This Mother’s Day (March 27th) is the perfect time to show your mum, or another special woman in your life, just how much you care and appreciate their love and support. While gifting on this day is of course optional, if you do want to give her a gift, opting for a sustainable present is always a good idea.
Choosing eco-friendly gifts is kinder to the planet, and they often tend to be more unique than more traditional Mother’s Day gifts. If you’re looking for inspiration about what to buy, we’ve put together our top 5 sustainable gifts perfect for celebrating your mum (and helping the planet) in an environmentally friendly way!
1. Choose house plants, bulbs or herbs instead of cut flowers
Flowers are always a lovely gift, especially in springtime. Buying your mum house plants or herbs is a good way of supporting the planet and giving her a gift, which will last a lot longer than cut flowers. If your mum is particularly green-fingered, buying a variety of bulbs for her garden is a great way to show your love and appreciation. Plus, when they grow, they’ll attract pollinators like bees and butterflies into her garden.
Cut flowers have a huge environmental impact, because of how they are grown and imported. Most cut flowers are usually imported from other countries which produces a large carbon footprint. Equally, the flowers available in supermarkets are grown in humid greenhouses and stored in cold warehouses. Controlling these temperature extremes requires a great deal of energy and can generate serious carbon emissions.
2. Opt for Organic, Fairtrade and sustainable presents
More and more of us are considering buying sustainable gifts for friends and family, so choosing a sustainable, Fairtrade or organic Mother’s Day gift this year means you’ll be right on trend
If you’re looking to upgrade another classic Mother’s Day present, there are plenty of Fairtrade chocolate options available. Similarly, coffee never goes amiss, and choosing Fairtrade beans guarantees her a great tasting cup and ensures the farmers who grow the beans are paid a living wage.
3. Give her the gift of a hotel quality night’s sleep
We all know that there’s nothing like a night away in a hotel to help you feel refreshed. If scheduling or budgets don’t allow you to buy your mum a night away, giving her bedding a hotel quality refresh is a brilliant option and something that she can enjoy night after night.
Organic cotton bedding is a great way to help make this happen. Because certified organic cotton isn’t treated with chemicals to make it ‘wrinkle-free’ or ‘stain resistant’, it’s better for the skin compared to conventional materials used in bedding. Organic cotton is also more breathable than synthetic fabric, so you’re less likely to wake up feeling hot during the night.
For luxurious and 100% certified organic and Fairtrade bedding, discover our range of organic duvet sets, super soft bed sheets, luxury British handmade organic wool duvets and pillows. Or, leave it to mum by opting for a gift card.
4. Treat her to an experience instead
Give the gift of time and treat your mum, your family and yourself to a fun experience you can do together. Experience gifts can be tailored to suit a variety of budgets and interests which also helps to make them extra special. Popular eco-friendly gift experiences include:
- Gardening workshops
- Sustainable spa days
- Cookery classes
You could also take your mum for a meal at a café or dining at a restaurant that sources their produce locally or treat her to a home-cooked meal using organic produce.
5. Donate on behalf of your mum to sustainable organisations
If your mum is someone who seems to have everything, donating in her name to an environmental organisation is a wonderful way to mark the day. Organisations like the Soil Association, the Wildlife Trusts or Friends of the Earth are all working to protect the environment and take care of the planet so supporting them is the gift that keeps on giving.
Regardless of what gift you choose, there are plenty of ways to celebrate and thank your mother sustainably and uniquely this Mother’s Day.
Nisa Shah, co-founder, Sleep Organic