Gift ideas for the ones you love and the planet
by Emily Saunders
Coming up with gift ideas that are thoughtful and impactful, relevant, useful but beautiful – it’s a big ask!
That’s why this year, we’re taking the hard work out of Christmas shopping and doing the thinking for you. We’ve brought together 20 Aussie businesses in our first-ever online Christmas Market: an absolute feast of sustainable, ethical and First Nations-designed gifts for every kind of giftee and every budget.
Whether you’re buying for someone at the start of their sustainability journey, seasoned do-gooders, your nearest and dearest or a secret Santa, don’t worry, our 2021 Market has it covered!
Delicious AND sustainable – these are a few of our favourite things. These gifts will have your giftee covered from Monday morning’s first brew to an extra-special Sunday session. Fancy glass optional.
In 2009, Lyn and Russell traded in the chaos of city life for 100 acres of peace in NSW’s Southern Tablelands. Here, between the chickens and the blueberry trees, they grow organic herbs and weeds for their deliciously punchy loose-leaf teas.
Special offer for the Republic community:
5 x 25g packs of delicious Windellama Organics tea
1 FREE stainless steel & silicone Tea Infuser
All about that first class service – but not quite ready to fly yet?
Trolley’d – a mobile bar serving up organic cocktails, infused with locally-foraged delicacies, from recycled airline trolleys – are delivering home cocktail kits to grounded party passengers across the country, packed with everything you need to DIY fancy drinks at home.
Special offer for the Republic community:
Snap up a snazzy 15% off by entering ROEXMAS1 at checkout
Offer available until December 31
Ulu Hye’s Mylk Bases are your new go-to in plant-based milk. Simply blend the base with water, and voilà – instant delicious milky goodness! There are 2 sizes and 4 all-natural flavours (almond, hazelnut, nut and hemp) available.
No more forgotten half-cartons of milk going off in the fridge – actually, no more hard-to-recycle cartons at all!
Special discount for the Republic community:
Proudly Aboriginal-owned and led, Sobah is Australia’s first non-alcoholic craft brewery run by husband-wife team Clinton and Lozen on beautiful Kombumerri Country (Gold Coast, Queensland).
A fresh, crisp brew minus the headache the day after, Sobah is a drink on a mission to break down the stigma of socialising sober.
Special discount for the Republic community:
These days, there’s so many great (and easy!) ways to reduce your personal eco footprint at home. Check out these gift ideas designed to level up your loved ones’ positive impact on the planet, minimal effort required.
Like a little sleeping bag for your fresh produce, The Swag protects, hydrates and lets your veggies breathe.
Not only do they make your fridge look super neat and tidy (important) but they are also made from 100% natural fibres, meaning they are good for your health and the planet’s!
Special discount for the Republic community:
Sustainability has never looked so good! For a beautiful alternative to tupperware, look no further than Pottery for the Planet’s unique Ceramic Travel Bowls.
Whether you’re packing lunch for a day in the office or snacks for a road-trip, these Reusable Bowls are a must-have addition to your everyday sustainability kit.
Special discount for the Republic community:
Is there anything quite as satisfying as growing your own food? We’ll wait.
And the good news is, the whole process just became borderline FAIL PROOF with Vegepod’s genius portable, raised garden bed that self-waters (yep, you can set and forget – for a few weeks, at least) and keeps out pests. SO EASY!
Special discount for the Republic community:
It’s the most wonderful time of the year… to take climate action! This Christmas, why not give the gift of carbon neutrality, by offsetting a couple of months of your loved ones’ home carbon footprint?
They’ll receive a code that they can “spend” to fund Trace’s portfolio of climate projects, including biodiversity restoration projects around the world.
Sustainability, meet style. These people- and planet-positive accessories look so good, you might need to pick up some for you, too!
Born in Ghana and raised in Australia, Caroline has been deeply inspired by Ghanaian recycled glass jewellery since she was a kid. And so Created by Culture was born – a beautiful collection fashioned from recycled broken glass, collected from the streets and coastlines of Ghana.
Ourselves, we love the teardrop earrings.
Special discount for the Republic community:
Get one, give one, plant one!
Baxter Blue’s new bio sunglasses really are the full package – not only do they protect your peepers from the full UV spectrum, they’re polarised, protect you from blue light, reduce glare, are BIODEGRADABLE (!!) and for each pair bought, one is donated to someone in need AND a tree is planted (!!!). We’re sold.
Special discount for the Republic community:
The perfect present for those that have had a challenging year (i.e. most of us!). Give the gift of self-care this Christmas with these sustainable, ethical body care products.
For someone dipping their toes in sustainable body care products, the range of choices and jargon can be overwhelming. That’s exactly why Rachel created Zilch – a carefully researched, tested and curated collection of bathroom and kitchen products that takes the guess work out of the process.
For the perfect self-care gift this Christmas, we recommend the bathroom box.
For those looking for clean, green and toxin-free skincare, Babs Bodycare does it all!
Fair trade, certified organic, cruelty free, sustainably packaged, Australian made and owned – Andrea has personally (and impressively!) formulated all the product recipes herself through a rigorous process of testing and trialling. We recommend the natural deodorants and face oils.
Special discount for the Republic community:
Face oils | Deodorants | Website | Instagram
A gift to protect your skin AND the ocean this summer!
SunButter is the brainchild of a marine biologist and conservation ecologist inspired to create a reef-safe, vegan, high protection and sustainably packaged sunscreen. Happily, they’ve succeeded in their mission. Because you’re always going to need more sunscreen, we recommend grabbing a bundle.
Special discount for the Republic community:
There’s something special about the printed word – the weightiness of a book in your hands, packing a magazine into your beach bag. Their ability to inspire, transport, educate and entertain you. Here’s three reads that would make perfect pressies this Christmas.
Dumbo Feather is a community of extraordinary people living life with purpose and passion. By telling their stories, the everyday change-makers found in Dumbo Feather inspire others to do the same.
This Christmas, gift a loved one an annual subscription to Dumbo Feather – three beautiful print magazines delivered to their door over 12 months.
Special discount for the Republic community:
We’re long-term fans of the important work Two Good does in the community (needless to say, love their food, too!). Which is why we were stoked to find out they have just released their stunning Cookbook Two with 100+ recipes drawn from their impressive network of globally renowned chefs and cooks.
There’s 5 limited edition Gifts For Good book + gift bundles available, so head to their website to find the perfect fit for your giftee.
Whether they’re a seasoned green thumb or a growing newbie, Paul West’s latest book, release in partnership with Grow it Local, will help your giftee achieve their lushest home-grown foodie dreams.
Packed full of seasonal growing guides, easy DIY projects and stacks of delicious recipes, each purchase also protects a patch of the Daintree. Wins all ’round we reckon!
Got a sporty, surfy or otherwise adventurous soul you’re hunting for an appropriately-fun Christmas gift for?
Look no further than the Badfish by WAW Handplanes for longer, faster and more controlled bodysurfing. And even if your giftee isn’t a surfer, don’t let that turn you off – if they can swim, they can bodysurf!
The BadFish is made here in Australia from recycled ocean plastic collected directly from the Great Barrier Reef, perfectly reflecting WAW’s mission of MORE WAVES, LESS PLASTIC. It’s a beautifully elegant solution to ocean plastic, don’t you think?
Special discount for the Republic community:
For the one that’s passionate about building a better world, why not make a donation on their behalf to an Aussie non-profit who’s work aligns with their values?
We’ve partnered with three amazing non-profits this year doing incredibly important work around the country – read on to find your giftee’s perfect fit.
For those experiencing homeless, navigating the health system to get the care they need can be really difficult.
To break down those barriers, Streetside Medics meets them where they’re at (figuratively AND literally) with their mobile medical van, stocked to the level of a standard GP practice and manned by professional volunteer medical staff. No charge, no Medicare required. Their important work is literally saving lives.
Australia’s Daintree is the world’s most ancient rainforest, estimated to be some 180 million years old. It’s an extremely unique and biodiverse haven, home to species found nowhere else on the planet.
Rainforest Rescue does incredibly important work in the Daintree buying patches of privately held, at-risk blocks blocks of rainforest; regenerating degraded rainforest; and protecting endangered species. Each donation contributes to helping them protect this incredible natural asset forever.
Working in communities in the Top End and Central Australia where they have been invited by Traditional Owners, Elders and families, Children’s Ground is a First Nations-led, First Nations-focused non-profit rethinking and delivering systems of education, health and employment which are holistic, integrated and culturally safe.
We love their approach to education – prioritising First Nations children’s right to learn on Country, in their own language and from First Nations’ cultural educations, Elders and family.
Be sure to give each of our partnering Market businesses a follow on social media so you can keep up with them into the new year.
From everyone at Republic – we wish you and yours a very safe and relaxing holiday period.