ethicalweddings.com

I received a press release the other day that took me right back to, well, 2004…!

Coming from John Lewis, it revealed how more and more couples are opting for eco and ethical items on their wedding gift lists, selecting products that are fair trade, recycled (or for recycling - such as recycling and composting bins), FSC certified and so on.

When we were planning our own wedding back in 2004/2005, we ended up doing just that.  Setting up home together for the first time, we really did need the basics: plates, wooden spoons, glasses, yes, even the ubiquitous toaster!

We got in touch with a number of online ethical shopping sites such as Natural Collection and One Village but at the time, they didn’t have the range or the facility to offer an easily manageable wedding gift list - so instead, we braved Oxford Street and, armed with our Good Shopping Guide, picked out products at the more sustainable side of the spectrum, from recycled glasses to FSC certified salt and pepper shakers!

We supplemented this list with another (more erratic) online list at thethingsiwant.com which allows you to create your own wish list by adding items from anywhere on the internet.  This meant we could include the One Village fair trade duvet we’d had our eyes on (we’ve got the yellow one!) after all. 

However, as it isn’t managed for you, we found that some items did just disappear from the list without notice, links got broken and guests had a few problems using it.

New generation of wedding lists
Just 4 years on though, those worries are a thing of the past as the online ethical shopping stores have stepped up to the mark combining all the functionality of a standard wedding list with the green goodies required by today’s ethical brides and grooms.

Here are a few favourites:

Ecocentric
Co-founded by TV designer Oliver Heath, EcoCentric loves beautiful ethical and sustainable design. They source and sell products that are as good for your home as they are for the environment.

Easy to set up, EcoCentric’s green wedding gift list is the perfect way to create your new home.

From recycled glasses and plates to organic fair trade bedding & soft furnishings, low energy lighting and energy saving gadgets, there are home accessories for every room in the house. There is also a whole range of gifts, organic cosmetics, toys and more. And the eco-credentials of each and every product are clearly shown on the site.

Ganesha
Ganesha has been described by The Guardian as ‘fair trade pioneers’. Working directly with the producers, they bring you the traditional industries of India to furnish your fair trade gift list.

They also have a hefty environmental policy to help you with that fair trade v. green dilemma!

Their aim is to add as much value as they possibly can to handmade products through quality of design and making. In this way, they maximise the earning potential of the (often rural) producers at source which puts more money into local economies. And when you have such beautiful products to choose from, you can’t say fairer than that!

Natural Collection
Fighting the fair trade and eco-conscious cause since 1999, Natural Collection have now brought together all their ethical know-how plus a great product range into a great green wedding gift list. 

With 2 Observer Ethical Awards in the last two years, you can trust Natural Collection to kit you out for a green married life.

Their online ethical and green wedding list service allows you to select from an award-winning range of bedding, home ware and much more and gives you a unique web address for your Gift List to send to guests, friends and family.

Our Green Wedding List
Holly, founder of Our Green Wedding List, promises ‘wedding lists with a twist’!

Started after conversations with friends about green products ‘not being as nice as conventional factory goods’ as well as from a desire to have just a few considered ethical gifts for her own wedding (charity donations, a wormery, an organic veggie box subscription and some unbleached towels), Our Green Wedding List has sourced some really special items from handcrafted garden tools to lovingly (and locally) made ceramics.

All products come under one of the following headings: Recycled, Craft/Artisan, Organic, Environmental benefit, Energy efficient, Made in the UK in an environmentally responsible way, Fair trade

The Lazy Environmentalist
Another treasure trove of green goods, this eco-emporium offers you originality and sustainability inextricably intertwined. They are passionate in their quest for beautiful, well made, environmentally friendly gifts, objects and home furnishings.

They are also committed to asking questions about the life cycle of their products, and can tell you what they are made of, where they are made and how they got here.

The eco-footprint of each item sets out its limited environmental impact, so that it is easier for you to make an informed choice - and be a lazy environmentalist!

Now for something a little bit different…

Carpe Diem Gardens
And finally, if you’re looking for something really different, why not take a look at Carpe Diem Gardens?

For a unique gift to celebrate your wedding or civil partnership, Carpe Diem offers gift certificates for all of their services from consultation sessions through complete garden design and project management*. You will also receive a beautiful gift certificate and living plant.

Based in Lancaster, they have 30 years’ horticultural experience, including gardening for wildlife, habitat conservation, growing medicinal and culinary herbs, designing sensory and therapeutic gardens, and working in a biodynamic market garden.

*Project management service available in the Lancaster area

See more ethical, green and charity wedding gift lists in the Ethical Weddings Suppliers Directory.

Questions, always the questions!
And if you are heading over to John Lewis or Debenhams, don’t forget to ask lots of questions about their ethical options with your Good Shopping Guide by your side - if you don’t ask, you don’t get! Back with a post from one bride who did just that in the next few days…

Bye for now…

Katie
Talk about ethical and green wedding gift lists in the Ethical Weddings Forum