With mother's day coming up soon, we've all got our minds on possible gift ideas for some of our favorite people. However, we should also keep mother earth in mind as the holiday approaches. Gift-giving can be a wasteful activity, but it doesn't have to be!
There are a few ways you can cut down on your environmental effect when giving gifts. The first is to reduce the disposable trash around the gift, such as not using wrapping paper. Instead, we're going to focus on what we would consider the most important consideration: picking out a sustainable and meaningful gift for your mother. A sustainable gift is always more eco-friendly, and a meaningful gift is far less likely to go unused and end up in the trash.
As you know your mom best, we're sure you can pick out something important to her. So, we're here to help you pick out something eco friendly:
- Our top 5 recommendations for sustainable gifts for mom
- 22 best eco-friendly gifts for moms that are unique and thoughtful
We'll start with the gifts we think most mothers would enjoy.
Our top 6 recommendations for sustainable gifts for moms
If mother's day is catching up to you and you quickly need a gift idea you're sure will win her over, here are our top recommendations:
- Best for tech-moms: Solar phone charger
- Best for gardener moms: Lomi
- Best for moms that like to accessorize: Sea glass necklace
- Best for yoga-moms: Cork yoga mat
- Best for moms who love their coffee: Zero waste coffee cup
- Best for moms who love their phones: Pela biodegradable phone case
22 best eco-friendly gifts for moms that are unique and thoughtful
Coming up with a bunch of gift ideas on your own is hard, especially if you want to focus on eco-friendly options. To help you out, here's a list of fantastic eco-friendly and unique gifts that we're sure will contain the perfect mother's day gift for you.
1. Cork Hanging Planters
Houseplants are wonderful - they look nice, sometimes smell nice, bring us closer to nature, and even clean up the air a bit. But, we often stick our indoor plants in plastic planters, as that's what's cheap and widely available. However, that just inevitably leads to plastic junk in a landfill somewhere.
Instead, get your mom one of these all-natural cork hanging planters. These beautiful handmade hanging planters will enhance any home thanks to their neutral color palette and simple design.
Price: $85.00
Great for: Moms that have way too many indoor plants that at this point seem like they're taking over the house. Although, this gorgeous planter would also make a perfect first for a mom looking to dip their toes into indoor gardening.
Why she’ll love it: Not only is this planter completely made of natural products, but cork is actually a great material for plants because of how naturally porous it is.
2. Blooming Lollipops
Who doesn't like getting some sweet treats for mother's day, or any day for that matter? You can easily up your treat-giving game with these botanical lollipops. These cute lollipops all have flower and herb-themed flavors, but that's not even the best part! Once your mom has finished enjoying her candy, she'll actually be able to plant the seed-filled sticks to grow her own edible plants!
Price: $20.00
Great for: Mamas who like trying new treats. Bonus points if she also likes gardening, as she'll get plenty of high-quality seeds to work with.
Why she’ll love it: This will be one of the most fun and interesting snacks she's had in a while. The lollipops are pretty, have interesting flavors, and come with future snacks to grow.
3. Lomi
The food waste everyone creates is a problem all over the world. One great way to reduce food waste is by composting it. Not only do you reduce your waste in that case, but you're also gaining dirt ready to feed your plants. Of course, composting takes time and effort.
If your mom has mentioned that she'd like to compost, for whatever reason, but doesn't have the time or the energy to do so, Lomi is the perfect eco-friendly mother's day gift for her. Lomi is an electric composter, and makes composting a hassle-free activity. Your mom's Lomi would make a positive impact on her life and on the earth.
Price: $499.00
Great for: Moms who want to reduce their food scraps and turn them into something actually useful. It's also great for moms who like to garden, or even just have a few indoor plants that could use some extra healthy dirt.
Why she’ll love it: Lomi is a small countertop kitchen appliance, so she can put it away when she's not using it and it won't take up a bunch of space anywhere. It's also super easy to use, she can just throw her food scraps in and push a button. A few hours later and nutrient-rich dirt will be hers for the taking!
4. Lettuce Grow Farmstand
Has your mom expressed an interest in starting her own fruit and vegetable garden, but laments that she doesn't have the space, time, or energy? Well, these farmstands from Lettuce Grow will make the perfect sustainable mother's day gifts.
The farmstand is a tall but relatively narrow garden that will efficiently grow over 200 different types of fruits and vegetables. The self-watering and self-fertilizing systems also take most of the work out of vegetable gardening. The farmstand will even be a win-win if you get to enjoy the food she grows.
Price: $399.00
Great for: Moms that love the idea of having their own home-grown food, but don't necessarily love the idea of gardening for many hours every week.
Why she’ll love it: The self-sustaining hydroponic farmstand takes most of the work out of gardening. This means she'll only have to spend about 5 minutes every week taking care of her plants to get luscious home-grown food.
5. Pela Case
Let's be real - people are clumsy and they drop their phones, including our mothers. A fun phone case is always a great gift, but a Pela case makes it an eco-friendly mother's day present. Unlike every other phone case, Pela Cases are compostable and won't be contributing to the world waste problem at the end of their life.
Price: $59.95
Great for: Women with phones. So, pretty much anyone.
Why she’ll love it: The phone cases come in a variety of beautiful designs, so you'll be able to pick one that suits her best. They're also both durable and comfortable to grip. And when she's done with it, she'll be able to toss it right into her Lomi to break it down and turn into dirt!
6. Cork Yoga Mat
Yoga mats are generally made of plastic, or more specifically, vinyl. Although yoga, and any other floor exercise, are wonderful, the activity isn't entirely eco-friendly when done with a standard yoga mat.
Thankfully, these cork and natural rubber yoga mats are the perfect answer to that problem. These eco-friendly materials turn yoga into a completely sustainable activity.
Price: $39.95
Great for: Moms who love to do yoga, or any other exercise that would be uncomfortable to do without a mat.
Why she’ll love it: Cork actually has more benefits than just being eco-friendly. These mats are more grippy than standard yoga mats, especially when wet.
7. Recycled Foam Yoga Block
If your mom is doing yoga regularly, chances are she doesn't just use a mat. Foam blocks are a common yoga accessory and are generally made from unsustainable materials. If you want to get your mom completely decked out in sustainable yoga supplies, these recycled foam yoga blocks are another great eco-friendly gift option.
Price: $20.00
Great for: Women who love their daily yoga, but don't love the environmental impact of unsustainable materials.
Why she’ll love it: These yoga blocks made from upcycled materials provide both a comfortable and slip-resistant grip for her workout.
8. Recycled Leggings
Leggings are a popular clothing choice for many women. They're comfortable, they're stylish, and they're flexible. This also makes them the perfect workout pants. The only thing that could make leggings even better was if they were made out of recycled water bottles.
Amazingly, these leggings from the Girlfriend Collective are each made from 25 recycled water bottles. Even better is that they come in a huge range of sizes, so you're definitely going to be able to find a pair to perfectly fit your mom.
Price: $78.00
Great for: Moms who like to wear leggings, whether that's for working out or just lounging around.
Why she’ll love it: These leggings are sweat-wicking and squat-proof, totally comfortable, and even have a back pocket for keys and cards.
9. Tree Napper Weighted Blanket
Your mom won't stop thanking you for this mother's day gift when she discovers that she's sleeping better than she ever did before. This eco-friendly weighted blanket is made from natural eucalyptus fibers and is designed to give people a deeper sleep and a more restful wake.
Price: $269.00
Great for: Literally any and every mother, as everyone benefits from great sleep!
Why she’ll love it: Not only is this blanket silky smooth and an absolute joy to sleep with, but it's also designed to keep hot sleepers cool during the night. Your mom won't ever have to worry about waking up sweaty in the middle of the night again.
10. Zero Waste Shower Bundle
Everyone loves to be pampered sometimes, and mother's day is a great occasion to get your mom some zero-waste self-care supplies. We'd recommend this zero-waste shower bundle from the Zero Waste Store. It comes with wonderful smelling shampoo and conditioner bars, as well as a soap dish and bag for an easy and clean setup.
Price: $47.46
Great for: Any mom who has hair, really. But, it's an especially great choice for moms that have expressed a desire to reduce their own waste.
Why she’ll love it: The shampoo and conditioner contain plenty of essential oils and are free of harsh chemicals. They're definitely going to leave her feeling pampered.
11. Sea Glass Necklace
Getting some jewelry every now and then is always nice. It's even better when that jewelry is an eco-friendly mother's day present. These sea glass necklaces are gorgeously handmade from recycled materials. The wide range of different colors means you're sure to pick out just the right one for your mom.
Price: $46.00
Great for: Stylish women, or moms who just like to accessorize sometimes.
Why she’ll love it: The simple design of these stunning necklaces makes them easy to mix and match with all sorts of outfits.
12. Solar Phone Charger
Keeping our many different devices charged takes a lot of energy. Relying on the power grid to get that done isn't exactly sustainable for the planet, and it's also inconvenient whenever you're out doing anything.
A solar phone charger would give your mom an eco-friendly option for keeping her devices charged. As it's small and portable, she'll also be able to easily charge her phone wherever she is.
Price: $79.99
Great for: Moms who have plenty of devices on them (think tablets, e-readers, phones, and more), or moms who are often out and about.
Why she’ll love it: She'll get to have a sustainable energy source for her devices, so she can kep them charged as much as she wants without hurting the planet.
13. Blueair Air Purifier
Air purifiers are great for keeping our homes healthy places to be. As the amount of people working from home rises, the need for at-home air purifiers does as well. Unfortunately, most of these things suck up a ton of energy, which is the opposite of eco-friendly. That's why we would suggest getting your mom the low energy consuming Blueair air purifier for mother's day.
Price: $319.99
Great for: Moms that work from home, so she can breathe refreshing air all day. It's also especially helpful for moms with pets or allergies.
Why she’ll love it: This air purifier will keep her home smelling and feeling great while making very little noise.
14. Window Solar Charger
When it comes to gift ideas, you can't get any more eco-friendly than a literal sustainable energy source. This window solar charger is crazy easy to install (just hang it in your window) and will start providing all the energy your mom needs for all of her devices. This is definitely one of the best eco-friendly gifts around.
Price: $149.00
Great for: Women who have plenty of devices at home, but don't like the environmental impact of charging them all the time.
Why she’ll love it: This environmentally friendly mother's day gift will be one of her favorites because of how seamlessly she'll be able to integrate it into her life, and how often she'll actually use it.
15. Fun Produce Bags
Going grocery shopping often means grabbing a bunch of plastic produce sacks at the store and immediately throwing them out after. Nobody likes that, especially not the world. That's why organic cotton produce bags have been rising in popularity.
But, you don't want to buy your mom just any old produce bags, that wouldn't be terribly exciting. Instead, why not buy her some with delightful food cartoons and puns on them?
Price: $15.00
Great for: Moms who enjoy a bit of comedy on their everyday stuff. It'll also help if she thinks cartoon food is adorable.
Why she’ll love it: I mean, who doesn't enjoy comedic onions? However, these bags are also handy because they have their tare weight written right on them, making checkout much easier.
16. Decomposition Books
Journaling and keeping hand-written notes is awesome. What's not so awesome is the amount of trees required to make all the paper in the lovely journals we all want to buy. But, the joy of journaling can be sustainable. Decomposition books make fantastic eco-friendly gifts, as their pages are made completely from recycled paper.
Price: $10.00
Great for: Women who like to keep a journal for personal reasons, for schooling, or for work.
Why she’ll love it: The spiral bound notebooks are easy to use because they lay flat on your surface. They're also available in an array of stunning designs.
17. Lifepack Backpack
Does your mother like to go out hiking or travelling? Maybe she just always takes a backpack's worth of stuff with her when she goes shopping. If that's the case, you might want to consider getting her this lifepack backpack from Solgaard as a gift. The backpack is sturdy, and is made from upcycled ocean-bound plastic, making it an ideal sustainable gift.
Price: $145.00
Great for: Moms that are always carrying around too much stuff, or women that like to go hiking and travelling on their off days.
Why she’ll love it: This green (environmentally and literally if you want) backpack will be able to carry everything she needs, including a solar charger if she has one.
18. Bamboo Bathrobe
Relaxing at home is so much easier when we have comfortable clothes to lounge in. Or, in this case, when we have a luxuriously soft bathrobe to lounge in. Seriously, this is one of the most comfortable articles of clothing you could every gift to your mother. It would also be an environmentally friendly mother's day gift because of the natural materials it's made from, such as bamboo and organic cotton.
Price: $151.00
Great for: Any mom that likes to relax or feel comfortable at all.
Why she’ll love it: It sort of speaks for itself, but this bathrobe will make her want to spend all of her time lounging so she doesn't have to change out of it.
19. Puffer Fish Dryer Balls
Unfortunately, we all have to do laundry, including our mothers. Laundry is a pretty boring chore and generally includes wasteful dryer sheets. While it seems impossible to make laundry fun, you can make it slightly less boring a lot less wasteful with an eco-friendly mother's day present of these puffer fish dryer balls.
Price: $20.06
Great for: Any mom that often does laundry and isn't scared of fish, so probably most of them.
Why she’ll love it: These dryer balls are absolutely adorable, and she won't have to worry about having to buy dryer sheets anymore.
20. Beeswax Food Wrap
When it comes to gifts for eco-friendly moms, beeswax food wrap will always be a winner. While it may seem bland, it's a highly versatile gift that your mom will be able to get plenty of use out of. On top of that, it's also extremely affordable.
Price: $5.99
Great for: Women that enjoy cooking, or spend a lot of time preparing and cleaning up food.
Why she’ll love it: It's a plastic-free and organic way for her to store the family's food and help her create a zero-waste kitchen!
21. Organic Cotton Coffee Filters
If your mother is a coffee drinker, like many mothers around the world, then these organic cotton coffee filters will be a welcome mother's day gift. Although some coffee filters can be composted, they're still single-use waste that can end up harming the environment. Reusable and compostable coffee filters are the way to go.
Price: $13.99
Great for: Every day coffee-drinking moms.
Why she’ll love it: These coffee filters can be used in a variety of setups, so she's not restricted to just one method of making coffee. On top of that, they're also quite simple to take care of.
22. Zero Waste Coffee Cup
Here's another one for the coffee lovers out there, especially the ones that need to get a coffee on the go. This reusable coffee cup from the Zero Waste Store is a great way to bring your coffee to work, or even to get coffee (or tea!) from your favorite coffee shop.
Price: $27.00
Great for: Women that enjoy their daily coffee, but need to take it to go.
Why she’ll love it: Unlike many reusable plastic travel mugs, this glass coffee cup won't absorb and keep flavors from old coffee, ruining future coffees. Instead, she'll get that fresh coffee flavor she craves.
Eco-friendly gifts for mom aren't always easy to come by, so we hope you found something she'd like in this list. If you'd like more ideas for some eco-friendly and zero-waste products, we've got lots of information on our blog. We'd also suggest taking a closer look at Lomi while you're over there. No matter what you choose for your gifts, we hope you enjoy celebrating mother's day with your loved ones!
Written by: Sereana Simpson