The countdown to Christmas is on! And for many, advent calendars are an annual tradition. A treat a day adds to the excitement of Christmas and thankfully there are plenty of ways to take part in the holiday tradition in a way that won’t cost the Earth. Christmas is the season of giving – from fair trade teas to ethical chocolates, here are the best eco-friendly advent calendars that give back in more ways than one.

Tony’s Chocolonely advent calendar is the perfect gift for chocolate lovers (or yourself). Try 10 different flavours of delicious fair trade chocolates wrapped in 100% recyclable packaging. The best part? Every purchase contributes to Tony’s Chocolonely’s mission to make 100% slave free the norm in chocolate.

£12.99, tonyschocolonely.com 

Love Cocoa’s advent calendar offers four different flavours of rich and creamy chocolate truffles in plastic-free packaging. One tree is planted for every purchase AND 100% of profits are donated to the NHS Charities Together. Chocolate that gives back – the perfect excuse to treat yourself. 

£25, lovecocoa.com 

Chocolate AND toys. PLAYin CHOC calendars are perfect for kids (or kids at heart). The calendar has 24 draws each filled with a fun fact card, 3D and plastic-free puzzle toy, and sustainably and ethically sourced chocolate. 

£55, playinchoc.com

Pukka’s advent calendar is ​​perfect for anyone who likes to cosy up with a warming cup of herbal bliss. From being Fair for Life certified and donating 1% of everything sold to environmental and social initiatives to sourcing organic ingredients and becoming carbon neutral in 2019, Pukka is helping to change the world for a positive future – one cup of tea at a time.

£9.99, pukkaherbs.com/uk

Start your day off with a hot cuppa with the teapigs advent calendar. Everything is plastic-free (including the tea bags themselves). Every purchase truly makes a difference – teapigs is a B Corp and a member of The Ethical Partnership, a non-profit working to improve the livelihoods of tea workers and small farmers. 

£29.99, teapigs.co.uk

Bird and Blend definitely believes that sharing is caring. For every day in their advent calendar, you get not one, but TWO tea bags, all wrapped up in plastic-free packaging. The company is carbon neutral and has already planted 36,585+ trees to date, and their ChariTEA programme has raised over £30,000 for more than 30 different causes. 

£38, birdandblendtea.com

From shower gels to lip scrubs and bubble bars, LUSH’s advent calendar is filled with 12 days of luscious bath products. On top of making every product by hand, LUSH also uses natural, cruelty-free ingredients. In fact, LUSH is known for its fight against animal testing.

£75, lush.com/uk

Dr. Haushka is known for its natural and certified organic skin care. Their products are free from mineral oils, silicones, PEGs and synthetic fragrances, dyes and preservatives. The advent calendar comes with trial size products, each packaged in lovely little drawstring cotton sacks – perfect for storing all your beauty goods. 

£85, drhauschka.co.uk

The ultimate pampering gift. From natural skincare and hand care, to bath and body treats, Cowshed’s advent calendar is filled with 24-days of their most-loved products. The products are cruelty-free and are free from parabens, mineral oils and silicones. The beautiful keepsake box is handmade and can be refilled and reused for years to come. 

£140, cowshed.com

The Naked Marshmallow advent calendar is filled with handmade marshmallows, all 100% natural and free from artificial colours, flavours and preservatives (hence the name). Pop them into your hot chocolate, sandwich them into a s’more, or just enjoy them on their own. From vanilla bean and salted caramel to strawberry cream and mint chocolate chip, who doesn’t want to start their day with some gourmet marshmallows? 

£15, nakedmarshmallow.co.uk

Peanut butter cup lovers rejoice! Pip and Nut advent calendars feature vegan nut butter cups made from real nut butter, ethically sourced single-origin Colombian dark chocolate, and without any palm oil. What's more, for every advent calendar sold, Pip and Nut will donate three jars of peanut butter to its local Hackney Foodbank.

£20, pipandnut.com

Jam packed and delicious (literally). From mango, peach and lime jam to raspberry with rose spread, Bonne Maman’s advent calendar features 23 days of special edition conserves in mini versions of their signature gingham-top jars, plus two days of surprises. Everything is 100% recyclable, or save the glass and reuse it for something else.

£23.99 + £9 P+P, bonnemaman.co.uk