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The best gifts that give something back to a great cause

Make a difference.

Mashable Team

on December 13, 2022

All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.

Give something back this year. Credit: pexels

This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.

Gift giving truly is an art-form. And it's something that takes a lot of time and energy to master. You may know the recipient really well, but if you haven't made a conscientious effort to select something special for them, your gift is going to be lacking.

There are quite a few tried and tested strategies when it comes to gift giving. You could go down the handmade route, but this takes a lot of skill to avoid producing something naff. You could also throw money at the problem, but your budget could be tight. Both of these are credible options, but nothing compares to ethical gifting.

You probably have loads of friends and family to buy for throughout the year, so keeping your eyes peeled for charitable companies and nonprofit organisations to support is something that benefits everyone. You need to pick a cause, but with all the options out there and all those people to buy for, this shouldn't be a problem.

Absolutely loads of brands and retailers sell products and donate some of the proceeds to vital causes like wildlife conservation, refugee empowerment, and mental health care. Some of these brands will be familiar to everyone, and others are unknown in comparison. Either way, you'll be giving something back by supporting these organisations.

To start off your search, we have tracked down some of the best gifts that will help to make a difference all around the world.

These are the best gifts that give something back in 2025.

Credit: Chilly's

Chilly's Bottle

Best For Thirsty Friends

Chilly's bottles are modern and stylish, and combine the convenience of a plastic water bottle with the benefits of a traditional flask. The company's mission is to accelerate the adoption and everyday use of reusable products, so you're doing your bit for the environment by using one.

£25 Amazon

Credit: Mindful Chef

Mindful Chef

Best For The Hungry

Mindful Chef's meat is 100% grass-fed and its vegetables are cultivated in the most natural way possible. That's great, but for every meal Mindful Chef sells, it donates a school meal to a child living in poverty, which is even better. Customers have already donated over 1 million meals.

£66 Mindful Chef

Credit: Abel and Cole

Abel and Cole Marmalaid

Best For A Treat

This Abel and Cole marmalade is inspired by Syria’s bitter oranges that grow in Damascus. £1.50 of every marmalade jar is donated to The Hands Up Foundation, that supports aid projects in and around Syria. Five jars would buy a school bag, a school uniform, or a set of books for a child in a refugee camp, which just shows how a little can go a long way.

£3.95 Abel and Cole

Credit: ET games

ET Games Bridget Game

Best For Family Fun

Bridget games are made in India and help to support economically weak artisans. To minimise the company's carbon footprint, it uses sea transport rather than air freight, and it offsets the shipping emissions via a company called CO2 balance. The wood is also not endangered, and comes from Indian government managed plantations.

£32 Amazon

Credit: LEGO

Lego

Best For Big Kids

Everyone knows about Lego, but did you know that in 2018, Lego provided 3,000 primary schoolchildren in London with coding and robotics-based challenges? This programme is aimed at helping to build children’s confidence, creative problem-solving, and STEM skills, which sounds good to us.

Go to Lego

Credit: Johnson's

Johnson's Baby

Best For Babies

Johnson's partner with Save the Children on international efforts to provide healthcare, aid, and education to families in communities affected by crisis or poverty. It also uses ingredients that are not harmful to aquatic life and ecosystems, which is nice.

Go to Johnson's Baby

Credit: Adidas

Adidas x Parley Sportswear

Best For Runners

Parley Ocean Plastic is created from marine plastic waste that is intercepted from remote islands, beaches, and coastal communities. It's used as a replacement for virgin plastic in the making of all Adidas x Parley high-performance sportswear, so you'll look good and help to save the ocean.

£200 Adidas

Credit: House of Marley

House of Marley Speaker

Best For Partiers

House of Marley speakers are made from REWIND fabric, Regrind silicone, Regrind cork, and recyclable aluminium. The company also makes a meaningful contribution to One Tree Planted, and has contributed in the planting of 191,000 trees since 2017.

£179.98 Amazon

Credit: Unicef

Unicef Bracelet

Best For Lovers Of Jewellery

This stylish bracelet was crafted in Thailand from round and disc-shaped jade beads. Unicef has helped thousands of children in the country to keep learning after the 2004 tsunami destroyed their schools.

£37.99 Unicef