Why I Gift Green?

ECO EM’S BLOG

WHY I GIFT GREEN?

I wanted to let you into how it all started, why I love gifting and how I want to spread joy and a little bit of sustainability along the way.

How did my Green Gifts start?

When I started Eco Em’s I wanted to find a way to help people make eco swaps easily. The boxes are designed to be gifted as self-care packages, pamper packs and presents for your nearest and dearest.

When I started, we were approaching Christmas 2020, and I was looking for ways to tell everyone all about the things I’d been learning. Now, to set the record straight I am not 100% perfect, I don’t believe anyone is. However, I have strived to reduce the amount of waste in our home by half over the last 4 years. I’m proud to say we’ve managed to do this, with changes to our daily habits and spending.

Why is waste reduction important?

I started by completing a bin audit at home. Having gotten into litter picking in the local area I realised that we were throwing away/recycling way more than we needed to. I started tracking the areas in the house where we wasted the most and unsurprisingly it was the bathroom and the kitchen.

I didn’t want to open a refill shop as I’d seen plenty popping up in the area. But I did want to make a difference. And I found out that the average adult gives 32 gifts a year, not including Christmas! That is a lot of waste when you think of the packaging, wrapping and possible plastic depending on the gift.

That was the light bulb moment! How about eco-swaps in the bathroom? We all pick up a smelly set in Boots or Superdrug for those go-to presents, giving them as secret Santas or little presents throughout the year. I thought I could take this idea and encourage people to start small with the bathroom.

Packaging & disposal

I found a local packaging company that had a fantastic range of recycled cardboard boxes, I then started to look at what I put into the boxes. When all the materials arrive at HQ I have so much brown paper that protects the various ingredients and raw materials. The best thing I thought to do with this is to use it in my packaging creating a more circular economy. Everything is reused, either shredded and added to the boxes or popped into the composters for the garden.

The stickers are printed on recycled paper, the bars are wrapped in plant-based paper, and all the creams/salts are in reusable or recyclable jars. Even the tissue paper can be reused or composted. It was important to me that when you’re finished with your products nothing is left. Hence the term zero waste which we’re aiming to get as close to as possible.

The joy of giving

I love getting to meet people, markets and craft fairs are amazing getting feedback and just chatting to people. I know that I can only do so many a year due to other work commitments, but all my free time is either working on Eco Ems or doing pop-ups around the Midlands.

When people come to the stall go through the different options and start to build their box, it fills them with joy. Their faces light up knowing they can gift something to their friends and family they’ll love. Whether they have sensitive skin, are vegan or just conscious consumers they are perfect.

Green Gift Sets

The green gifts I’ve created are the perfect start to eco-swaps in the bathroom. When you receive your present, the things you love are sold separately. So, you can head back to the website to grab your refills. The shop section has everything in one place allowing you to grab all your necessities. The multipurpose skincare has many benefits but that’s for another day!

When you share something, you love and pass on all the benefits that’s what I love the most. Hearing how everything has reduced plastic, helped your skin, and put a massive smile on people’s faces. It’s not just for gifting others you can also buy a bundle for yourself from the cleansing duo to the bath lovers set there is plenty of choice.

Gift Vouchers

And, if like me you can sometimes second guess what you think people may like and when I’m unsure my immediate go-to is a gift voucher. On the website, you can now send a gift voucher to spend on the website to any amount. Still with the same sentiment and thoughtful message but allowing your loved ones to pick what they need.

I hope I have answered some of your questions as to why I chose to create Eco Ems Gifts. As always if you have any questions or would just like a chat, please drop me a message and sign up for the newsletter. You’ll be the first to know where I am popping up next and I hope to see you there.

Thank you for reading this weeks blog, Why I Gift Green?

Peace and love

Eco Em xx