Top 12 Socially-Conscious Gifts for the Holiday Season.
Whether it be giving a fair-trade gift basket to your next door neighbor or donating a bicycle to a child on the other side of the world, there are numerous ways to give thoughtfully this season. Here at CauseLabs, we pride ourselves in being “agents for good”. This practice carries over from the workplace into many facets of our personal lives, including our holiday giving. We put together a list of companies that are helping us prioritize social and environmental responsibility during the giving season.
1. Circle of Health’s Iman Hospital- Aleppo, Syria
Iman Hospital for Women & Children is the last hospital left standing in Aleppo, Syria. Circle of Health Int’l is working daily to keep the doors of this hospital open. Babies are being born despite the war around them. You can donate directly to the preservation of the hospital through Circle of Health here. Check here for daily status updates of Iman.
2. Landmine Design Jewelry
Landmine Design jewelry is hand-crafted by women living near one of the most human trafficked borders on the globe. By providing them with stable and safe full-time jobs, Landmine Design is helping to end the cycle of poverty, human trafficking, lack of education, and abuse of women living in the Landmine Village of Cambodia.
3. The Fellowship of 52
The Fellow is a limited edition collaboration between American leather craftsman Seth Davies and Cambodian craftswomen of Landmine Design. It includes a handcrafted bracelet and leather pouch combo. For every 52 sold, a woman is hired into their program and offered education, employment, community, and safety. Learn more at LandmineDesign.com
4. Heifer Int’l Animal Donations
You can partner with Heifer International and provide a family with an animal gift. According to Heifer, giving an animal is like giving someone a small business, providing wool, milk, eggs, and more. Animal donations can provide families with access to medicine, school, food, and a sustainable livelihood. Learn more about animal donations at Heifer.org
5. Packed with Purpose Fair-Trade Gift Boxes
Packed with Purpose curates a collection of quality products from social enterprises to send in gift baskets. They also update their clients on the progress of causes you’ve supported through their Impact page.
6. Gifts with Humanity Fair-Trade Marketplace.
Gifts with Humanity is a fair-trade online marketplace founded by VSO and Peace Corps volunteers. They work directly with artisans in developing countries to introduce handcrafted products into the mainstream market. The company aims to provide safe, stable job opportunities for workers and beautiful, fair-trade products for the public.
7. Amazon Smile
With Amazon Smile, you can donate .5% the price of your eligible purchases to the charitable organization of your choice. Major charities such as ASPCA, The American Red Cross, and The Nature Conservancy are eligible for donations, as well as local hospitals and orgs.
8. Compassion Int’l Bicycle Donations
In many developing countries, children must walk for miles to get to school. Some have to pass through violent neighborhoods and gang territories. By providing a bicycle, you can ensure that an at risk child has a safe, efficient way to attend school.
9. Uncommongoods
UncommonGoods is an fellow B-Corporation (read more here about B Corps, and here for our certification). They sell a wide variety of goods from toys to kitchenware. UncommonGoods was founded as an online market place that gives exposure to talented craftsmen around the globe. These artists would otherwise have to travel great distances in order to sell their wares. Today the company has maintained those principles through exponential growth. They also sustain minimal environmental impact by using recycled or eco-friendly packing materials and paper goods.
10. Patagonia
Patagonia’s products need no introduction. They sell some of the best outdoor apparel on the market. What you may not know is they hold a serious commitment to sustainability. Patagonia, a certified B-Corporation, donates time, services, and at least 1% of sales to hundreds of grassroots environmental groups all over the world. Patagonia also discourages waste by boldly encouraging their customers to take advantage of free product repairs instead of buying new items.
11. Purpose Jewelry
The artisans behind Purpose jewelry are young women rescued from sex trafficking. The non-profit linked with Purpose, International Sanctuary, provides these women with education, health care, and counseling. Purpose employs women in Mumbai, India and Orange County, CA.
12. Enfold reusable gift wrapping paper.
Enfold produces ethically made, reliably sourced, wrapping paper. With a variety of unique sources, such as reclaimed vintage saris from India, you’ll certainly end up with a product that is both beautiful and eco- friendly.
