Searching for eco-friendly party favours in Australia? Here’s all you need to know: how to choose quality, low-waste, plastic-free party bags.
Guest post by Juliana Multari - Founder of Partyora
While 2020 hasn’t turned out great for parties, it’s easily the best year for making sustainable changes for the better! Finding a sustainable alternative as a party favour is:
totally achievable
better for the environment
not as expensive as some may think!
A little about Juliana and how it all began
Like many Aussie mums, I love throwing fantastic parties for my children. I want them to have amazing memories of a time when we celebrated them and everything that makes them unique. There's gotta be cake, games, decorations, pressies and of course party favours, to thank all those family members and friends for showing how much they care.
My journey to making sustainable changes began with my own kids' parties. I would be overwhelmed with the amounts of rubbish that would end up in the bin. Once I started researching, I couldn't make sense of purchasing plastic party items that would end up in the bin moments after using them. I knew there were better options out there but wanted to find them in the one place which led to launching Partyora!
In addition to offering handmade reusable pass-the-parcel bags, fabric bunting and favour bags, I've sourced some of the coolest eco-friendly party supplies. And I’m super-proud that all of our marketplace sellers use sustainable packaging.
Party bags - Let's get REAL
Kids LOVE surprises, treats, prizes, presents, lucky dips - they're FUN!
Party favours create joy, bringing big smiles to little faces but what goes in them is often overlooked. Parents are busy and tend to go for the quickest and easiest solution. Usually, this means readily available, cheaply made, plastic favours bought in bulk and imported from overseas or sugar-loaded plastic-wrapped sweets… YIKES!
As a parent, my main issue with this scenario is trying to limit the amount of sugar consumed by my child. I also know that any cheaply made plastic toys WILL BREAK in seconds and most likely end up as landfill.
For the many parties and plastic-filled party bags, that’s a lot of plastic waste. Waste which will potentially litter our oceans, endanger wildlife and it won’t ever fully breakdown. For me, this makes the cost of a moment’s joy too high.
Making one, simple swap to an eco-friendly alternative does have an impact. As well as avoiding unnecessary waste, it teaches future generations to value materials, reversing our devastating throwaway culture.
Let's make sure your children's party favours are eco-friendly, low-waste and plastic-free - I'll show you how.
GREAT NEWS: There are sustainable alternatives out there!
There are heaps of Earth-friendly party favour options for every party theme and age group that kids will find useful and entertaining without having to be disposed of…. Yippeee!
Some might think they are not as affordable, but in reality, if you think about the fact that many items are reusable, then you're sure to get much more value for your money.
When looking for eco-friendly party favours look at:
Where are items made? Items made in Australia will have a smaller transportation carbon footprint.
What materials have been used? Look for natural materials like FSC-certified wood, wool and cotton fabrics - materials which aren’t made from oil, like plastic.
What packaging do items come in? Can you avoid plastic bags and packaging?
This way you can make sure they are low waste, plastic-free and truly sustainable.
Sustainable party favours
Here’s some of the popular eco party favours. Many offer pre-filled eco-friendly party bags making it easier for mums, dads and party planners to throw a low waste party.
Plaster of Paris favour packs by PM Plaster Craft in almost every theme you can think of! They are hand-poured in Australia and include wooden paint brushes and nontoxic paint in refillable vials. They come with kraft bags and are a great way to keep kids entertained! Available on Partyora: Plaster favours
Natural crayon favour packs by Mikoo Kidz contain three crayons in each drawstring bag and are perfectly sized for little hands - oh so cute! Available on Partyora: Crayon favours
Themed activity booklets by The Party Pack Co are full of FUN activities, games and more, best of all, they’re printed on 100% post-consumer paper with vegetable-based ink. Available on Partyora: Activity themed booklets
Themed calico party bags by The Little Festival Co with the yummiest organic lollies and non-toxic tattoos. Available on Partyora: Organic Lolly bags
Clip-on dinosaur or monkey tails by Schooza are a great compliment to any dino or jungle themed party. As well as making great party favours, what could be more exciting than dressing up at a party? Give guests something really memorable and reusable! Available on Partyora: dress-up favours
Little Mellow Moon make natural playdough lightly scented with essential oils. These are available as personalised party favours in resealable pouches which can be taken with you on the go! Availalbe on Partyora: playdough favours
Sealed twice with natural beeswax, our colourful playdough stampers by Eco Play store are handmade in Australia and the perfect educational party favour to keep them learning through play! We have these in a range of fun themes available on Partyora.
Themed plastic-free party favours by The Eco Party Place have something to please all the kids with a themed accessory; be it a fairy wand or superhero mask, seeded bookmark, activity booklet with wooden pencils all in a kraft bag with matching favour label. They also have grow kits, bath bomb kits and DIY candle kits for those wanting a take-home gift that doubles as a unique activity. Available on Partyora: plastic-free party favours
All have free standard shipping Australia-wide. Alternatively, you can get creative and make your own.
Make-you-own eco-friendly party favours
Wanna create some amazing eco party favours from scratch? Here’s some great ideas to inspire you…
Pinterest is a popular source of ideas for DIYers and you can follow our Pinterest page for daily doses of eco-friendly party inspiration, Partyora on Pinterest.
Try thinking outside the box and using your imagination. Why not ask the kids to brainstorm with you for ideas? They might surprise you plus getting them involved makes their little day!
Freshly baked cookies are a wonderful idea for a favour - wrap in paper bags, biodegradable cellophane or use recyclable tin foil.
There are loads of eco party ideas shared in our Facebook group
There’s a range of fabric reusable fill-your-own party bags available on Partyora, perfect for adding your make-your-own items to.
Why not give one of these options a try? Or feel free to contact me if you need something custom for your next party.
Find Partyora:
Website | Facebook | Facebook Group | Instagram | Pinterest
If you enjoyed this blog post, there's more posts here. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.
