Top 10 eco-friendly Mother’s Day Gifts

This year, finding an ethnical and eco-friendly Mother’s Day gift is yet again difficult here in Europe. Many services perfect to give your Mom a well-earned break are still not available – think spa day, yoga classes or a gym membership. But Mother’s Day is just around the corner, in fact, you only have a few more days to think about how you could thank your Mom this year. While it is a great opportunity to pause the busy everyday life and appreciate your Mom, we believe it is equally important to do so in an environmental friendly and ethical manner.

Ordering gifts online, which get delivered through the entire country right to your doorstep, purchasing flowers, which grew thousands of miles away with the help of chemical fertilizers and pesticides or wrapping everything in sparkly gift wrapping paper and ribbons, which all end up in landfill – you get where we are coming from – By nature, Mother’s Day has a lot of unsustainable traditions.

Think twice this year and create or purchase sustainable gifts for your Mom and Mother Earth. Our Top 10 sustainable Mother’s Day gifts are:

1. Time to relax

While your local spa, yoga studio or gym is still closed, getting your Mom a gift card for when they open back up, doesn’t just give her something to really look forward to, but also means you are supporting a small business. Give them a call to check if they are offering outdoor services or what their re-opening schedule looks like.

2. Sustainable store-bought gifts

Think about, what your Mom enjoys. If it’s gardening, maybe a new comfortable straw hat, that is protecting her from the sun while outside is a good idea. Does she love hiking? Maybe an eco-friendly backpack from our friends at GotBag would make her happy.

3. Think Vintage

Your local second hand shop is full of treasures! A stylish designer handbag, an upcycled summer dress or tasteful vintage jewellery make fantastic eco-friendly Mother’s Day gifts when (sustainably) packaged right!

4. Plants and Flowers

Fresh flowers maybe nice for Mom, but are disastrous for the environment. From the fields they grow on, to the workers who harvest the flowers, how the flowers are being stored and all the way to their gigantic carbon footprint when they are being sold at the flower stores is very questionable from a environmental and ethical point of view (Read more in a great article from the Washington Post here). Therefore a beautiful potted plant or garden plant from your local nursery is a much more sustainable Mother’s Day gift alternative to fresh flowers. If she’s into gardening, seeds or spring bulbs can be a great add-on to a gift as well.

5. Memberships

An annual membership for a local museum, gallery or botanical garden is a wonderful eco-friendly Mother’s Day gift for a culture loving Mom! Depending on where you live, the local institutions might require visitors to pre-register, but members can skip the line or have other advantages. Again, an annual membership not only makes a thoughtful Mother’s Day gift, but also supports local businesses and culture as a whole.

6. Books

Think entertainment or education! A book, ebook or audiobook is a gift that keeps on giving. Consider the recipient – your Mom – more than the book. If you are not sure where to start, here is a great read about how to give the best book gifts.

7. Home Spa Day

Turn your own home into a spa for the day! Meditation music, a scent diffuser and candle lights go a long way. Leave your phone (and worries) at the door and enjoy all organic and sustainable cosmetics!

Home spa day product ideas:

8. Homemade cake

Don’t get stressed out when researching for a recipe, in case you are not an experienced baker. Shoot for a simple recipe and ad a personal twist and go from there, for example your Mom’s favorite fruits. How about a homemade cake or meal your Mom loves, but rarely makes for herself?

9. Local farm-fresh favorites

You’ve noticed your Mom keeps buying a certain honey from the farmers market. Stop by this week and get her a solid supply and add other products from the same farmer into your gift basket. Locally sourced products to treat your Mom for Mother’s Day could include wine, jelly, juices, cookies, spreads, bath soaps – just to give you some ideas!

10. Handmade gifts

Handmade gifts as a sustainable Mother’s Day gift idea come in all shapes and sizes. They are not just something cute from your childhood memories. Pinterest is full of amazing gift ideas, or get your inspiration at a local DIY market: Candle holders, scarves, ornaments,….Be inspired!

While those are our Top 10 at #SWOXIMPACT, we encourage you to browse for more eco-friendly gift ideas for Mother’s Day at FORBES, GOING ZERO WASTE or GREEN MATTERS.