If you love surfing, diving, sea swimming or any other water sport, the chances are you want the fish to be happy and the oceans healthy. Using the oceans as our playgrounds often means we are more motivated to keep the seas clean and not to have a negative impact on seas when we paddle out or dive in headfirst. Luckily, a few forward-thinking brands have this in mind when creating their products.
We’ve put together a few eco-friendly ocean lovers bits you need to have on your gift list….
Sand & Palm - Bikinis
Price: £60+
After studying illustration at university Vicki, the founder of Sand & Palm, travelled and surfed the globe. Finding there was a gap in the market for ethically and sustainably produced swimwear that looked gorgeous and stayed put in the waves she took it upon herself to fill that gap. After designing swimwear for a number of surf bands, Vicki decided to relocate relocated to Barcelona obtain a postgraduate degree in Swimwear and Lingerie Design. Following this Sand and Palm was born and now operates from the U.K, surf hub of Newquay.
Sand & Palm is made with lycra from regenerated ghost fishing nets and post consumer plastic waste. Sand & Palm takes a fresh approach to print design, and all designs are exclusive to the brand. The fabrics are hand-dyed and screen-printed in house, in small batches with eco friendly dyes. Because they are individually made, no two print placement is the same, meaning each sand & Palm swimsuit is completely unique.
Sand & Palm also has a clothing and beachwear range which are made from one of the most sustainable crops on the planet, organic hemp.
To top it all off, all clothing tags, labels and packaging have been carefully thought through and are all eco friendly.
Check out her range here https://www.sandandpalm.com/
Kukena Naturals - Home Decor
Price: £10 +
Kukena means flowing water and from their studio in north Cornwall they make beautiful home décor products perfect for salty souls.
The have a range of natural wax candles individually hand poured by surfers and held in either a coconut bowl or glass jar. The natural wax they use is far better for the environment than the traditional parraffin wax often on offer. Paraffin wax is derived from petroleum and can contain various toxins, carcinogens, and air pollutants.
They also offer ocean inspired artwork is created using high quality giclée printing onto sustainable paper made from the natural fibres of the agave plant.
Check out their products here: https://www.kukenanaturals.com/
The Coconut Bee- Beauty Products
Price: £6 +
Know someone who spends more time in the ocean than out? Well then maybe they would appreciate some pampering from The Coconut Bee.
The Coconut Bee offers a unique organic range of 100% natural skin & hair care alternatives tailored for coastal living. They create chemical free beauty alternatives with sustainably sourced ingredients. How about some Surf Hair Revival oil to tame salt dried and tangled locks? Or their Beack Break Avocado and Eucalyptus Body butter for soothing skin once peeled out of a wetsuit. All products are pacaked in eco friendly jars and bottles so not to worry on the plastic front! The Coconut bee has a great range of products perfect for gifting the water woman at Christmas.
Check out the full range here: https://www.thecoconutbee.co.uk/
Ocean Boheme - Ocean Jewellery
Price: £20 +
Want some jewellery that looks great on and off the beach? This jewellery is for water women who want to wear something that connects them to the ocean even when they are not close to the shores. The pieces can even be worn in the ocean and the designs incorporate dreamy turquoise sea hues with tropical shells and sparkly water droplet-esque gemstones. Ocean Boheme designs completely unique jewellery for surfers and ocean lovers. Sara the founder is passionate about minimising impact on the environment, so for that reason she has chosen to use recycled sterling silver in her designs, upcycled shells, tumbled and shore scavenged sea glass and handpicked gemstones.
The jewels use semi precious gemstones the colour of the ocean, such as turquoise, amazonite and larimar. The gemstones are combined with cowrie, trumpet and shiva's eye shells and accompanied by seaglass, keshi pearls and the odd opal.
The boho, surf jewellery comes in a little cotton keepsake bag and all of the packaging is plastic free. In addition to this a minimum of 5% profits is donated to Surfers Against Sewage who fight for cleaner seas and Coral Gardeners who are involved in coral reef restoration in French Polynesia.
This jewellery collection is a perfect gift idea for any water woman who loves unique designs not found elsewhere and appreciates their purchase giving a little back to the ocean.
Check out the jewels here: www.oceanboheme.co.uk
Amazinc - Mineral Sunscreen
Price: £10 +
We spend most days in the line-up, chilling o the beach or calmly bobbing on the ocean, Did you know UV rays are amplified by the reflection off the water? Even more reason to be slapping on the sunscreen.
When your sunscreen washes off in the water the chemicals do too. You’ve probably all seen the oil slick surrounding yourself after slathering the suntan lotion on and then heading straight for the sea.
Sunscreen containing oxybenzone has toxic effects on young coral including increasing coral bleaching. Not only does it harm marine life but it is also said to mimic human hormones creating all sorts of health issues. Don’t stop wearing sunscreen, just buy carefully.
Look out for ‘reef safe’ options or ones with titanium oxide or zinc oxide which don’t harm coral reefs or opt for wearing a good rash vest.
One great mineral based sun protection option that also boasts aluminium or cardboard packaging is Amazinc. Use this code AmazincBoheme to get 15% off here: https://www.amazincskincare.com/shop
Mamasista - Macrame Makers
Price: £10 +
Based in France this independent brand is the idea of two sisters who create beautiful macramé designs. The offer macramé tapestries which hang from driftwood, purses, curtains, water bottle holders and surf and skateboard carriers.
The cord they use to create these beautiful designs is 100% recycled cotton and is certified oeko-tex (completely free from harmful chemicals). Their packaging is also plastic free and recyclable.
If you have ever tried carrying a surfboard, especially a longboard and you don't have spaghetti arms, then you'll probably know that it can be a long stretch to get your fingers around your board. You really don't want to drop your surf stick on the way to/from the beach because boards can easily damage from a knock. So why not make life easy for yourself and use one of these beautiful, macramé surfboard carry's. They are made from natural cotton and look gorgeous too!
Check out their full range online here: https://www.mamasista.fr/
Butta - Eco Surf Wax
Price: £3.50+
Not a lot of people know this but the wax used on boards is normally full of perfluorochemicals (PFCs), fluorocarbons and petro chemicals - i.e these chemicals do not bio-degrade and are petrol based.
These harmful chemicals rubbed on your deck will leave traces in the water – hence the need to reapply every so often.
These chemicals enter the oceans and undoubtedly harm marine life. I am sure no surfers want to do this so make sure your wax selection reflects this.
There are lots of companies now aware of this who are making great alternatives such as UK based Butta. These guys started making snowboard wax and have branched out into surf wax too. They make 100% eco friendly surf wax that comes in recycled bio-degradable packaging and a portion of their profits goes to Surfers Against Sewage.
Check out their stockists here: Butta Stockists or this shop who are selling an xmas kits for all of your surf wax needs here: Surf Wax Kit
Anka Supply Co - Surfboard Racks
Price: £35+
Know someone in your life that has more boards than space? Well this could be the solution they
need in their life! Beautifully crafted from natural wood and elegantly displaying your favourite board these racks are perfect for beach house interiors. The racks turn your beloved surfboard into a piece of wall art and save space at the same time! Anka Supply is an independent business on Etsy and they also offer stunning bodysurfing handplanes, wooden bike racks and many other surf decor products perfect for surf shack living.
Check out Nathalies products here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/AnkaSupplyCo
Coral Gardeners - Adopt a Coral
Price: 25€+
The ultimate 'giving' present you could gift someone with. By adopting a coral cutting to regenerate a dying reef area.
Why does this need to be done? Well, coral reefs are the oceans’ lungs; they absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and transform it into the oxygen we breathe. By doing this they regulate air and water temperature for us all.
Coral reefs occupy less than 0.1% of the earth’s surface, yet they provide habitat for approximately 25% of known marine species.
Coral is in fact a very complex animal. It is linked to the jellyfish family and the sea anemone and it looks like a small anemone called a polyp.
Barely visable with your eyes, a polyp builds a calcareous skeleton and lives in a colony. Every polyp has algea within themselves called zooxanthellea.
Both of these organisms live in symbiosis. This means that when the coral is giving a protection and nutrients to the algea, the algea is giving energy, food and oxygen in exchange.
Based on current trends, all coral reefs may be dead by the year 2050. This will directly affect hundreds of millions of people and will be an enormous loss for the planet. Especially because they absorb so much oxygen and house so much marine life. Almost 50% of the world’s reefs have already been lost in the last 40 years. The main cause is climate warming, plus overfishing and human pollution.
Coral Gardeners aim to SAVE the coral reefs through education and coral reef restoration. They transplant young coral cuttings while they are most at risk of dying, these small coals are propagated in nurseries and then transplanted onto degraded areas of reef. When these coral fragments grow, they help to recreate reef habitats. It is also possible to select the corals more resistant to warmer waters to try and safeguard against future warmer seas. This allows other life to return and strengthens the reef against future damage.
You can adopt a coral from 25€, when you adopt a coral cutting you can name the coral and then you receive a digital adoption certificate (see above) with the name and coordinates of your adopted piece.
Adopt your Coral here: https://www.coralgardeners.org/
I hope this gift guide helps you to find some great eco gifts for yourself or a loved one. Please share the blog especially if you like the ideas and to help support the independent businesses mentioned!