When I was thinking about the topic of eco-friendly gifts for men, I thought that leading an eco-friendly lifestyle might be seen as a more female domain. Most eco-friendly products are marketed to women, and there are more eco-friendly options for women. I wasn’t sure if I was just biased, or was this real. So, I googled it and found out about the “eco gender gap”. According to the Guardian, this has an obvious reason:
Women are not only more powerful consumers but also disproportionately responsible, still, for the domestic sphere.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/06/eco-gender-gap-why-saving-planet-seen-womens-work
Therefore, it is a bit more difficult to think of and find eco-friendly options for men. I took the time to think of 8 different kinds of eco-friendly gifts for men. In this article, I will suggest options for the bathroom, the closet, accessories, the outdoors, and hobbies.
I am not using any affiliate links, everything I recommend is because I like it and think it is useful. Feel free to search for different options in the same products category.
Bathroom
Safety Razor (gift set)
As we know, plastic is not cool, and disposable razors will eventually go to landfills and they will pollute our planet. We are sending billions of disposable razors to landfills every year. Something that men can do to reduce this pollution is to start using the old-school stainless steel safety razors. Let’s make a safety razor comeback!
This one item can last for decades, even a lifetime. You just need to change the blades. Anyways, this is what my grandfather used his whole life. I remember how he used to take his shaving kit every morning, take the brush, make some foam, put it on his face, and shave. Every morning for decades, the same razor.
I looked at Amazon and I found several options ranging from 20 to 200 dollars. Look at this basic stainless steel razor or this one with bamboo handle.
If you want to go fancier, there is this bronze razor on Amazon, or pick a whole shaving set like this one.
Organic beard care products
If on the other hand, he is grooming a beard, there are many options for him too. There are countless products for beard care. I am no expert on this topic, but just a quick Google search showed me products like beard oil, beard balm, beard wax, beard brush, beard comb, beard trimmers, and scissors. Definitely, there are nice gifts to care for his beard in eco-friendlier versions.
To make these products better for the planet, you should choose only organic products that don’t use chemicals as ingredients or in the production process. Better if the container is glass or metal, easily recyclable. For brushes and combs choose wood or bamboo, avoid plastic.
I looked into this on Amazon. I found these products that might be useful. Naturenics bear brush, comb, and trimmers set in a nice gift box. All the materials are natural, no plastic.
Another Naturenics gift set contains a brush, a comb, a beard oil and beard balm, scissors, plus an ebook about beard care. It sounds like a great gift for a beard beginner.
And the last set from Maison Lambert which contains organic balm, beard oil, beard shampoo, a comb, and a soap. All this packed in a cigar box.
If you are interested in how to make your bathroom more eco-friendly, I have an in-depth article on this topic here.
Closet
Hemp, Organic Cotton, or upcycled underwear
In my article about eco-friendly fabrics, I explain what materials are eco-friendly, which ones are not a good option. In the same article, I mention hemp as one of the best alternatives, but unfortunately, it is harder to find. I was able to find a brand that makes their underwear from a mix of hemp, cotton, and spandex. Check out their collections at WAMA Underwear. Moreover, WAMA is a Green America Certified Business and a PETA-Approved Vegan brand.
I also mention in my article that organic cotton, as opposed to commercial non-organic cotton is a suitable eco-friendly alternative, as it doesn’t use pesticides and GMOs and uses fewer resources. There are many brands that you can find, for example, look at IMPETUS Certified Organic Cotton Underwear for Men at Amazon.
There is an amazing and fun company in Canada called Laura´s Under There, that upcycles jersey & stretch knit material, in order to make comfortable undies. They make unique, limited edition underwear for all body types. Moreover, for every pair you buy, a pair is donated to someone in need.
Accessories
Cork wallet or bag
When my husband’s wallet looked like an animal has chewed on it, I wanted to buy him something nice. I didn’t want to buy anything made from leather and fortunately, I found a great alternative, a cork wallet. I was a bit afraid it would be too fragile and would last him very little. To my surprise, he has been using it for many years now, and it’s still in great shape. I am definitely getting him another one in a few more years when this one wears off.
Look at Corkor, vegan, PETA approved company. Their cork leather is also FSC® certified. This accreditation ensures the protection and adequate harvesting of the cork oak forest. They offer a wide variety of wallets, bags, and accessories, just pick your color and style.
Another vegan PETA approved company that produces wallets, bags, accessories form cork is CorkbyDesign, or you can find a variety of locally made cork wallets on Etsy as well.
Recycled / wooden cufflinks
Another men’s accessory that can be found in the eco-friendly version is cufflinks. I searched on Etsy, and you can buy locally made upcycled cufflinks or cufflinks made from reclaimed wood.
DapperPinsandCuffs offers upcycled accessories for chests & wrists made from different kinds of reclaimed wood, or other recycled materials.
Glassoholics makes recycled glass accessories like cufflinks, tie clips, and jewelry from wine, beer, and liquor bottles.
Outdoors and hobbies
Recycled sunglasses
Almost everyone needs a pair of sunglasses. Many people have more than one pair. We might forget it when going on holiday, and we are forced to buy a new pair. Sunglasses create a lot of waste over the years. Moreover, most of the sunglasses frames are made of plastic. It will not degrade in nature, is not recyclable, and will most probably end up in the landfill releasing methane to the atmosphere. Fortunately, there are many smaller and bigger sunglasses brands that are already addressing this issue by creating sunglasses frames from recycled materials, bamboo, wood, old skateboards, and other eco-friendly materials.
Norton Point based in Massachusetts has made it their mission to clean up the mess and recycle ocean plastic into high-quality, durable sunglasses. Their sunglasses are all made with recycled ocean plastic and plant-based materials. They also donate 5% of their profits to global ocean clean-up, education, and remediation practices.
Dex Shades sunglasses are handmade from sustainably sourced skateboard wood. The wood creates a durable and lightweight frame, while the colored layers and wood grain variation gives each pair a unique look. And as a bonus, these sunglasses will float, so that you won’t lose them in the water. In addition, the company plants 2 trees for every sale!
Sea2see designs and produces optical frames and sunglasses entirely made with recycled marine plastic waste collected in collaboration with thousands of fishermen in Spanish ports. They have already collected almost 300 tons of plastic from the oceans.
DIY kit
I am a big fan of gifts that include experience. A DIY kit according to his interests or hobbies can be a great gift. You can even do this activity together! Obviously, there are so many options, pick a kit that is eco-friendly in what it creates, and is made from eco-friendly materials.
If you need to understand more about what does eco-friendly means, read my article where I explain it in detail. I cover the product stages, materials, certifications, and much more.
Bonsai Starter Kit
Some of my eco-friendly kits picks include a Bonsai Starter Kit from Amazon, this involves planting four trees. This is a truly eco-friendly good deed. The planter and other contents of this kit are also made of eco-friendly and degradable materials.
Glass cutting machine
To create fun home upcycling projects from used glass bottles or jars, you can choose this glass cutting machine for DIY projects on Amazon. Use it to turn bottles into vases, planters, wind chimes, candleholders, and other projects according to your imagination. Obviously, recycling or upcycling bottles also is very eco-friendly and probably a lot of fun!
Others
Other options might include beer making kit, sauce making kit, or others according to his hobbies and interests.
Victorinox multi-tool knife
My last pick is a Victorinox multi-tool. Every man will be very happy to have one of these, and one will last for a lifetime. Therefore if they already have one, pick something else. Why am I including it as eco-friendly gifts for men? Mainly, because these are made to last for a lifetime, so if you have one, you will never need any other outdoor knife or multi-tool.
The second reason is that the company has a great sustainability policy. They forgo packaging always when possible. Victorinox uses the heat from the knife production for heating of their offices and 120 nearby apartments. They reuse all the scrap steel from production and they filter up to 600 tons of steel from cooling water every year! Read more about their sustainability policies here. Check one of their multi-tools on Amazon.
Eco-friendly wrapping
After you have chosen the best gift, you might need to wrap and decorate it. I have written a whole article on eco-friendly ways to wrap a gift. Read it and get inspired so you don’t mess your green gift with plastic wrapping. In this article, I cover how to reuse what you already have in your house for wrapping, some non-traditional ways of wrapping including a Japanese traditional way of wrapping called Furoshiki. Moreover, I give tips on how to tie and decorate the gift.
I am not using any affiliate links, everything I recommend is because I like it and think it is useful. Feel free to search for different options in the same products category.
