From candles to chocolates, flowers to lingerie, here’s a host of ideas for putting a socially conscious spin on this most romantic of holidays and show just how much you care.
Spread the love this Valentine’s Day, with our top picks for gifts that give back. Valentine’s Day is one of our favourite times of year here at Page & Bloom and we’re busy crafting the recycled paper roses that we know you love to give as your sustainable Valentine’s gifts. But how about putting an ethical spin on all of your Valentine’s Day preparations? We’d love to share some of our favourite social enterprises who have fabulous ethical gifts that can help you make this year’s February 14th a day to remember for all the right reasons!
Chocolates
For a thoughtful gift that’s every bit as tasty as your Valentine, chocolates are hard to beat. But in an industry fraught with issues spanning everything from deforestation to human rights, shopping social and sustainable matters. Happily, an ever-growing number of small-batch producers, farmer co-operatives, and certification standards mean Valentine’s Day chocs needn’t leave a bitter taste. Case in point: these delicious Dark Chocolate Hearts by Divine, whose cocoa farmers receive 44% of all profits.
Chocolates can also do good closer to home. Take social enterprise Harry Specters whose award-winning chocolates help to empower young autistic adults in Cambridgeshire. Alternatively, consider Grace Chocolates who support women who have touched the criminal justice system in Scotland.
Lingerie & Underwear
We’d be remiss not to mention that gifting undies is a particularly personal choice, no matter their ethical credentials. That said, we’re a little in love with Naja’s gorgeous designs, as well as the brand’s inspiring ethos: their Colombian factory employs predominantly single mums, offering flexible work policies, above-market wages, and healthcare to support women balance childcare with work. For brilliant boxers, consider Rapanui: made to order in a renewable energy-powered factory on the Isle of Wight, all products are designed to be sent back when no longer wearable and recycled into new threads.
Smellies, Candles & Soaps
There’s something undeniably sensual about a luxuriant bubble bath, artfully lit by a flickering scented candle. A handful of social enterprises make the fantasy a reality this Valentine’s Day, by combining gorgeous gifts with positive change. Consider beautiful rapeseed wax candles by Aerende whose “life-improving homewares” are made in the UK by people who struggle to maintain conventional employment.
Alternatively, check out Welsh social enterprise, The Good Wash Company, who donate all profits to local projects benefitting both animals and people. And for an environmentally friendly Valentine’s Day, The Soap Co have a luxurious range of plastic-free and vegan products which also provide employment for people with disabilities.
Breakfast in Bed
Get Valentine’s Day off to an ethical start by treating your loved one to breakfast in bed, packed full of delicious social enterprise products! Nip down to a Change Please coffee kiosk for top-class coffee helps get homeless people off the streets and into jobs; or try NEMI Teas which supports refugees starting new lives in the UK. For pastries, cakes and loaves of love, we like Breadwinners whose London market stalls help refugees sell fantastic artisan bread. Also in the capital, consider Luminary Bakery whose cakes and baked goodies provide jobs for women; and the Better Health Bakery, where bread helps support mental health and wellbeing projects.
Beyond brekkie, check out the cookery classes at Migrateful, in Bristol, Kent and London, where refugees and migrants will show you how to cook up a storm with dishes from around the world!
Say It With Flowers
Roses are red, Violets are blue… And they’re sometimes made of paper too!
Of course, amongst all your ethical Valentine’s preparations, don’t forget the flowers! A social enterprise based in south east London, our paper flowers are reinventing floristry, one stem at a time. Established in 2018, Page & Bloom helps women who have experienced domestic abuse rebuild their lives through employment. Incorporating hand-dyed up-cycled paper, they’re a sustainable alternative to real blooms that’ll last a whole lot longer too. What’s not to love?
A bespoke design service invites customers to specify particular paper types - be it maps, music, menus or romance novels - for a truly unique Valentine’s gift that’s packed full of sentiment and meaning.
Order by 8th February for delivery in time for Valentine's Day! See our Valentine's flower collection here.