Diwali comes with the joy of giving as we exchange gifts with our loved ones. The overwhelming quantity of sweets that puts you off desserts for weeks to come, the diyas and other décor items that may be beautiful but you’ve exhausted all corners of the house to place them—it makes you wonder if there’s more to Diwali gifting except the regular paraphernalia? How about actually gifting something that can be used? The gift items which have a small shelf life end up in the garbage, generating a colossal amount of waste that is detrimental to the environment. If you’re someone who prefers sustainable living, you’ll find yourself pondering over these questions one too many times during the festive season.
So, if you’re wondering what to gift your loved ones, which isn’t too harsh on the environment, we’ve compiled a list of five of our favourite hampers that we are loving this festive season. What’s more, they are also eco-friendly.
1. Phool Diwali Giftbox – Ramayan Collection, Phool
Phool Ramayana gift box, according to the brand, is their ode to the story of Lord Ram. Born out of a desire to bring the vast epic on one canvas, this box is a curation of their creativity, team effort and their collective will to craft the best Diwali gifting experience. The Diwali gift box is made from recycled craft paper and contains:
• 1 box of hand-rolled incense sticks in the fragrance of tulsi, approved by Ecocert, natural origin home fragrance (40 incense sticks + incense holder, 40-45 minutes burn time).
• 1 box of incense cones in the fragrance of Nagchampa, approved by Ecocert, natural origin home fragrance (40 incense cones + incense holder, 30-35 minutes burn time)
• 1 box of Phool plantable firecrackers lookalikes made from waste newspaper and embedded with seeds such as Green Amaranthus, Red Amaranthus, Basil, Sponge gourd, Gulmohar, Spinach, Golden Shower, Gypsophila, Chrysanthemum, Purslane, Balsam, Cosmos and Ashwagandha.
• 1 box of Jaggery-coated Cashews and Cinnamon coated Almonds Box, packed in airtight pouches.
• 1 box of Phool Plantable Mithai lookalikes coated with waste ground powder of coffee, discarded neem leaves, discarded Rose petals and discarded Neem sawdust. Phool mithai lookalikes are made from waste newspaper and embedded with seeds such as green amaranthus, red amaranthus, basil, sponge gourd, gulmohar, spinach, golden shower, gypsophila, chrysanthemum, purslane, balsam, cosmos and ashwagandha.
• 4 complimentary handcrafted ceramic diyas, made by local artisans.
• 1 box of artisanal Himalayan green tea, curated from Manjhee Valley tea estate infused with vibrant and fragrant flowers.
The box retails for ₹ 1,375 you can find it here.
2. Ultimate Sustainable Diwali Gift Kit, Clan Earth
A brand focused on minimalism, their Diwali gift kit has been made using the same principles of recycling and sustainability. The box is made out of recycled paper and includes:
• Microgreens growing kit: Pack of two including two jute trays, two seed packs, two soil cakes, sprayer and cutter
• Upcycled coconut shell soy wax candle with essential oil aroma
• A5 size notebook
• Recycled paper pen
• Recycled paper pencil
The box is priced at ₹ 999 and you can buy it here.
3. Diwali Festive Eco-Friendly Starter Gift Hamper, Brown Living
This starter kit contains all the things you need to kick-start your eco-friendly journey. If there’s someone in your social circle that has just begun their journey into the world of sustainability, or if you want more people to embrace the eco-friendly way of living, this is a perfect gift for them this festive season. The hamper contains:
• Grow your own plant kit
• Box of two newspaper pencils, two seed pencils, and two paper pens
• Two fragrance-free soap bars (90g)
• Travel cutlery pouch; includes pouch, steel straw, cleaner, hanky
• Bamboo toothbrush
• Neem wood comb
• Drawstring bag
The box is priced at ₹ 1,330 and can be bought from their website.
4. Festive Zero Waste Gift Bundle, Bare Necessities
Now, festive gift bundles don’t always mean giving diyas or just Diwali related goodies. This gift bundle, which majorly consists of bath and body care products is perfect for gifting throughout the year. It consists of:
• Terracotta body scrub
• And it was yellow: Turmeric spa bar
• An Anecdote: Annatto spa bar
• Busy Bee lip balm
It costs about ₹ 1,000 and be bought from their website.
5. The Eco Festive Box, Verth
They aim to consciously curate items that are perfect for the festive season, and would not only empower the artisans that work on their products but also brighten up your loved ones’ Diwali. The boxes are made with ‘Kantha’ fabric, indigenous to West Bengal, and contain:
• Blue pottery diya set: Handmade in the quaint corners of Jaipur, this blue-pottery diya set will light up any festive space with its holy glow
• Fernweh fragrance bar: Made with natural soy wax and essential oils
• Plantable seed patakhas: Looks like crackers but are full of seeds! Plant them in the soil and help keep our planet pollution-free
• The Better Ladoo Peanut & Orange Chocolate Set: A modern twist to the traditional ladoos, these vegan sweets are made of natural dates, seeds and lots of nuts
• Electric tea light match box: Light up any room with a set of eight electric tea light candles that come in a huge matchbox that says 'With Love'
The box is for ₹ 1,799 and can be purchased from their website.