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Sustainable Gift Ideas: WBGS Edition

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As we head into the last month of what has been an unprecedented year in Australia and globally, let’s take a chance to breathe and enter the festive season with some newfound 2020 vision.

A transformative 2020 has left no-one untouched. The disruption we have all experienced has challenged our daily patterns and offered the chance to reevaluate our habits and the type of people we want to be. The type of people our children need us to be for their future.

With restrictions easing around the country, some sort of ‘new normal’ is emerging and it portends to be a Christmas like no other. Let’s take this chance to renew our commitment to people and planet and with clear vision, purposefully disrupting some of our usual habits at this time of year.

One great way you can do this is through your purchasing power! To that end, we offer you some guidance for sustainable gift ideas including many circular economy companies offering reloved products and several eco-friendly options with sustainability at their core. 

Investing in reloved goods and local businesses, means more money stays in your local community and on Australian shores, contributing to wellbeing and vibrancy for all. Please enjoy and share any great businesses and products that you recommend!!

RELOVE, RENEW, REVOLUTION

Unique PRELOVED goods from World’s Biggest Garage Sale, leading a revolution.

Reverse Garbage

Reverse Garbage Queensland Co-op Ltd, is a not-for-profit worker run co-operative that promotes environmental sustainability and resource reuse. They have a collection of high quality industrial discards, diverting them from landfill to sell at low cost to the general public. A fantastic setup, they have a wide array of products, I highly recommend you check them out in Woolloongabba.

Looptworks

At Looptworks, the only thing they scrap is the typical way of doing business. They are a design brand on a mission: to use only what already exists. All the materials used to create Looptworks products at one time were headed to the landfill, or worse. They intercept and utilise these industry excess materials, transforming them into new, useful one-off products. Check out their awesome upcycled apparel, bags and accessories.

Full Circle Fibres

With Full Circle Fibres you’ll join a journey about finding and using sustainably and ethically sourced fibres, yarns and fabrics, crafting tips, articles about the wonderful growers, suppliers and processors, and as the rage grows, products for you to enjoy, use and share. Check-out their beautiful range of cotton fabrics for your next DIY upcycle project.

Textile Beat – Jane Milburn

We encourage you to check-out Textile Beat by Jane Milburn and consider one of her books on slow clothing. An advocate for slow clothing Jane established Textile Beat as a purpose-driven business in 2013, at Brisbane Australia, to inspire a creative approach to the way we dress, to embrace natural fibres and upcycling for pleasure, reward and sustainability.

Ministry of Handmade

Passionate about helping people get creative, work with their hands and learn new skills Ministry of Handmade are passionate about developing the maker in every person! Encouraging people to slow down and explore handmade by working with their hands and creating something new to ground and calm the mind. Many of their designs and workshops have repurposing and recycling of garments, furniture, fabrics and materials as a central philosophy in their work. Get along to one of their many workshops and upcycle something today!

Unwined Candle & Co 

The crew at Unwined Candle & Co demonstrate real ingenuity, with their  high quality candles from wine bottles diverted from landfill. Their candles align with every sustainable standard, have a long clean 70+ hour burn with incredible hot & cold scent throw, no black residue or soot and are smoke free. Grab a few for some special self-care time!

SEITIES watches

SEITIES watches are a modular watch, made from recycled plastic, consisting of three modular pieces that fit inside each other and twist-lock into place. The watch is designed to be personalised with a multitude of colours and interchangeable dials, allowing the wearer to truly create a watch as individual as them. Coupled with a Circular Economy business model of make, use, reuse and recycle, the watch will truly show the personal identity of the wearer.

Salvos, Vinnies & Lifeline

The original second hand stores, Salvos, Vinnies and Lifeline all offer some incredible pieces and often designer brands. We’ve linked to some inner stores who have a fanatic range, but you’re likely to find great bargains at pretty much any of their stores and I’m sure they’d welcome the trade this year post COVID.

Biome

A sustainable gift idea list would not be complete without Biome. Founded in Brisbane 20 years ago, Biome is a Certified B Corporation that offers a wide range of eco friendly, stylish and clever products for your home, skin care and gifts. They promote sustainable, toxin free products for consumers, including products with minimal or no packaging, or at the very least recyclable or compostable packaging. I encourage you to check them out – they are a local home-grown Queensland inspiration.

Washpool Skin Wellness

Washpool offers a range of naturally clean skincare and low tox home products that are safe for the planet, with a focus on healthy, nourishing ingredients that help soothe and protect. Made by hands their unique artisan formulations, comprise essential oils to promote physical and emotional wellbeing. All Washpool products are developed, created, bottled, packaged and labelled on site in Ballandean, country Queensland. 

World’s Biggest Garage Sale

Revolutionising secondhand shopping, at World’s Biggest Garage Sale we’re tackling the issue of waste through landfill diversion by activating dormant goods for good with our circular economy and resource recovery practices. Our efforts promote sustainability and responsible consumerism, and provide employment opportunities for vulnerable members of our community. You can find just about anything RELOVED at our Circular Economy Precinct in Morningside from office and household furniture, antiques & vintage, custom pallet furniture, stationery, toys, apparel, unique one-off items and more at a fraction of the original price. Learn more about our #ONESECOND campaign this Christmas.

Mickey Boxes made from repurposed cushions and pallets.

We hope you’ve enjoyed the list that we’ve put together. By no means exhaustive, it’s a great place to start to get you thinking. There are so many amazing people and businesses out there, revolutionising products and leading us towards more conscious consumption.

Families are struggling this year. Let’s take the pressure off our loved ones and neighbours this festive season, in favour of honest connection and togetherness, keeping people and planet foremost in our minds.

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