Ethical, Organic & Sustainably-Crafted Gift Ideas to Make an Impact This Holiday Season
This holiday season, support a social venture and feel good about your holiday shopping! From sustainable products for the home to organic and fair trade food and beverages to ethical fashion and beauty, we’ve compiled a list of holiday gift ideas that will do so much more than bring joy to the people who receive your presents. By purchasing from one of these ventures, you’ll support entrepreneurs who are creating positive impact in communities all over the globe.
Each of these ethically and sustainably made items is produced by recipients of the SOCAP Fellowship Program. This unique program offers a holistic hybrid experience for social entrepreneurs from around the world. The select group gets exclusive access to SOCAP’s broad network of investors, donors, and changemakers and the opportunity to present their ventures to the SOCAP audience at the annual flagship event. These innovators and the companies they represent underscore the invaluable role entrepreneurs play in creating the impact we need to achieve a more just and sustainable world.
Sustainable Products for the Home and Kitchen
Seep
Seep was born out of frustration after lots of trips to the (virtual) supermarket. Over the years, it was becoming easier to find greener alternatives — cleaning sprays, toilet paper, washing detergent. But, when it came to the most unsexy categories in the cleaning aisle (yes, I’m looking at you sponges, cloths, bin liners), it was a sea of plastic with very few, easy-to-find, well-branded, genuinely sustainable options. Seep will bring you a new breed of essential household product designed to look good in your home and which is genuinely better for the planet.
Imagi
An award-winning startup based in Sweden, imagi offers a fresh take on EdTech, gaming, and social impact. The company empowers all kids to reimagine the future with technology. Their inclusive coding education tools for school and home are designed to increase engagement among girls and help close the gender gap in tech.
MyTindy
MyTindy is a marketplace designed to introduce the world to Morocco’s talented craftspeople. Each of their makers produces its goods entirely in Morocco. They work with each brand to review their items, understand their process, and ensure they are producing high-quality pieces that you will love. With MyTindy, their community of makers can reach a worldwide audience and grow a successful, flourishing business.
LIKHA
LIKHA is a retail/wholesale brand that brings modernized artisan home goods and fashion accessories to markets across the globe. Our mission is to provide sustainable livelihoods to community-based artisans in the Philippines through access to markets that realize the true value of their craft, while preserving culture and tradition.
Conscious Beauty & Skincare Products
Cheekbone Beauty
Drawing from Indigenous teachings and Jenn’s Indigenous roots, Cheekbone Beauty’s products are sustainable, high-quality, clean, vegan, and cruelty-free. From the ingredients to the packaging, they make every effort to use only what’s needed for the least amount of environmental impact and maximum wearability. The company strives to create a space in the beauty industry where everyone, including Indigenous people, feel represented and seen.
Sitti Social Enterprise
Sitti is a conscious lifestyle brand committed to the self-reliance of refugee and displaced communities through long-term employment opportunities and skill development training, empowered by an inclusive global economy.
Tierra & Lava
Tierra & Lava believes you shouldn’t have to compromise with natural skincare — you can have a product that is both kind to your skin and the earth. All of their ingredients are locally sourced in an ethical and transparent way so they can ensure quality at every part of the journey, from inception to the final product.
Organic and Fair Trade Food and Beverages
Awa Nutrition
Established in 2016 in Ecuador, AWA Nutrition is a leader in crafting natural, plant-based supplements. Their formulas, made with Andean superfoods, prioritize quality and transparency and are sourced ethically through fair trade practices. They are dedicated to reshaping preventive healthcare while driving positive community impact, empowering women, and supporting local development initiatives.
Buena Vida Specialty Coffee
Choose Buena Vida Specialty Coffee and embrace a coffee experience that transcends the ordinary. Delight in the high-quality coffee taste while making a tangible impact on the world. Part of their mission is to provide to conscious consumers like you, who seek to balance exceptional flavor with responsible and mindful choices. With complete traceability and a steadfast commitment to authenticity, they carefully select partners to ensure they share their vision of making a positive change.
Gerardz Honey Bees
Gerard’Z Honeybees honors Gerard Zawada’s legacy through the dissemination of beekeeping knowledge and the production of quality honey products. Buy your favorite honey online, visit one of their many farmers market locations to engage their services for cross-pollination, or attend one of their beekeeping workshops.
Dog & Whistle
Dog & Whistle makes quality food accessible to dog lovers in the community by helping food industry businesses redistribute high-quality excess food and convert it into human-grade dog food. With your help, the company is disrupting the pet food industry.
Kazi Yetu Ltd
Kazi Yetu (‘Our Work’ in Swahili) is a social enterprise that adds local value to agricultural products (especially tea) by targeting local and export markets, creating jobs for women, and improving farmers’ livelihoods.
Ethical Shoes, Apparel, & Accessories
Urban Native Era
Since 2013, Urban Native Era (UNE) has empowered people by creating timeless designs that increase Indigenous visibility in their communities and around the world. Today, UNE crafts minimal yet powerful designs to create timeless garments that are made for everyone.
Achik’
Achik’s dream is to contribute to the weaving culture with a clear conscience — one where we can rest assured our children are dressed in the best of fabrics for them, the environment, and the people who create them. Achik’ seeks to craft garments for toddlers that not only will keep kids comfortable but are also a clear reflection of the company’s ethos and values. Contact the seller directly for their full catalog and for online purchases.
Hahku, which means ‘let’s go’ in Kichwa, is an organization that is dedicated to promoting sustainable development projects in league with small Indigenous communities within the Ecuadorian Amazon. The Hahku Project was formed by community leaders and Leo Cerda, an environmental activist and member of the Kichwa Nation, as a way to provide income for people in these areas who are hard hit by oil exploitation. Hahku’s goal is to create sustainable sources of income for Indigenous people from the Amazon region so we can have an alternative to the extractive and destructive industries of oil, mining, lumber, and beef. The first project to be undertaken is Hahku Amazon Design. Contact the seller directly for their full catalog and for online purchases.
Né Nepal is a social enterprise rooted in Nepali culture that is helping champion the rich traditions of its artisans across centuries. We are a culture-focused design studio that co-creates with 40+ Indigenous artisan groups, creating a social commerce model that builds for the growing global collective of conscious consumers.
Sequence
SEQUENCE is an urban lifestyle brand based in El Salvador. It hand-makes high-quality, fashion-forward products with a meaningful message and is dedicated to creating positive change within itself and its communities. Every design can be customized for any need, from corporate gifting to weddings, special events, and brand collaborations or partnerships.
Warmi
Warmi presents an innovative and culturally respectful business model that, using modern management tools, brings together a variety of stakeholders (entrepreneurs, Andean communities, and business people) to generate a positive impact on the socioeconomic and sustainable development of the Argentine Puna.
