How to Give a Zero Waste Gift
I guess we're talking about the holidays. It is that time of year already, and I personally am not someone who really enjoys the holiday season. Not because I'm a total Grinch, but because I think that consumerism has oversaturated our holidays, whether it's Christmas or Hanukkah or any other holiday this time of year that is meant to be celebrating family, love and gratitude.
Over the last few decades, winter holidays seem to have become about gift giving and consumerism. I think that our society focuses way too much on the purchasing of new things, without really accounting for how much waste is associated with giving gifts. Even for myself, I find that I'm telling my loved ones that I don't want more things because I don't want to contribute to the waste of the holiday season. The waste stream of the holidays includes resources to make, package, and ship new gifts, the sheer volume of gift wrapping (whether that’s plastic or paper packaging), and the quantity of returned gifts that people don’t want. These unwanted gifts might be returned and never sold or used again. I am totally disenchanted with holiday consumerism.
Renewable Gifting
Last year we had launched our Dye Lot of the Month and our Community Indigo Vat. After a while a few people reached out to say “Hey! I want a gift card to gift this to somebody.”
Share the gift of circular fashion with your loved ones with our Gift the Dyelot Shipping Kit. This allows your loved one to select a garment from their own closet and have it transformed at our natural dye studio.
What is included in this kit?
An envelope for the gift recipient to use to ship their garment to us.
A note describing the Dye Lot of the Month (click here to learn more)
A discount code for 100% their Dye Lot of the Month order + a discount code for free shipping
All of the above is wrapped up in an adorable naturally dyed silk or cotton swatch
New! Gift the Dyelot for Bedding
Why buy someone a new set of sheets when you can buy a splash of plant based color for a set they already have? A new option for Gift the Dyelot is to purchase our Love My Linens service for your loved one. They can send any size sheet set (flat, fitted + pillowcases) OR any size duvet set (duvet cover + pillow cases). The gift kit for bedding is a packet wrapped in naturally dyed gift wrap with a note card outlining what they have received and how to redeem their gift on our website once they are ready to order. Our gift kit was built to cover the entire bedding set plus shipping, so all they have to do is pick a color and put the sheets in the mail using the shipping label our team will provide once they are ready to send their set in.
Shipping Kit Special : For every (3) garment shipping kits you order (or 1 bedding gift set), receive a gift card to our Dye Lot of the Month for (1) of your own garments.
Please note that if you use any discount codes for shipping kit orders, you will not receive a gift card for every 3 kits.
Instructions: At checkout, be sure to enter the proper address where this is shipping to. If you would like to give this gift to the recipient in person, we suggest entering your personal shipping address. If you would like to mail this directly to the recipient, be sure to enter the recipient's address as the shipping address at checkout.
Want to send shipping kits to multiple people?
If you are interested in ordering multiple gifts to hand out in person, simply place (1) order and indicate the quantity of shipping kits you would like to receive.
If you are interested in ordering multiple gifts and having them shipped directly to the recipients, we recommend placing (1) order kit per address you are shipping to. This means you may have to check out multiple times on the site in order to ship to multiple locations. Thank you for participating in these slightly silly but significant logistics! The nature of circular + sustainable gifting means we need to get creative an reinvent the way we make purchases. We appreciate you joining us in this journey!
Please note the cost of shipping is included in the cost of the kit. We cannot apply any discounts to this product, and free shipping offers do not apply.
It occurred to us that this was an amazing gift to give to somebody else, because you're not buying something new. And there's no new raw materials or packaging or plastic associated with showing someone that you really care about them. Needless to say we got really excited to transform our dye services into a giftable option.
So what does that look like?
The Green Matters Community Dye Shipping Kit
The one thing that comes in each shipping kit is this great compostable mailer. It fits most garments. Not everyone ends up using it, but we find it's nice when somebody is getting this as a gift to have packaging ready to go. This is really nice because it's easy to post. It's recyclable, it's reusable, we really like it.
We also include some instructions, which explain a little bit about what the person has received and why it's important to mend and redye your clothing. This instruction card helps the gift recipient understand how to check out on our website without buying anything.
This kit works like a gift card for the service, and it all comes in reusable gift wrap made from cuts from our development samples through the years. In the above picture, the shipping kit is wrapped in silk, bundle dyed with onion skins and hollyhock. Each one is different, and can be reused as gift wrap in the future.
When you check out on our website you will be prompted to input some details about each shipping kit. You have the option to add a little note if it suits you ;)
Ta da! Here is your really lovely and thoughtful giftable service. You can have this shipped to you so that you can give it to the recipient in person, or there's an option to have it shipped directly to the gift recipient's house.
Oh the Possibilities ~
This gift is really exciting because it gives the recipient control over what they are getting. After they receive it, they could wait for a Dye Lot of the Month color they really like. They can also opt for indigo or natural black when they receive this kit.
We’re really excited to have a gift option this season that doesn't feel like it's creating more waste. In fact, it’s actually helping people reduce their waste. This is little bit more thoughtful and individual than just a gift card.
Something Extra Special For YOU
For every (3) gift kits you purchase, our team will email you with a code for $35 store credit.
You can use this credit right away, or save it 'til the time is right.
It means a lot to us that we can bring some light + color into your life & the lives of your loved ones. Thank you as always for allowing us to do so.
We want you to feel as loved as we do when you submit an order <3