With the Gift of the Year (GOTY) shortlist announced last week (4 January), Products of Change’s editor and community manager, Rob Hutchins, champions the innovation and amplified ambitions of the shortlisted companies in the Ethical and Sustainable Gift category, highlighting that the industry is beginning to embrace the fundamentals of the circular economy.
“A reusable water bottle made from recycled single-use plastics, a seasonal candle that becomes a plant pot, and a school backpack made from rubbish – it could only be the shortlist of the Ethical and Sustainable Gift category in the 2023 Gift of the Year Awards.
And what a line-up of contenders we have in the running this year. Sustainable ambitions have been amplified, and industry understanding of some key circular economic principles appears to be deepening, with the focus beginning to turn to waste reduction and regeneration.
Over100 judges, including Products of Change’s ceo and founder, Helena Mansell-Stopher, whittled down this year’s longlist of entrants across 19 categories to land on an exciting line-up for the 2023 competition. And it’s hugely encouraging to see the level of innovation and reflection that has gone into all those products making up the Ethical and Sustainable Gift of the Year category this time around.
Letterbox Love, for instance, is encouraging regenerative practices through its Seeded Pet Loss Sympathy gift – a heartfelt poem printed on a seeded card – which can be planted to ‘bloom a living memory’ of a pet no longer with us. Meanwhile, the Seasons collection candle from FYG is not only a long-lasting candle that burns six months from one season to another but is made from 100% vegetable wax and delivered in a pot alongside its own seed card that can be planted in the vessel once the candle is burned. For each, it is the process of extending the life of the product after its initial use that hold true to the founding principles of the circular economy.
Honest Bottle, another finalist, is the only reusable bottle made from locally-sourced recycled single-use bottles. Turning single-use quite literally into reuse, Honest Bottle is also fronting a campaign to increase free public access to water fountains for reuse and refill. They are joined in the competition for the Ethical and Sustainable Gift of the Year accolade by Trashy Bags Africa and its Trashy School Bag, and this is a company with a story.
Based out of Accra, Ghana’s capital city in West Africa, Trashy Bags Africa is a social enterprise on a mission to make upcycled bags from the discarded drinking water sachets that litter its streets. Each month, nearly 200,000 plastic sachets are collected and brought to the team by a network of people who each obtain an income from their efforts. Leading the way in sustainable development in the country, Trashy Bags Africa has, to date, collected and recycled over 30 million plastic sachets since its operations began in 2007.
Also shortlisted is Love Coco and its Love Coco Coconut Bowls, produced from upcycled, hand-crafted coconut shells; Elite and its Emma Bridgewater Rice Husk Picnicware; Auteur’s Tru Earth range of ultra-concentrated, eco-friendly washing powder; Thinking Gifts Company’s Flexilight Rechargeable Collection of booklights; and a new-to-the-UK range of wooden, LEGO-compatible toy blocks called FabBrix, distributed by Products of Change member Inside Out Toys. The shortlisted range is a WWF officially licensed collection of endangered animals.
And that’s not all. The Silicone Straw Company sees its Reusable Silicone Straw in Handy Travel Tins make the shortlist this year, as does Just Trade’s Tagua Town collectable animals, all of which are individually hand-carved by artisan makers in Ecuador from a single tagua seed, harvested from the tagua palm tree which grows wild in South American rainforests. The line-up is completed by Go La La’s Filthy Gorgeous bath and beauty collection, and Wrapuccino’s Reusable Fabric Gift Wrap – Furoshiki, the reusable alternative to single-use wrapping. Each is an example of a shifting mind-set centred around the principles of end-of-life and reuse.
“It’s wonderful to see companies advancing their sustainability requirements by embracing circular economy thinking and looking at ways to reduce waste,” says Helena Mansell-Stopher. “The level of ambition has definitely exceeded previous years. To me, all nominees are already winners as they are pushing boundaries of what is possible in business to create the new normal. Huge congratulations to them all.”
A live judging will be held at Spring Fair in February, where all products will be on display in a dedicated judging zone at the NEC. We can’t wait to see them!”
For more information on joining the Products of Change community contact Rob Hutchins on Rob@Productsofchange.com
Top: Product of Change’s Rob Hutchins and ceo Helena Mansell-Stopher.
