Sustainable Secret Santa Gifts for Christmas 2022

Secret Santa is a much-loved tradition at Christmas. Whether you’re taking part with your colleagues or a group of friends, exchanging surprise gifts is guaranteed to bring some extra excitement to the holiday season. The downside is that Secret Santa is notorious for single-use or otherwise wasteful gifts. Research shows that two-thirds of Britons receive unwanted Christmas gifts, and 1 in 5 of all Christmas gifts will end up in landfill. As well as costing the environment, it's hurting our pockets too — the average amount spent on unwanted gifts is £37 per person, per year. 

The solution? Go sustainable this season. Meaningful, sustainable gifts don't have to be expensive (so you can keep within your spending limit), and are much kinder to the environment. 

As well as our general advice to shop local, or from small businesses that are committed to planet-first materials and practices, we’ve compiled a list of our top gifts to help you give the perfect sustainable Secret Santa.

Need a hand with presenting your gifts? Read our full post on How to Wrap Gifts Sustainably.

1. Experience 

For the adventurous type, book in for an experience instead of purchasing a physical gift. There’s little to no excess waste, and it’s often more thoughtful than a generic or joke gift. 

Think bike rentals, a foraging course, a plant-based meal out or tickets to a local garden — it’s a Red Letter or Virgin Experience Day, with a sustainable twist. 

2. Hamper

Whether premade or homemade, hampers are a reliable gift for all. Fill a basket or container with some must-have home and lifestyle products that your recipient will benefit from — like beeswax wraps or makeup remover pads — and wrap them in recyclable materials or gift wrap.

Or, go edible and fill your hamper with a curated selection of sustainable chocolate, sweets, crisps and B Corp wine and beers to put a smile on your Secret Santa’s face.

3. Subscription Box

Subscription boxes are all the rage, and for good reason. You can take the hassle out of cutting down on waste with planet-friendly products delivered to your recipient’s door, and give a great, green gift. Whether for a specific product (like compostable coffee pods or a bamboo toothbrush), or general goodies (like Authentic House’s eco box), subscription boxes make a truly unique and useful Secret Santa gift. 

4. Bamboo Cutlery Set

Designed for home, office and travel, a reusable bamboo cutlery set is a sustainable and lightweight alternative to single-use, plastic tableware, that has little to no impact on the environment. It's the sort of gift that you don't know you need until you have it, which makes it perfect for Secret Santa. 

5. Reusable Coffee Cup

Does your Secret Santa always have a hot drink in their hand? Gift them a reusable coffee cup! These are a spill- and leak-proof, convenient alternative to disposable cups, that offer better heat retention.

Designed to give you a true coffee shop experience, our 12oz container comes with a silicone cover to keep the heat away from your hands. The soda-lime glass means there's no leaching or plastic taste and, although it's designed to last, it's 100% recyclable when you're finished with it. 

6. Natural Body Brush

A natural dry body brush is a must-have. It encourages the renewal of skin cells, stimulates your circulation, unclogs pores, and evens skin tone to create softer, younger-looking skin. 

Our brush is made from FSC® certified beechwood with sisal bristles and a cotton canvas strap, making it sustainable and biodegradable. 

7. Reusable Straws

Gift a safer and more sustainable way to enjoy a drink with a pack of reusable drinking straws. These long-lasting alternatives prevent plastic from ending up in our waterways and oceans, and are non-toxic, stain-free, rust and scratch-proof. They also don’t break or bend. 

8. E-Gift Card

Give the gift of choice with a gift card. Although it isn’t the most unique idea on this list, a gift card lets your recipient choose their perfect present, and it can be emailed so there's no physical waste.  

Hosting a Secret Santa or Christmas event? Find out how you can make your event more sustainable with our guide. 

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Wild & Stone's mission is to create stylish, easy to adopt and usable alternatives to common plastic products around the home. We source all our products sustainably, from raw material to final delivery. Shop our wide range today.

Share your plastic-free swaps with us at hello@wildandstone.com or tag us on Instagram #wildandstone.