Christmas 2023: Top five sustainable gifts for the person in your life trying to be more eco-friendly

Some people, much as we love them, are tricky to buy Christmas presents for - more so when they've taken up the environmental gauntlet. But whether they're ditching animal products or single-use plastics, trying to cut back on food waste or non-recyclables, or even trying to support more nature-oriented causes, there are plenty of great gifts on offer for the person in your life trying to be more eco-friendly.

From experiences and DIY kitchen projects, to accessories and everything you need for a decadent at-home spa day on offer, there's really no excuse for all of the waste and overconsumption the holiday season is sometimes slammed for. So with Christmas just around the corner, here are five of NationalWorld's top sustainable present picks for 2023.

1. 4ocean bracelets

Minimalist accessories you can wear anywhere are almost always a great gift choice. But ones that look stylish while making a tangible difference to a major environmental issue are a sure-fire winner.

The classic 4ocean bracelet is a string of glass beads on a plastic cord, with two little metal charms. Only the cord is made from 100% plastic pulled from the sea, as part of the company's mission to physically clean the world's oceans - which funds vessels and crews working across the world. Each bracelet you buy funds 4ocean pulling roughly five pounds (or 2.27kg) of plastic waste from seas and shorelines.

On top of that, the bracelets come in many different colours and designs, dedicated to different ocean-related causes. There are sea-creature-of-the-month inspired patterns - November's is 'octopus' in teal, red, and gold - and a range raising awareness of specific litter problems, like the 'ghost net' or 'last straw'.

They are unisex and adjustable, and the glass beads and metal charms are also made from recycled material. While you can buy the full range direct from the 4ocean website the company is US-based, so to make sure it gets here in time for Christmas, it's also possible to buy them from local suppliers like WWF UK.

4ocean bracelet range, from WWF UK - £19.99

2. Lush limited edition Christmas gift boxes

Lush, with its decadent range of ethically sourced and nature-based bath products and cosmetics, makes many staple stocking stuffers for people with vegan, vegetarian, anti-animal testing, or even just green-minded friends. But they also do lovely giftboxes, combining a number of either sustainably packaged or packaging-free bathroom essentials - with limited edition seasonal shapes and fragrances.

If your loved one is anything like most of us, they probably love a good, luxurious pampering, but wouldn't go out of their way to buy these products for themselves. That's why they make the perfect gift. On top of that, there is a whole range, so you can pick what best suits their needs.

Overtired from work but struggling to switch off at night? The 'Sweet Dreams' package, with its gentle lavender-scented sleepy body and shower products could be just the thing. Has winter got their skin in need of some TLC? Try 'Season's Greetings', for five festive treats "bursting with sweet cranberries, apple, and orange to soothe and energise your skin".

Limited edition seasonal gift boxes, from Lush - from £20 to £40

3. WWF's original bee revival kit

Does your friend or family member enjoy pottering about the garden, and also supporting wildlife? You can feed two birds with one scone with the World Wide Fund for Nature and Beevive's bee revival kit.

The kit comes with a black or gold key ring, containing an 'ambrosia' bee food syrup, which you can feed to a bee in need - such as one which has run out of energy after being blown off course on a windy day. It also comes with a tin of seed balls, a bee-friendly mix of wildflowers which will burst into bloom when scattered across your garden, providing a vital food source for visiting insect pollinators. It's an affordable option, and the packaging is even made from recycled material.

Bee Revival Kit Gift Box, from WWF - £22

4. DIY Beeswax Wraps

Moving inside, the kitchen is often one of the first places people start when it comes to shaking up their habits, to live a more eco-friendly existence. Most people now have heard of beeswax wraps, a food safe clingfilm alternative you can wrap and cover your leftovers with in the fridge. Their popularity with the environmentally-conscious makes perfect sense, because they fight the good fight on a number of fronts.

First of all, they help keep your food fresh for longer, cutting back on food waste. Secondly, they are reusable. Just wipe them down and you can use them over and over again - unlike clingfilm. Also unlike clingfilm, they typically contain no plastic - and with the concerning environmental impacts of plastics, chemicals added in during the manufacturing process, and microplastics becoming more widely known, that's always a plus.

But learning to make your own beeswax wraps goes a whole step further, and after all, learning to do things yourself is empowering. This lovely and affordable starter kit, from Filberts of Dorset, is a great place to start. It contains three cotton cloth wraps with an elegant, nature-inspired print, plus white beeswax pellets, pine resin, greaseproof paper, and clear instructions to follow. They can even be reused. You can snag one here:

Beeswax Food Wrap Making Kit, from Filberts of Dorset - £12.50

5. A wild foraging experience

Many argue memories last longer than things, and shelling out for an eco-friendly learning experience ticks both of those boxes. Foraging for the wild foods all around us has become trendy again for good reason - it's free, with some care it can be done sustainably, and it helps people reconnect with the natural world around us.

Totally Wild offers vouchers for courses around the country, both coastal and inland. You can get them for two people (perfect for a couple) or groups of up to six, and learn from professionals all about common flowers you can find in the UK which taste like pineapple, or seaweeds which taste like beef jerky. You'll even get to cook up what you find, and sample a range of pre-made wild food tasters like birch sap syrups, roasted dandelion root coffee, flavoured salts, and alcohol infusions.

Their vouchers are valid for 12 months and can be redeemed at any of their foraging and cookery events at any venue, throughout the UK.

Foraging walk vouchers, from Totally Wild - starting at $40 for one person