Gift giving on birthdays or at Christmas or just to say “thank you” should give as much a pleasure to the donor as the receiver.Choosing the appropriate gift depends on a number of factors, including personality, interests and relationship.For many, the key thing about any gift is the thought and how ethically and responsibly it’s been sourced, manufactured and distributed.There are many keen teen-age (and older!eco warriors who would outright refuse any gift, no matter how well intentioned, if it didn’t meet those high standards.

Fairtrade gift ideas for your environmentally-conscious loved ones can be tricky, but not impossible to source.For her, nothing could better express your affection and empathy than the range of natural beauty products from Andrea garland.She became disillusioned with mass produced, unethical and chemically laden skin products and decided to make her own all natural, natural, ethically sourced organic range – in the environmental Mecca called Hackney!

As Eco gifts go, these are tasteful and thoroughly credible.Beautifully packaged in amber glass bottles or recycled paper with hand drawn labels, the products have a very personal and unique feel. If you are of a less indulgent or romantic bent, then you can get your lady a fair trade oven mitt made from 100% cotton woven on traditional handlooms.

Beware the wrath of a woman treated insensitively! If that’s the case you may want to hide the vases dotted about the room before one comes crashing down on your head! Granted, the bamboo or re-cycled cardboard versions would not cause too much damage, but the 100% recycled glass versions made in Spain are another matter!You could claim in your defence that it would be a sin to destroy such a beautiful and original product made from glass salvaged from Spanish recycling bins and brought to the UK by sea-freight in order to minimise carbon emissions in transport. That plea, though entirely true, may not cut the mustard though!