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Prophet 2022 Gift Guide: 12 Sustainable Ideas

‘Tis the season for gift giving. This year, with Prophet’s focus on ESG, we’ve sourced ideas for the best sustainable presents.

December has finally arrived, bringing along cooler temperatures, festive lights and the season of giving. Black Friday and Cyber Monday may have ended, but the holiday spirit has only begun. At Prophet, we believe that ESG is core to a business’ sustainable growth. Our ESG team has honed the firm’s efforts this year by supporting 18 ESG pursuits, publishing six ESG-influenced articles and sharing two research reports highlighting ESG themes. That’s why in this year’s gift guide, we have decided to show our support for these ESG-driven initiatives again and address the 37% of surveyed consumers that said sustainability will significantly affect their holiday shopping decisions.  

The holiday season frenzy brings the climate risks of consumption to an all-time high, from plastics and packaging to tons of wasted resources. Amidst this time of increased consumer demand, there’s an ethical concern if the individuals working in many production factories are receiving fair compensation and having their well-being prioritized. 

But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can all help create a new future of sustainable and ethical shopping from brands that are doing their part and going above and beyond to make a positive change for our world. 

By reaching climate neutrality, using recycled materials, and contributing to sustainability and social initiatives around the world, we’ve pulled together a collection of noteworthy brands that can be the next stop on your holiday shopping list this year. 

For the Always Active Consultant with a Penchant for Nature and Traveling   

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Cotopaxi offers outdoor gear and apparel for the adventurous-hearted. As a Climate Neutral Certified organization, the brand incorporates repurposed, recycled and responsible materials in 94% of its products. It also plans to increase this number to 100% by 2025. On designated Giving Tuesdays, Cotopaxi donates 100% of purchase profits to fight poverty through its own foundation. The brand prioritizes ethical sourcing through rigorous codes of conduct and audits, as well as offering a (Re)Purpose Collection that uses leftover fabrics from other companies. Our new Prophet hip packs came from this same collection! 

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Noso patches offer an alternative, sustainable solution for repairing your favorite gear. They have designed (stylish) stick-on patches that can be used to repair tears and holes on outdoor apparel such as jackets and pants that tend to get damaged. This prolongs the lifecycle of the products and keeps them out of landfills, a win-win for sustainability. Noso recently adopted a new carbon credits program that allows customers to calculate the cost to compensate for the carbon emissions associated with their purchase, and the extra fee goes towards certified climate investment partners. 

For the Activewear Enthusiasts Who Like to Hit the Gym in Style   

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Fox & Robin is an activewear brand and Certified B Corp, with sustainability initiatives such as donating 1% of all sales to environmental NGOs and using plastic-free packaging. To prioritize responsible production, quality products, and reasonable pricing, the organization has chosen to mitigate costs by spending next to nothing on paid ads and relying on organic advertising. The company is also the first and only activewear brand to disclose its factory workers’ wages to promote greater compensation transparency. 

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Allbirds is known for its comfortable and stylish footwear, but it also sells a variety of other apparel. The shoe brand is committed to reducing its carbon footprint to nearly zero by 2030 through initiatives such as renewable materials, regenerative agriculture and responsible energy. Allbirds tracks progress to its goals by measuring emissions through materials, manufacturing, transportation, product use and end of life. When shopping on its website, you can see a detailed sustainability breakdown for each product. 

For the Content Creator Preparing for Their Next Gram-Worthy Picture 

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Everlane is a modern clothing and essentials brand that describes itself as embodying “Radical Transparency”. The brand only works with factories that score 90 or above on factors such as fair wages, reasonable hours, and environment, and even reveals the true costs behind its products to customers. Everlane has committed to science-based targets to reach net-zero emissions before 2050 and includes a strategic breakdown on mitigating Scope 1-3 greenhouse gas emissions on its website. Each of its product listings also includes a sustainability breakdown of its materials and construction. 

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Thousand Fell specializes in comfortable, everyday sneakers made from sustainable materials. The company strives towards a zero-waste closed-loop future by recycling its old sneakers to make new ones, and it has spent over three years designing a supply chain that allows the brand to make a circular lifecycle for sneakers a reality. Thousand Fell also offers its customers shopping credits for sending in old clothing so that it can be recycled and stay out of landfills. 

For the Wellness Seeker in Need of a Caffeine Kick or Relaxing Cup of Tea 

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Pukka Herbs creates organic herbal teas and supplements for a variety of associated health benefits such as digestion and immunity. The company has built itself upon the values of organic farming, fair trade and conservation through commerce. Pukka is Fair for Life certified, donates 1% of revenue to environmental and social causes and has been climate neutral since 2019. 

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Grosche offers drinkware products for coffee, tea and water while using proceeds to fund its safe water project. Through this project, every product sold by Grosche funds 50+ days of safe water for those in need. Among its many initiatives, the company diverts 91% of its waste away from landfills, operates on 100% green renewable energy and has had a negative carbon footprint since 2010. 

For the Remote Worker Looking to Level up Their Household Items 

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Full Circle Home creates sustainable and stylish home care products. The company is climate neutral and now has hopes of becoming plastic neutral. Full Circle aims to be 100% plastic-free packaging by the end of the year and use only recycled plastics in its products by 2050. 

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Made Trade is a women-owned and family-run business that offers a variety of home goods, furniture, clothing and accessory. The company prides itself on verifying and vetting each of its products to ensure it meets its core values of equity, sustainability and transparency. Made Trade is Climate Neutral Certified and allows customers to filter product searches by specific criteria such as sustainable, vegan and fair trade. 

For the Employee Always Working Overtime    

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Yolélé strives to create economic opportunity for smallholder farming communities while also sharing ingredients sourced from Africa with the world. The company offers Fonio chips made out of ancient West African grains, as well as spice rubs and pilafs. By using these ancient grains in its product offerings, Yolélé connects small farming communities with local and global markets, allowing the farms to support themselves from agriculture and increase food sovereignty in the region. 

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Misadventure takes a new take on vodka by offering the world’s first-ever carbon-negative consumer good. The company fights against the growing food waste problem by taking food waste–specifically from baked goods– and using the starches to create its alcohol. Misadventure’s mantra is centered around “hedonistic sustainability”, the idea that you don’t have to punish yourself to do good and it has done a great job. 

Don’t see anything that catches your eye? No problem – check out this website to search through thousands of Certified B Corporations that are committed to doing their best for the environment, for employees and for the community. 

While we hope this guide serves as inspiration; sustainable gift-giving can go beyond what money can buy. The ultimate sustainable gift can be the one you make yourself or a special experience you share with others. Our recent Prophet Impact Auction showed the breadth of limitless creativity– from painting lessons and crocheted items to professional coaching and Pickleball games– the possibilities of giving sustainable (and deeply appreciated) gifts are endless! 


FINAL THOUGHTS

Whether you are buying a gift for a coworker, a friend or your family the hunt for the perfect gift can be a challenge. Hopefully, our list spurs some environmentally friendly ideas and provides some inspiration during the season of giving. Afterall, we all have the power to #givesomethinggreater this holiday season. Happy holidays from our Prophet family to yours! 

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