If you are going to impress someone this festive season, please know that sustainable is the new sexy.
Are you fretting over what you should give to your quirky colleague, hard-to-please partner or picky parents? It’s 2019 – so scrap the cheesy coffee mug (who needs another ‘Best BFF’ mug), standard-issue gift card and cringy toiletry kits.
While it’s somewhat impossible to go a hundred per cent sustainable with your gifts (every product comes with an environmental footprint after all), you can opt for smarter and planet-friendly consumption choices.
Classic or practical, this guide aims to sort out your gifting needs by checking everyone off your list!
1. New Year, New Tees
No one can practise #selfcare as you do. Freshly stocked in our online gift store, it’s time to update your wardrobe with a couple of staple WWF tees ($25-$29). Pair with denim pants and stark white sneakers for a laid-back vibe – but go for coloured bottoms to elevate the look instantly. The tee features a crew neck, tapered shoulders and the widest range of sizes so that you can be all matchy with the children in the family. Get yours at shop.wwf.sg.
2. Sustainable Seafood Lovers
© Marina Bay Sands
The best way to someone’s heart is a feel-good feast set in an elegant setting. Set in the upscale RISE restaurant at Marina Bay Sands, their Christmas festive menu ($68++ for two) allows you to be indulgent without the guilt thanks to a one-for-one exclusive lunch buffet offer. Among its impressive menu of sustainably sourced seafood from responsible farmers is the crowd favourite baked salt crust sustainable barramundi. Another highlight on the sustainable seafood menu: poached prawns on ice, salmon and tuna sashimi. Be sure to make an early reservation at rise@marinabaysands.com and quote ‘Advent Calendar’. RISE, Lobby, Hotel Tower 1, Marina Bay Sands.
3. Personalised Gift Bundle
© Scoop Wholefoods Singapore
One of our favourite brick-and-mortar stores for all things organic and plastic-free, Scoop Wholefoods prides itself in its ability to customise your health and well-being needs. From plant-based beauty and cleaning products including body scrubs and dishwashing liquid to the bestselling in-house nut butter, you get to put together a curated list of items your best friend will approve of! We are a huge fan of their strong push towards zero waste, which also explains why the shopping experience is always a 10/10 affair. Tanglin Mall, 163 Tanglin Road, #02-17/18.
4. Office Starter Kit
We have that one colleague who likes to borrow your reusable cutlery, cup and bowl to have their lunch. Annoying or not, why not support their journey to sustainability by gifting them with this specially curated office starter kit? It consists of a metal straw set ($15) to have a mid-week bubble tea fix, a logo mug ($8) to power through meetings – and a small lunch tote ($5) to bring food. Get yours at shop.wwf.sg.
5. Bring-Your-Own (BYO) in Style
© Thermos Singapore
Combine your love for Mickey and reusable bottle with this super cute limited edition Singapore-exclusive range ($49) from Thermos. Fuel your love for all things local and colloquial with adorable prints like “so atas” and “can meh”. Plus if I were you, I would complete the purchase with their cutlery set ($10) and say no to disposable cutlery in style. Available at major department stores and online at Qoo10 and Shopee.
6. Homemade Sustainable Meals
For the ones who devote their time to cooking, here’s a brilliant gift they will appreciate. Filled with easy seafood recipes with sustainably-sourced ingredients, the WWF Cookbook ($23) is a thoughtful way to thank them for sticking by you through the year. A great conversation starter, nothing hits home better than whipping up a cosy meal for the VIPs in your life! Get yours at shop.wwf.sg.
7. Repurposed Statement Necklace
A sweet gift for your girlfriends, My Little Bow’s Earth Hour Collection features necklaces with stunning pendants ($42 each) that are individually crafted in recycled stainless steel. Designed personally for WWF, we are seriously in love with the story behind each species. The plastic bottle depicted at the centre of each pendant? It signifies the crisis levels of plastic pollution that kill an estimated 100,000 marine mammals yearly. And if you’ve been a religious follower of our Plastic Diet campaign – you know that we could be ingesting five grams of plastic per week. Get yours online.
8. Back-to-School Pack
What would you give to your favourite nephews and nieces? Practicality is king these days – so here is a bundle they will certainly say yes to. The classic WWF drawstring bag ($15) not only makes the perfect casual bag pack for field trips or outdoor activities, but it could also double as a sports shoe bag. Parents will also appreciate that it is easily washable! Then, fill it up and surprise them with a collection of illustrated books ($12.90 each) to see them through the bus trips! Get yours at shop.wwf.sg.
9. Handsome Laptop Bags
© Samsonite
Functional does not have to be unappealing. Made with the durable Recyclex fabric, its enduring trait is meant to reject the idea of throw-away culture that encourages excessive production of short-lived everyday items. Designed with comfort, the Samsonite RED Plantpack 3 collection ($140-260) makes a stylish carry-all to fit your digital devices and essentials to get through the hustle and commutes. Note that the front compartment allows you to slip your work files effortlessly without crumpling them. Available in black and grey online and selected Samsonite stores.
10. Hosting the Kids
When it comes to hosting the family and friends, getting the food, wine, and outfit sorted is the easy part. But thinking about activities to keep the kids entertained can no longer be a chore with interactive board games like the ‘Tropical Tumble Tower’ ($15) and ‘Wild Guess?‘ ($20)! Made from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified wood from responsible sources, the latter challenges you and a friend to identify each other’s mystery animal. As the name suggests, players then take turns to ask and answer a series of questions before making a wild guess. Get yours at shop.wwf.sg.
Sustainable Wrapping Station (for Free!)
Now that you have picked out the gifts, wrapping them nicely is a sure-fire way to put a smile on their faces. Running from Nov 25 to Dec 24, WWF will be setting up booths in shopping malls and several commercial buildings across Singapore (see here for the full list) just so you can wrap your gifts with old newspapers and FSC-certified papers topped with a WWF sticker! The Rewrap Project aims to shed light on the threats of deforestation and raise awareness about how our choices with paper products impact forests.
Note: Proceeds bought from shop.wwf.sg will go towards our conservation work in Singapore and the region. All prices quoted here are accurate at press time.
If you like reading this, also see Netflix Originals to watch this holiday season, reasons why our planet needs Marie Kondo, and see how you can maximise 24 hours in Singapore.
