Looking for gifts that any woman would be happy to have in her home and kitchen? Here’s a collection of beautiful, reusable, and handmade environmentally friendly gifts for mom that didn’t come from a factory half the world away.
Shopping Etsy for Eco-friendly gifts – the kitchen and home edition
All these items have been designed or hand-crafted by small business crafters.
By shopping on-line with small businesses, you both get to financially support small businesses endeavors as well as make green shopping choices by avoiding the mass marketing and shipping effects of large manufacturers.
But, the best part of shopping online is you won’t have to spend hours hunting in over-crowded craft markets…. if you are indeed even wanting to attend a craft market these days or if any are even being held. Wow, what a world we find ourselves in now…
Anyhow, this list makes it easy for you to find all the best gift ideas from Etsy right here, on-line, from the comfort of your couch, hot drink in hand. All of the photos will link to the actual seller’s shop on Etsy. So, click around!
(This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you make a purchase through my link I receive a small commission at no added cost to you. See my policy page for more information)
Environmentally friendly gifts for spills, napkins, and cleaning
The Reusable un-paper towel
Have you seen these before? These are such a great idea!
I’ll admit that the ones in my kitchen aren’t nearly as cute as these, but we use them all the time! They sit in a basket right on the counter and I grab them for small spills, messy faces, as napkins, and more.
You’ll notice that some reusable cloths will come with snaps so you can hook them all together and store just like your standard paper towels. Others can be folded up and tucked in a cute bin. Either way, they’re trendy, beautiful, practical, and a great gift item for almost anyone who has a kitchen and a washing machine!
Reusable Napkins and Wipes
Very similar to the reusable un-paper towels are reusable napkins and cloths. You’ll love the variety of patterns and materials these can come in. And really, you can use these for anything: wiping spills, at the table, cleaning dirty faces, tucking in your purse, even as reusable tissues.
I recently purchased a set from Ikea that we’ve been using as table napkins, and here’s a tip for you… consider getting patterned clothes or darker colors to help camouflage stains… or get yourself a good quality stain remover;)… or maybe don’t have kids?
I actually have a set of these napkins from Cheeks Ahoy and they’re still in great shape, still soft, and looking clean!
Handcrafted Washable Washing Sponges
Reusable sponges are another very practical and eco-friendly gift. I’ll admit, I might be a little disappointed to find cleaning sponges in my stocking or mother’s day basket, but these are so beautiful, they’d be a joy to receive!
Environmentally friendly gifts for the lunch room, park, and snack time
Reusable Snack and Sandwich Bags
Instead of plastic bags and containers, how about some trendy and fun reusable snack bags?
You’ll find that some come with velcro or zippers, some have snaps, and some have an extra fabric fold over to keep the yummies inside.
We’ve been using some reusable bags with Velcro and they’re still in great shape. We also have a set of reusable bags with zippers and the kids always fight over who will get them for snacks.
Who wouldn’t be happy to receive these as a gift! They’re very practical, fun, and come in a huge variety of patterns. These make the perfect gift for anyone who takes a daily lunch to work or school.
Handmade Trendy Lunch Sacks
If you’re looking for a gift with a little more style (and less of a mommy-chore type gift), try a handmade lunch bag or tote below.
Here’s a beautiful handmade and customizable complete zero-waste lunch set. The fabric choices available in this are so lovely!
The reusable straw and cutlery set
With this timely push to decrease plastic waste, more and more restaurants and cafes are going straw-free.
Gift the gift of never being staw-less again! And, make sure they have a cute baggie to carry it in or when they actually pull it out of their purse it will be crusted with cheerios crumbs and tissue lint! Yuck!
Or, go ahead and get them the entire reusable cutlery set!
Handmade Beauty for the Breadmaker
Linen Bread Bags
Do you know a bread baker who would love a handmade linen bread bag to help keep their loaves fresh and crispy? These bags can also be used to store nuts, fruits, and vegetables too. Or you could use them for purchasing produce from the grocery store or for a trendy lunch sack.
Eco-Friendly Gifts for Coffee Drinkers
Cotton Coffee Filters
Save money and reduce waste with cotton coffee filters. You’ll find them in a variety of sizes for different coffee models. You can even find ones with unbleached, organic cotton for the ultimate green choice.
And don’t forget those that like to make cold brews at home!
Zero waste and plastic-free food storage gift ideas
Zero-waste Beeswax Food Wraps
These are so cool! A small, lightweight, reusable, and colorful alternative to plastic wrap. Beeswax wraps are gaining in popularity, but they’re still a new and trendy idea that are sure to wow the gift opener.
A few years ago when I first compiled this list I had not seen these in any stores. However, over the past years, I’ve started seeing them in many small kitchen supply shops, gift shops, and houseware boutiques.
If you’re wondering how to use and care for beeswax wraps, check out this article here.
These wraps below from Suzysbeeswraps come in a beautiful gift-worthy package too!
Reusable Bowl Covers
If you’re hesitant to gift or use the beeswax wraps, these bowl covers might be the better option. These covers use a draw string to hold the fabric tight around the bowl and come in 3 sizes and fun fun fun patterns!
Reusable Shopping Bags
Don’t let your friends and family be caught without a bag again. The colors, patterns, and styles are endless when it comes to handmade totes! Making this green choice is super easy these days.
A quick look around and you’ll find one to suit every person on your list, I’m sure!
Like, this one for example? Who doesn’t love a good pun!
Hopefully a few items on this list caught your attention.
Personally, I love gift giving. I love shopping for things, I love wrapping them, giving them, and watching the receiver’s reactions on opening their gift… But, on the other hand, I hate having lots of stuff and I hate feeling like my gifts might be contributing to their having ‘lots of stuff’….
This is why I think these practical, handmade, practical, and reusable eco friendly gifts are fantastic ideas for anyone! I hope you agree!
What should you do now?
- Sign up to receive the Take Them Outside Newsletter and stay on top of news, ideas, activity, and gift ideas to get yourself into nature, your kids outside, and bring more nature into your daily life!
- Pin this guide to your pinterest board so you’ll remember all these fun ideas when it comes to shopping time.
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Thanks so much for featuring my snack bags! This was such a happy surprise to see! I’m so glad you’ve been loving yours so far!
(Beego Handmade is my shop 🙂 )
Yes! I’m happy you’re happy with the feature;)
I’ve heard about people using old rags instead of paper towel, but that Reusable un-paper towel would be cost efficient and easy on the eyes! Definitely now on my wishlist.
I now have the linen shopping bag and bread bag on my wish list. So pretty and practical! Thanks for the great ideas.
Glad you enjoyed the list!
I won’t lie, I LOVE a good tote bag! Great ideas!
Thanks! Yeah, I agree, my closet has a few too many tote bags too:)