packaging.
FLORAL STREET
Floral Street create cruelty-free, vegan fragrances using sustainable, fully traceable, natural ingredients. Their perfumes are housed in glass bottles and all packaging and inks are sustainable.
Fairtrade Chocolate
Chocolate is one of the most popular gifts on Valentine Day’s so it is important to be conscious of the brands you support if you want to buy a sustainable gift.
Low prices for cocoa have kept West Africa trapped in poverty and have allowed a culture of child labour to develop. Cocoa farming is dangerous work, it requires toxic chemicals and heavy lifting which are not safe for a child, yet many families feel they have no choice because they are not paid enough for the cocoa to be able to send their children to school.
The following chocolate brands are Fairtrade or organic.
DIVINE
Divine is the only chocolate brand that is partly owned by the cocoa farmers themselves.
Its mission is to empower farmers in their efforts to gain a dignified livelihood, increase women’s participation in its activities and develop eco-friendly cultivation of cocoa.
Divine sell a variety of milk and flavoured chocolate, they also sell dark chocolate which is suitable for vegans.
VEGO
VEGO is one of the most loved chocolate brands by vegans, so if your partner is vegan or dairy-free then you can’t go wrong.
All VEGO products are organic, Fairtrade and free from gluten, dairy, soya and palm oil.
(Holland and Barrett offer next-day delivery, or free click and collect in-store when you order online).
BOOJA BOOJA
This luxury box of vegan truffles melt comes in lots of delicious flavours. Certified organic by the Soil Association. This certification prohibits child labour and requires high standards of environmental protection.
Booja Booja is a member of SEDEX and its chocolate is free from palm oil, gluten, dairy, soya, and GMOs.
(Holland and Barrett offer next-day delivery, or free click and collect in-store when you order online).
Sustainable jewellery
Jewellery seems like a romantic gift for your loved one on Valentine’s Day, but gold, diamonds and gemstones are some of the most unsustainable industries in the world with the lowest levels of transparency in the supply chain.
Not only is slavery and child labour a massive issue in mining, but the environmental impacts associated with mining are enormous: toxic chemicals ( like Mercury, which ends up in the food chain), hefty carbon emissions, air pollution, water contamination, and deforestation.
Diamonds have been a cause of war for decades and indigenous people living near mines have been forced to leave. The Kimberly Process and Responsible Jewellery Council have failed to stop human exploitation and help many brands greenwash consumers.
When done safely and sustainably, mining can provide employment opportunities and boost the economies of developing communities. Look for Fairtrade, transparent sellers who are changing the industry for the better.
Today I’m mainly recommending preloved and vintage jewellery so you can be sure your valentine’s gift is sustainable.
OXFAM SHOP
You can find sustainable Valentine’s Day gifts easily in Oxfam’s online shop. They have loads of second-hand jewellery for every budget.
PEOPLE TREE
Sustainable clothing brand, People Tree, has a range of jewellery made in Nepal by (mostly) female artisans who work part-time so they can look after their children as well.
PAWNSHOP
Pawnshop is an independent jewellery brand that has a large range of vintage jewellery from the 70s, 80s, and 90s.
THE JEWEL HUT
The Jewel Hut has a huge collection of preloved designer jewellery and watches.
I wouldn’t recommend buying their jewellery new as its website lacks information about the supply chain, however, you can buy popular brands, like Pandora, without the guilt about human exploitation.
Sustainable lingerie
Lingerie is the perfect addition to a romantic Valentine’s but is your underwear sustainable? Gone are the days you can buy underwear and clothing without guilt about the fashion industry’s dirty secrets. If you’re unaware of the disastrous impact of the fashion industry on the environment, I have a separate blog post on the subject. I know you won’t want to buy second-hand underwear, so here are a couple of brands that make lingerie from eco-friendly materials.
UNDERPROTECTION
Underprotection is an underwear brand that believes transparency is the key to sustainability. It uses eco-friendly materials, like Tencel and recycled plastic to make its products.
PLAYFUL PROMISES
Playful Promises create sexy lingerie from recycled bottles. It has inclusive sizing that goes up to size 26 and 44H.
What do you like to do on Valentine’s Day?
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