Sustainable Gifting by Watsons + How to be an environment- friendly gift giver?

Christmas is near and it's the only year when I think I'm going to cram and join the holiday shopping rush because I still have a ton of gifts to buy. Work has just been pretty hectic!

Thank goodness for Watsons and their holiday gift sets, I can do my holiday shopping easily. I'm just too old and tired to brave holiday traffic, both vehicles and human, so I think I'm just going to stick to one store for the rest of my Christmas shopping needs haha!

What's in store for you this holidays at Watsons? A lot! And if you've been meaning to give sustainable, environment- friendly gifts, then Watsons definitely has a lot of choices for you. Check it out!

Watsons kicks off the most wonderful time of the year and the longest season in the Philippines—Christmas—by reaffirming its commitment to provide customers with more sustainable health, wellness, and beauty products.

 

To help the public with choosing sustainable products to give as holiday gifts and bring with them on vacations, Watsons is holding a sustainable holiday gifting event from November 15-20 at The Podium. The event spotlights Watsons Sustainable Choices, the retailers’ selection of products that are safe and nourishing for the skin and free from harmful ingredients that could harm you and the planet; or those that can be refilled so plastic waste is reduced; or those that contain ethically sourced and sustainably processed ingredients; or have better and more eco-friendly packaging.

 

During the launch on November 15, Watsons had resource speakers talk about its role as a responsible retailer and how important it is for consumers to make more sustainable choices.

 

“When shopping for Christmas gifts, we hope our customers consider the planet and choose sustainability. Watsons is glad to offer them eco-friendly products, which are more sustainable from the materials and the manufacturing process, to the packaging, and ultimately to the disposal of the product,” said Viki Encarnacion, Watsons PR and Sustainability.

 

The special guest during the launch is author, environment advocate, and philanthropist Brian Poe Llamanzares, who recently co-published a book titled “A Sustainable Future” with Manila Bulletin. 

 

Encarnacion was also one of the keynote speakers during the opening. She discussed how Watsons practices the three Rs (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle). Zyra Tinio, Watsons Senior Category Manager for Beauty, talked about giving customers access to Sustainable Choices products.

 

There was also an open panel discussion with P&G, Unilever, and a Watsons Club member on sustainability. The two multinational companies gave updates on how their sustainability efforts are going at this point.

 

The event will help make shopping for holiday gifts more fun and sustainable, from the gift itself to the packaging as Watsons asks its customers to “Give More Smiles This Christmas.” For the event, Watsons supplier-partners will showcase their most sustainable and practical products.

 

The brands that are showcasing their Sustainable Choices products during the event are Watsons, Quick FX, Garnier, L’Oreal, Aveeno, Neutrogena, Palmolive, Herbal Essences, Dove, Bioten, St. Ives, Zenutrients and Curls, Moringana, Gluta C, The Body Shop, BLK, Naturals by Watsons, and Sekaya.

 

There is also an information wall in the Watsons activation in The Podium so shoppers could see how they could effectively Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle to help mitigate the effects of consumerism on the planet and its resources.

 

During the event, shoppers can also get Watsons Do Good canvas bags, which they can decorate with different accents. The bags are free with purchase.

 

There are suggestions for stocking stuffers and gift sets from brands like Fresh and Pretty Secret.

 

Shop for Php12,000 and get a free luggage during the event. If you shop for Php10,000, you will receive a free bear or mermaid stuffed toy!

 

Share the joy of the season and Give More Smiles This Christmas. For the best wellness and beauty gifts, Sa Watsons Ako!

 

To find out more about Watsons Sustainable Choices products, go to https://interactive.watsons.com.ph/sustainablechoices.

So how do you become an environment- friendly gift giver?

Gift giving and being environment- friendly are contradictory terms because if we're going to be strict about the latter, then we shouldn't give gifts at all! But then again, that's impossible especially during the holidays because it's one of the only times when we can manifest our love for our loved ones through gift- giving. But there are ways for us to minimize our environmental footprint when giving gifts.

1. Recycle packaging. If you have paper bags and other crafting materials lying around that your can use to wrap gifts, use it. I would also suggest to go for kraft paper wrappers over the printed ones because the former doesn't use ink, therefore it makes use of less resources. You can use eco bags as gift bags as well.

2. Ditch the gift cards and let us normalize writing dedication on the wrapper itself. That's why I highly recommend kraft paper wrapper because it will allow you to write and scribble on it!

3. To avoid spending on packaging all together, go for gift sets because more often than not, they already come in gift-able packaging. No need to wrap them! Watsons has a lot of these gift sets!

4. Plan your shopping trip to minimize your usage of fuel.

That's all and hope you liked this list! What gifts will you buy from Watsons?

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