Mother’s Day is just around the corner (May 10) and buying a sustainable gift to show your mama the gratitude and appreciation for all that she does is made a touch more complicated because of the pandemic lockdowns.
So we’ve curated this list of Mother’s Day gift ideas to inspire you to purchase a gift for your mum and the mother figures in your life that’s not only COVID-19 mindful and uniquely fit for her, but also kind to Mother Nature and communities too.
1. Eco luxurious bathrobe
Pandemic measures are forcing people to stay at home more often so why not give your mother the gift of eco luxury with a beautiful bathrobe made of Fair-Trade certified organic cotton? Check out this curated list of conscious brands making ethical bathrobes that are stylish and functional.
2. Gift cards to spend at eco-conscious businesses
Since the coronavirus pandemic, many eco-conscious businesses have found it difficult to keep operating, with many shutting their doors temporarily and some permanently, and others having very few options but to reduce production capacity and reduce employee hours as consumer spending slows down. This is the best time to support local eco-friendly businesses. By giving your mum a gift card to spend at a conscious business, you’ll be treating her to the opportunity to select what she’d like for herself and help to ensure a conscious business can continue to offer better alternatives in the market, particularly in these economically difficult times where so many have no choice but to fold.
To purchase a gift card or certificate, just head to a sustainability-focussed ecommerce store and browse the site to see if they offer this option. This comprehensive list of ethical fashion and eco-friendly online shops is a great place to start.
3. Ethically-made work shirts
If your mum is working from home during this pandemic and is attending heaps of Zoom meetings, get an ethically-made tailored shirt that’s both stylish and professional. Popular sustainable label Reformation has a vast range of fitted and relaxed work shirts made from eco-friendly materials such as linen and recycled fabrics. Australian ethical label Cue also offers a wide range of blouses, work tops and collared shirts to suit all fashion tastes.
4. Plant a tree
A thoughtful gift for both your mum and the planet, a tree is the ultimate green gift, helping to offset carbon, reduce soil erosion and provide habitat for wildlife. Plant a tree in her honour in your backyard (or her yard) or you can gift her a tree with Treedom and help farmers secure sustainable livelihoods in the process. This is a meaningful gift that will grow as she does.
5. Bicycle
If your mum is going a little nuts at home in isolation, giving her the gift of a bicycle is a gift of health and well-being. It also gives her an eco-friendlier option to commute since the only fuel it requires is human energy! Make sure to check out Craigslist, eBay and Facebook community marketplaces for second-hand bikes before opting for a new one.
6. Give the gift of Calm
Share the joys and benefits of meditation, mindfulness and sleep by giving your mother a one-year subscription to the ever popular Calm app. Purchase a gift card here and she’ll enjoy better health, happiness and a better night’s sleep.
7. Eco-friendly bedding
Following on from the last gift idea, you can help your mum rest and sleep easier with the gift of eco-friendly bedding made from organic and chemical-free fibres that don’t irritate the skin. This comprehensive list of eco-friendly bed sheets will help you find the right style, colours and fabrics to suit your mother’s tastes and bedroom interior.
8. Digital magazine subscription
Does your mum love magazines? If she does, encourage her to reduce her environmental impact and gift her a digital magazine subscription instead. National Geographic, Peppermint Magazine and many other magazine titles come in digital formats for easy and environmentally-friendly reading pleasure.
9. Compost bin
When food scraps and green waste is sent to landfill it contributes to climate change. Encourage your mum to ‘recycle’ food waste and scraps by getting her a kitchen composting bin such as Bokashi Composting system or buying a larger one that will fit in her backyard and allow her to compost bigger volumes, such as FCMP Outdoor Tumbling Composter. She can then use the liquid fertiliser it creates when it decomposes onto her plants and gardens!
Related Post: Australians Throw Out $8.9b Worth of Good Food Each Year. Here’s How to Cut Food Waste…
10. Indoor plants
Green thumbs are growing as pandemic lockdowns push people to connect with nature in the only way they can in a small home environment: cultivating indoor plants. This article will help you determine the type of indoor plant/s to purchase your mum for Mother’s Day. We recommend the following plants: Pothos, Philodendrons, Fiddle-leaf Fig, Peace Lily and succulents to name a few.
11. Sustainable sleepwear
Sleep is better when you’re wearing something comfy and snuggly and we bet your mum feels the same way. Check out this list of sustainable sleepwear and get her a beautiful dressing gown or eco-friendly pyjamas, whatever you think she prefers.
12. Vegan cork cosmetics bag
This gorgeous vegan Carry Courage Adventurer Cork Cosmetics Bag can keep cosmetics organised and stop your mum from digging around at the bottom of her bag to fish her lipstick out. It can store up to seven bottles or brushes upright and has the three vinyl pockets and four mesh pockets inside. Made in the USA, it features waterproof waxed canvas on the inside, and sustainably-harvested cork fabric on the outside, and is as stylish as it is environmentally-friendly.
13. IOU day trip
COVID-19 has thrown a spanner in the works and celebrating Mother’s Day will be a lot harder for mums who prefer to experience gifts over physical gifts. But just because you can’t take her out now doesn’t mean you can’t later. So organise an all-day trip for when coronavirus measures are lifted and take your mum to some of her favourite places and eateries throughout the day. Give her a call let her know about this IOU day trip so she has something to look forward to once lockdown is over.
14. Eco-friendly runners
Has your mum taken up walking and running as a means to stay fit during the pandemic? Get her a pair of high performing eco-friendly runners. This article has a great list of brands manufacturing sustainable running shoes that will look good and perform well.
15. Mushroom growing kit
Most people are attempting to grow their own herbs during lockdown, but not many can say they’re growing mushrooms. Give your mum a Life Cykel mushroom growing kit and she’ll love the challenge – and will love eating the oyster mushrooms too!
16. Comfy slippers
With your mother hanging out at home more often, she may also need a comfy yet Instagrammable pair of slippers that are practical enough for all the activities she gets up to indoors. Check out this post for some wonderful conscious brands making vegan, ethically-made and eco-friendly slippers.
17. Online classes
Has your mum been talking about learning something new? Buy an annual membership to Masterclass for her and she can learn from some of the world’s best as they share their failures, successes, shortcuts, stories and much more. You mum will be able to access hundreds of lessons online from renowned experts in their fields. Whether she wants to learn how to cook, write a book, take photographs, act or direct a film, she’ll be able to find a class (or many) to take on Masterclass.
18. Plant-based cookbook
Encourage her to eat more plant-based meals by giving her a plant-based cookbook. There are so many vegan cookbooks to choose from, but you can’t go wrong with recipe books from plant-based influencers such as Ellie Bullen aka Elsa’s Wholesome Life and Ella Mills the brains behind Deliciously Ella. Their plant-based creations are as delicious as they look!
Related Post: 10 Plant-Based Influencers and Bloggers to Follow
19. Zero waste resuable items
Now’s the time to gently nudge your mother to reduce her waste and what better way to do so than by giving her a zero waste bundle filled with the basics such as reusable water bottle, food containers, reusable cutlery, reusable shopping and produce bags and reusable coffee cup. Check out our post 20 Items That Should Be On Your Zero Waste List for more ideas on what to include in this zero wate Mother’s Day gift bundle.
20. DIY kits
From gardening to baking, people the world over are rediscovering the art of slow in isolation life. So why not encourage the same for your mum by giving her a kit that features instructions and equipment to help her make something. Australian business Mad Millie offers DIY kits that make it easy for anyone to learn how to make artisan cheese, sauerkraut, sourdough, yoghurt, gin, ginger beer and more. Wool and the Gang sells knit kits to people of all skill levels and patterns filled with sustainably sourced yarns and knitting needles to make learning how to knit easy and accessible to all.
Cover image by Valeria Ushakova.
Disclosure: Details correct at time of publishing. Opinions expressed are writer’s own. This curated list does not fully take into account all the ethical considerations that are unique to each individual. Before making a purchase, we encourage you to do your own research paying particular attention to the supply chain and your own particular set of ethics. Click here to read more about our policies.
