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It\u2019s December, I can no longer avoid the fact that Christmas is mere days away, and my Bah Humbug avoidance of shops decked in holly and tinsel since August may now be inadvertently contributing to a rising panic that I\u2019ve no gifts ready for friends and family. I rail against the gross consumerism of this festive season but do enjoy the giving of a carefully chosen present, especially if I know that any profits from my purchases are being used well and not just lining shareholders\u2019 pockets. So, what to do?<\/p>\n\n
My first go-to place for Christmas shopping is the excellent SEUK Gift Guide<\/a> \u2013 a catalogue of wonderful gifts all sourced from social enterprises, where profits are reinvested for social good. Gifts for all ages and all price ranges, including toys, clothes, jewellery, toiletries, homeware, chocolates and a tipple or two. Leafing through the pages, I\u2019m already inspired. I\u2019m thinking maybe some Toast<\/a> beer for my friend Mark \u2013 great tasting beer whilst reducing food waste \u2013 it\u2019s made from surplus bread! The women in my family are all gin drinkers (long before it became fashionable) so perhaps a bottle of Ginerosity for them \u2013 all the profits go to supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Cheers to that!<\/p>\n\n My mum likes a bit of pampering, so a luxury gift selection from the wonderful Soap Co<\/a> is just the ticket. No nasties in their products, which are all handcrafted in the UK by people who are blind, disabled or otherwise disadvantaged. Their products are good enough to eat!<\/p>\n\n The latest smartphones and gadgets are often top of people\u2019s Christmas lists but how much do you know about the environmental and social performance of your favourite brands? It\u2019s worth doing your homework and Greenpeace have done the hard work for you. Their 2017 Guide to Greener Electronics<\/a> provides an analysis of what 17 of the world\u2019s leading electronics companies are doing to address their environmental impacts, and where Greenpeace thinks work still needs to be done. Fairphone<\/a> come out on top but there\u2019s much room for improvement across the board. Fairphone is the world\u2019s first ethical, modular smartphone \u2013 the company aims to create positive social and environmental impact from the beginning to the end of a phone\u2019s life cycle, arguing that you shouldn\u2019t have to choose between a great phone and a fair supply chain.<\/p>\n\n We all consciously or sub-consciously apply our personal values when buying \u2013 be it supporting Fairtrade, local, organic, non-plastic or other causes close to our hearts. In the coming weeks, we can all make a small but positive difference through our purchasing choices. What are yours going to be?<\/p>\n\n PS. If Santa, friends and family are reading this, I have been good and my Christmas List looks something like this;<\/p>\n\n \u2022 Elvis and Kresse<\/a> Bag This blog was written by Helen Vines, Social Enterprise Officer at Cosmic<\/a>\u00a0 which is a delivery partner of the Enhance Social Enterprise Programme.<\/p>\n\n Email: helenv@cosmic.org.uk<\/a> Twitter:\u00a0@cosmichelenv<\/a><\/p>\n\n The Heart of the South West Enhance Social Enterprise Programme is receiving funding from the England European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s December, I can no longer avoid the fact that Christmas is mere days away, and my Bah Humbug avoidance of shops decked in holly and tinsel since August may now be inadvertently contributing to a rising panic that I\u2019ve … Continue reading
\n\u2022 Soap Co – Geranium and Rhubarb hand cream
\n\u2022 Divine<\/a> \u2013 chocolates of course
\n\u2022 Fairphone
\n\u2022 Ginerosity \u2013 bottle or two!<\/p>\n\n![\"Enhance](\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/economy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2021\/02\/ESE-logo-300x132.jpg\"){kind=logo}
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