The best gifts aren’t the most expensive. This year, make a conscious decision to incorporate the shared value philosophy in your gift giving plan. The SVP team has listed our favourite picks for gifting this festive season, from creating value out of recycled material from the ocean, to sustainably-sourced beverage, here’s how to make a lasting impression over the holidays and beyond, the shared value way.
The Thankyou company has added a Christmas gift collection in time for your festive shopping. Thankyou started in 2008 in response to the World Water Crisis. Following their rebrand in 2013, Thankyou introduced two new ranges: food and body care. Today, it has over 50 products available in 5,500 outlets in Australia. 100 per cent of the profits from the business goes to funding safe water, food, hygiene and sanitation services around the world. Last year, the company launched Thankyou baby, a range of nappies and baby care funding child and maternal health programs around the globe to empower families in need.
Travelling this holiday season? Why not gift someone a destination holiday too? The Intrepid Foundation allows travellers to give to trustworthy projects in the communities they’ve visited – projects that are well-managed and putting donations to effective, practical use. Since 2013, after the establishment of the Intrepid Group, they’ve expanded their support base to include Geckos Adventures, Peregrine Adventures, Adventure Tours Australia, Urban Adventures and PEAK DMC, giving even more travellers the opportunity to make a difference. The Intrepid Group doubles donations, so each donation will create twice the impact.
If you’re planning to have a few drinks over the holidays, consider the Stone & Wood Brewing Company beers. The company’s philosophy is based on brewing beer that makes the most of the ingredients available today. Stone & Wood pioneers the environmental sustainability in the Australian brewing industry through its Green Feet program. Using only four ingredients to brew their beers, Stone & Wood also considers other resources that play a part in delivering their beers to consumers. Energy, glass, cardboard and fuel are a few examples of the other things that come from environments to support the journey from grain to glass.
A household name for board games, Jenga has recently released Jenga Ocean – a board game that uses 100 per cent recycled fishing nets. Made from over 25 square feet of nets sourced through Bureo’s Net Positiva recycling program, the game encourages players to ‘Save the Animals’ through special edition rules. Discarded fishing nets account for 10 per cent of plastic pollution in the ocean. Through this initiative, discarded fishing nets are made into plastic pellets and then formed into Jenga blocks. Through Jenga Ocean, players will have a greater understanding of how these nets are harming marine life and animals and learn about what they can do to help. Each game helps to prevent over 1kg of discarded fishing nets from entering the ocean.
Customize your own lollies this Christmas with Allen’s Lolly Jar. Choose from an assortment of Allen’s lollies, mix it your way and create a customised Lolly Jar with your very own label. Your sweet creation will also go a long way. Allen’s has partnered with Red Frogs Australia, a non-profit support program, reaching across Australia and the globe. Red Frogs makes it their mission to provide a positive peer presence in environments where young people gather, educate young people on safe partying behaviour, and empower them to make positive choices for their future.
Lastly, if you’re looking to shop for new outfits this season or purchase one as a gift, the Good on You app is a great tool to help you decide on your meaningful purchase. The app makes checking a brand for its impact on people, the planet and animals incredibly easy. With over 1,000 fashion brands, you can discover new ethical brands and make your holiday shopping one that creates a lasting impact.
Share your thoughts with us on Twitter using the hashtag #sharedvaluexmas and support us in encouraging a shared value Christmas this year.