Uncommon Goods

It's always nice to discover a new source of ethical and attractive gifts, specially at this time of the year when many of us are starting to wonder what to buy our loved ones for Christmas.

So I was delighted to discover Uncommon Goods, a Brooklyn based, online retailer that features unique designs and hand-crafted gifts that are environmentally friendly and socially responsible in their production. The lowest paid workers in the business are paid at 50% above minimum wage, about half the products are handmade (you can see the handmade range here) and about a third include upcycled materials.You can read the company's mission statement here, which outlines their ethical aims.

The website is easy to navigate and there are gifts for everyone - for example you can check out the range of gifts for women here. You can browse a selection of personalised gifts here. You can also search specifically for recycled products, handmade products and those that are made in the USA (particularly useful if you are based in the USA and want to limit the carbon footprint of your purchase).

There's a lovely touch too in that when you click on an individual item, along with details of the product, in most cases you can find out more about the people who made it.

I was very impressed by the range of unusual items on the site, for example click here to see Zen cat sculptures for your garden  or here for stackable lunch boxes, which are not only a great way to carry a packed lunch, but also can be used to avoid plastic and other packaging when purchasing lunch.

However, I think my favourite product is the Butterfly Puddler, which you can purchase here. What a lovely way to attract butterflies to your garden! Its shallow well of recycled glass holds sand or rock salt along with a teaspoon of water. The water evaporates and butterflies are attracted to the minerals left behind.

Overall Uncommon Goods is a great place to find unusual, ethical gifts to suit all ages and interests.

Disclaimer - this is a sponsored post.