Feature Photo by La Pochette
I’ve talked a lot about green gifting in the past six months. From Christmas gifts to Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, I really love the idea of giving my loved ones something they can truly treasure while being aware that the very existence of this item didn’t harm the environment or the people living in it.
Last March, in light of Mother’s Day, I also delved a little deeper into the concept of Green Gifting and explained what the benefits of this practice are. In case you’re wondering, green gifting is not just gifting plants (although this falls into the category of green gifts), and if you want to know more, head over to my Mother’s Day article for more details. Two months after this, it only seems fair that I focus my attention on another important international festivity and how we can gift, but in a green way for Father’s Day.
WHY DO WE CELEBRATE FATHER’S DAY?
Father’s Day is a time for people to celebrate the men in their lives. For children, it is a day to show appreciation for their fathers and father figures. For adults, it is a day to show how much they love and appreciate the hard work of the fathers and husbands in their lives. Although many of us celebrate Father’s Day, we may not know the history behind this tradition.
Rumour has it that this tradition started with a woman called Sonora Louise Smart in Washington. After her mother died in childbirth with her sixth child, her dad brought up the family. In 1909, when Mother’s Day was first established, Sonora heard a speech in church about it and that was when she thought dads should also be celebrated. To promote her idea of celebrating fathers for a day, Sonora visited local churches and the YMCA and met with shopkeepers and government officials to gain support for this new tradition. Because of her hard work, Sonora found success when Washington State celebrated the first Father’s Day on June 19, 1910. More than a century later, we are still celebrating this day to honour all of our fathers and fatherly figures.
BRAND RECOMMENDATIONS
What I love the most about occasions like this, is selecting the right gifts for the people I love. Taking the time to thoughtfully pick something I know will make someone smile, and feel appreciated. Today, I wanted to bring you some ethical gift and brand recommendations so that you know exactly where to shop when picking your dad’s green gift this year (and for years to come).
NEEM
Neem is a men’s clothing brand inspired by the healing properties of the Neem tree in India, symbolising a remedy for fast fashion. Embracing sustainability and versatility, Neem champions the “Power Casual” style, merging well-tailored elegance with eco-conscious principles, perfect for Father’s Day gifts.
The highlight of Neem’s collection is the recycled cotton shirt, designed with a regenerative approach that repurposes textiles otherwise destined for waste. These shirts offer luxurious yarns, soft textures, and comfortable cuts, all while maintaining an impressively low carbon footprint, making them some of the least polluting shirts available.
Founded by Nick Reed, who drew inspiration from his frequent travels to India and the majestic Neem tree, the brand reflects over 20 years of experience in menswear. Reed’s vision focuses on unique style, sustainability, and ethical practices. Neem’s transparent supply chain ensures environmentally friendly production, reinforcing their commitment to safeguarding the planet.
Purr & Mutt
Bringing joy to all pet fathers, Purr & Mutt offers an array of delightful designs, transforming beloved pets into fabulous pieces of art. From a lightsaber-wielding Star Wars character to a sinister Lord of the Rings villain, the possibilities are endless. Customers simply upload a photo, select a design, and let Purr & Mutt’s team of talented artists do the rest. With prices starting at just £18.99, these custom creations make for a perfect and personalized gift for Father’s Day.
Purr & Mutt provides high-quality prints and canvases, as well as an array of other products including blankets, cushions, mugs, and phone cases, all crafted from premium materials.
Featured in renowned publications such as the BBC, Independent, Daily Express, and Mirror, Purr & Mutt ensures a 5-star experience with fully tracked, free delivery. Turn your pet into a unique work of art with Purr & Mutt, the perfect gift for every pet lover.
Happy Hearth Apparel
Happy Hearth Apparel is committed to the most sustainable practices available and is my first choice for men’s green gifting when I want to go for clothing and accessories. They don’t use polyester in their loungewear, but only organic cotton that is consciously farmed without any chemical pesticides or fertilisers, and it’s regularly watered by rainfall. These organic practices allow the cotton to grow naturally, and the surrounding environment to continue to thrive.
Furthermore, 95% of their products are made in Fair Trade-certified factories, and they make sure that all of their suppliers uphold workers’ rights and abide by Happy Earth’s rigid Code of Conduct based on principles from the International Labour Organisation. The brand is also fully cruelty-free and on top of that, they only low-energy options like organic cotton, sea shipping, and lightweight packaging; working closely with manufacturers that share these goals. Their factories run on solar energy and natural gas (instead of diesel), substantially reducing GHGs. Anywhere they can’t avoid emissions, they invest in clean energy projects to completely offset too. You can find out more about these projects here.
The brand is currently running a great offer for Father’s Day: You get a pair of socks for only $5 whenever you buy one of their t-shirts – a great deal for your wallet, your dad and the environment!
La Pochette
La Pochette, known for its luxury and sustainable accessories, designs bags and accessories tailored for the dynamic, modern lifestyle. Whether you’re heading to the office, meeting a colleague for coffee, going to the gym, flying to New York on a business trip, taking a dip in the pool, or joining friends for dinner, Purr & Mutt combines intelligent design with superior functionality to ensure every item seamlessly fits your lifestyle.
Dedicated to creating industry-shifting innovations, Purr & Mutt supports people, communities, and the planet through sustainable practices. Their growth is driven by an ecosystem of innovation, encompassing product design, materials, and advanced technologies, ensuring that sustainability and style go hand in hand. For Father’s Day, Purr & Mutt offers the perfect blend of luxury, practicality, and environmental consciousness in every accessory.
Brothers We Stand
Brothers We Stand is your go-to brand for ethical men’s clothing, meticulously selected with a keen eye for style and sustainability. Each item on their site comes with a detailed footprint, highlighting its social and environmental impact, and showcasing pioneering ethical practices as well as areas for potential improvement. This transparency provides a clear window into the supply chain of the products you buy, ensuring informed, responsible choices.
Featured in GQ, Men’s Health Magazine, The Guardian, The Independent, and other leading publications, Brothers We Stand is at the forefront of ethical fashion. This Father’s Day, you can choose a gift that aligns with both style and conscience from Brothers We Stand.
MISSION
This Father’s Day, give the gift of sustainable energy with Mission’s natural brews, perfect for any dad aiming to enhance his performance and well-being. Mission has created an innovative range of 100% natural, sustainably sourced hot and cold brew teas designed to fuel high performance, whether you’re pushing your limits or resting and recovering.
The story of Mission began in 2016, when the founder left a career in law to cycle the length of South America for charity. Faced with the need for extra energy both in the office and on the bike, traditional coffee and energy drinks only led to energy crashes and poor sleep, creating a cycle of dependence on caffeine and sugar. Determined to find a better solution, Mission was born to replace these unhealthy alternatives. With the new hot and cold brew teas, consistent energy levels were achieved without the reliance on caffeine and sugar.
These teas supported the founder through an impressive feat of running 17 marathons in 10 days, setting a new Guinness World Record for the fastest crossing of the country. Mission exists to share this sustainable, consistent energy with others, enabling them to achieve their own extraordinary goals.
EcoEr Fashion
Ecoer Fashion is a sustainable fashion brand you might want to keep in your radar (I sure am!). The company is striving to minimise waste reduction at the source. In fact, they design made-to-last and timeless garments that are produced from sustainably sourced, recycled, organic, non-toxic, and natural material which makes it low-impact on the environment.
Plus, they also pay fair and satisfactory salaries and only corroborate with factories and suppliers who are aware of their impact on the environment and who guarantee a safe and respectable environment for their employees.
All materials Ecoer uses to produce their garments and accessories are recycled or organic – think of this as if you buy 1 product from them, which is equivalent to indirectly reducing 1 pound of waste from the earth. From using recycled fishing nets to produce their sunglasses to using recycled and recyclable packaging material, this fashion brand is one to keep in mind when green gift shopping. Their recycled polyester swimming trunks in particular are my favourites!
Leaf Shave
Leaf Shave has created a metal razor that is helping to put a stop to the 3 million plastic razors that end up in landfills each year. Compared to traditional safety razors and modern disposable plastic razors, the Leaf Razor provides a closer and safer shave with fewer incidents of nicks and cuts. This metal razor boasts a single blade and was initially designed for men (perfect for you dad), but it can certainly be used by women as well. The company has since started producing metal derma planers and shaving soap bars too! You can check out their shop here and get an exclusive 15% off when you shop for Father’s Day – they have a discount running sitewide right now!
Aillea
Aillea is a New York City-based online shop focusing on giving its customers the best of the organic and clean skincare out there in the market. If you start imagining having to replace every single product you use with one that works as well or better as the one you have been using but has no toxic chemicals as well, then this is the place you want to turn to.
With more than 40 ethical brands to choose from, their selection is endless and that goes for men’s beauty products too. From organic lip balm to natural deodorants, toothpaste, toners, oils, exfoliators and travel beauty products, head over to their ‘just for him’ page to find exactly what your dad has been missing all this time.
CleanCo
The Clean Co’s focus is creating non-alcoholic spirits that stand shoulder to shoulder-with the best alcoholic spirits out there. They’re nailing those familiar tastes that we love so much with their 0% spirits but without any of the alcohol.
CleanCo has been voted the #1 best selling independent non-alcoholic spirits brand globally and the most 5-star rated non-alcoholic spirit brand in the world on Trustpilot.
If back in the day, gifting a bottle of whiskey or gin was fashionable, now we know just how damaging alcohol can be. So why not gift your dad one of CleanCo’s 0% spirits bottles? He’ll get the same feeling he does when he has a drink while looking after his health! If this is something you know he’ll just love, they even have a subscribe & save feature on their website… So why not gift him a year subscription?!
Stackers
The idea of Stackers was born 12 years ago out of a love of organisation, and the idea that everything has its own place. The co-founders noticed that there was a lack of beautiful and flexible jewellery storage, so they decided to create it themselves. Although Stackers is still rooted in these values, their collection has now grown to include travel, home, cosmetics and recently their bag collection, with an aim of helping to keep every aspect of life beautifully organised.
The brand works closely with a handful of carefully selected factories to produce their products, which helps them ensure that everyone in the supply chain is treated and paid fairly, respected and protected. In fact, each of the factories they work with undergoes ethical (SMETA and/or BSCI) and technical audits annually to ensure that these high standards are being upheld throughout the entire production process. Not only is this brand producing beautiful products ethically, they are also committed to giving back programmes. In fact, they have partnered with a number of different charities throughout the years, from Women for Women UK, Movember, Operation Christmas Child and Refuge Charity.
The brand is currently offering 15% off their men’s collection to make sure that all of their customers can afford a great ethical gift for their dads this year. So, the choice is yours, but from their watch boxes to their washbags, from gym bags to document folders, their selection is so perfect for any working dad out there!
GROWN ALCHEMIST
When it comes to finding the perfect sustainable Father’s Day gift, look no further than Grown Alchemist’s exceptional men’s skincare range. Whether you’re in search of routine grooming products such as shaving gels or cleansers, or specialised treatments targeting issues like anti-ageing, ingrown hairs, and shaving rash, Grown Al has you covered.
Our scientifically developed products are designed to keep your skin looking and feeling its best. We harness the power of natural bio-active ingredients to smooth and hydrate your skin, allowing you to focus on your day ahead with confidence. Each product is thoughtfully crafted with unique and inviting fragrances, yet gentle enough to avoid sensitivity. Explore our extensive range of men’s skincare products, including moisturisers, exfoliators, serums, and more, and give the gift of sustainable luxury this Father’s Day.
Oliver Company London
Oliver Co is an independent studio and conscientious creator dedicated to crafting beautiful everyday items with minimal environmental impact. Matthew Oliver, the Founder and Creative Director, delved into product design and consulting before uncovering the potential of bio-materials to revolutionise the industry. By producing 50 wallets from apple waste-based leather alternatives and selling them to friends and family, the company took root.
Now situated in Bermondsey, South London, Oliver Co passionately merges cutting-edge material technology with meticulous attention to detail. Their core focus on circularity propels the business, aiming to upcycle materials into new products or compost them at the end of their lifecycle. The pursuit of novel circular materials led them to achieve B Corp status in 2022.
Offering a range from Mirum to apple leather, organic cotton, and recycled polyester, Oliver Co’s accessories exude elegance and ethics. Explore their selection of vegan accessories for fathers, including wallets, laptop sleeves, phone cases, key rings, passport holders, and other essential items. The brand is currently offering 10% off to first purchasers as well as having a 25% sale on a selected line just in time for father’s day. So hurry if you’re on a budget this year!
As we celebrate Father’s Day, let’s make choices that honor both our loved ones and the planet. I’ve highlighted a variety of sustainable gifts, from eco-friendly gadgets to Grown Alchemist’s exceptional men’s skincare products. Now, I’d love to hear from you! Do you have any favourite sustainable gifts that you think should be on this list? Share your suggestions and help to inspire others to make greener choices this Father’s Day. Leave a comment below or send me a message with your ideas. Let’s make this Father’s Day special and sustainable together!
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