Sustainable Corporate Gifts: How (And Why) To Send Them

Sustainable corporate gifts are quickly becoming the norm in modern workplaces. Many businesses are rethinking what, why, and how they gift, reward, and incentivize their teams and customers.

And as they rethink their efforts, more and more come to the same conclusion: digital gift cards are the sustainable, green, and typically most cost effective option going. 

In this article, we’ll explore sustainable corporate gifts in depth: what makes a corporate gift eco-friendly, why digital gift cards are so effective, and the practical steps you can take to put sustainable practices into action.

We'll also highlight two great options for companies looking for more ethical and/or environmentally friendly reward options: charity gift cards and tree-planting gift cards. 

👀 At a glance:
Why corporate gifting?

• Companies in the U.S. spend $150+ billion a year on corporate gifting (source). 
• That's because client gifts work, influencing recipients to continue working with the sender (source). 

Why sustainable corporate gifts?
• 63% of US consumers prefer eco-friendly promotional products (source).
 • 78% of them care about having a sustainable lifestyle (source). 
• And a whopping 92% are more likely to trust companies that support social or emotional issues (source). 

Why digital gift cards for corporate gifts, specifically?
• When asked what types of gifts they'd like, the vast majority of potential recipients say they want gift cards (source). 
• Going digital lets you give the most desirable gift, while cutting out the plastic and added shipping emissions.

Sustainable corporate gifting: why it matters

You probably don't need us to make the case for why it matters to care about the environment. 

But of course, caring about something personally and being able to make the business case to your superiors can be two very different things. 

And thankfully, this is a case where personal/corporate responsibility and the bottom line dovetail nicely. 🕊️

Namely, sustainable rewards can give your business a fresh, positive reputation boost.

Indeed, recent studies highlight just how important eco-friendly corporate gifting can be:

• 78% of UK workers say they're more likely to do business with companies that have environmentally friendly policies for corporate gifting specifically. 
• Meanwhile, 63% of American consumers would rather get an eco-friendly gift from a company.

So it's not surprising that the majority of US businesses now have policies in place to ensure the sustainability of their promotional products and gifts. 

Ultimately, by choosing environmentally friendly gifts, you’re not just checking a CSR box. You’re also telling a story about what you value and the company you want to build. This can ripple out into higher engagement, motivation, and even retention as employees along with your clients feel more connected to your bigger mission.

🍰 Icing on the cake? Like you'll learn next, some of the most sustainable and ethical corporate gifts are also the most cost effective and easy to manage. 

Are digital gift cards the most sustainable corporate gift option?

Yes: depending on your goals and setup, digital gift cards can absolutely be an incredibly sustainable and environmentally-friendly corporate gift option (bonus: they're affordable and super scalable, too 💪).

Of course, you've got options when looking for green corporate gifts. Cookies from a local bakery or a fruit basket from your local grocer probably aren't going to blow out your carbon footprint (at least not like branded water bottles or t-shirts no one really wants anyway). 

But it's important to consider that according to new research,  40% of the corporate gifts you send are going to end up in a landfill.

And of course, that's an average number, including more expensive and desirable items. Cheap pens? Fuggedaboutit. 😅

Let’s face it: recycled corporate gifts like pens, tote bags, or even seed paper kits can still create a lot of physical waste, from manufacture to shipping. Even 'good' and/or more environmentally-friendly branded swag often gets tossed or forgotten at the bottom of a drawer.

But digital gift cards change this equation.

Since there’s no plastic, manufacturing, packaging, or shipping involved, digital rewards have a much lower footprint. No delivery trucks means zero carbon emissions. No overproduction means you never order more than you need or end up with extras destined for the landfill.

👀 Scary stats:
• 10 billion plastic gift cards are created each year (source).
• Gift cards use PVC plastic, which takes around 500 million years to break down (source).
• An individual gift card uses around 5 grams of PVC and generates about 21 grams of CO2 (source).
• That translates to over 40,000 tons of CO2 in a year. 
• And to over 55,000 tons of plastic eventually ending up in landfills. 

The best part? Digital gift cards prevent the classic waste of unwanted corporate gifts.

A recent study reported over half of recipients have thrown away at least one physical corporate gift without ever using it. Going digital solves that problem completely—you can't 'throw out' an email!

Plus, by definition, a gift card will let your recipients get something they actually want, every time.

👉 Need to send client gifts fast? Learn how to fully automate the process. 👈

How to make digital gift cards even more sustainable

You’ve allocated budget for digital rewards this year. How do you make it count for the environment, not just your recipients?

💡The trick is to focus on sustainability at every step, starting with the card brands you choose. 

Specifically, choose digital gift cards that support eco-friendly businesses, local community orgs, or brands actively working to protect wildlife and the planet. 

Indeed, with any free Giftbit account, you have the option to curate the brands you offer your recipients. So you might lean into sustainable custom options, like offering your recipients charity gift cards (so they can donate to their preferred environmental causes). Tree-planting rewards like Evertreen also make great gifts (more on that below). 

By making these more considered choices, you’re not just customizing your gift, but also the story your entire gift card rewards program tells.

We'll take a closer look at some high-impact, eco-conscious digital gifting options you can mix and match next. 

What are charity gift cards and how do they work?

Charity cards help your business do more than just send corporate gifts. They also let you share big impact with your people and community

They work by empowering your recipients to send funds to nonprofits of their choice, from climate action to disaster relief. With digital charity cards, you open up thousands of ways to support causes close to their hearts and/or aligned with your company’s social goals. 

For example, the Charity on Top gift card will let your recipients choose from 1.8 million US charities. 

These types of gift cards are particularly great for employee rewards, since they can spark pride and participation across the team. This is especially true for younger and eco-minded workforces who want to make a difference.

It’s a simple way to multiply the meaning, while still getting all the ease and flexibility of digital gifts.

👀 Positive spill-over workplace impact:
• 68% of job applicants are more likely to accept positions from environmentally sustainable companies (source).
• 64% of Gen Z and Millennial workers want to work for companies that align with their personal values (source).
• 77% of Gen Z specifically want to work for companies that share their values (source).
• 74% of employees feel more fulfilled when given the opportunity to positively impact the world (source). 

Tree-planting gift cards: spotlight on Evertreen and its reforestation impact

Tree-planting gift cards are another great option for value-driven corporate gifting. Services like Evertreen let you send a digital card which your recipient then uses to have a real tree to be planted in a real forest project. They can even track their trees' growth by satellite. 

These gifts offset CO₂ emissions, help restore biodiversity, and offer a measurable long-term impact. Your team can track the number of trees planted, acres reforested, or tons of carbon sequestered through their collective action.

So it’s a corporate gifting move that delivers on two levels: instant feel-good for the recipient, and environmental benefits that last decades. That’s ROI you simply can’t get from water bottles or branded shirts.

More details on Evertreen gift cards

With millennial and Gen Z employees especially passionate about sustainability, tree gifts like those from Evertreen offer a great way to strengthen both your brand and planet.

Everteen gift cards are available in the following regions, making them work particularly well for global clients and remote teams:

• United States
• Australia
• Canada
• Great Britain

There’s something incredibly tangible about planting a tree as a reward. Not many gifts can match the emotional punch of knowing their reward does real, documented good for the earth.

Why ease of use Matters for sustainable Gifting

A little secret: the more complicated it is to send or redeem a sustainable gift, the less likely anyone is to appreciate (or even use) it. Effective eco-friendly gifting therefore needs to be simple from start to finish.

Today’s best digital gifting platforms are built for ease: one order can trigger hundreds of digital rewards, reaching inboxes or even mobile devices instantly.

For instance, Giftbit's gift card platform lets you bulk-send gift cards to employees or clients, without any added fees (bulk discounts and revenue sharing may also be available — chat with our Sales team to learn more). You can also easily personalize your gift using branded email templates, and track participation from a single dashboard.

 The most effective incentive programs are ones where the entire budget goes to the reward,” says Nat Salvione, Giftbit CCO. That means more value for your recipients. 

The slickest systems will also let you schedule future deliveries, set different denomination amounts, and add your logo or sustainability message. That means less wasted time for your admin or HR teams.

💡And, critically, they'll ensure that it's easy for your recipients to claim and use their cards. So when assessing potential gift card providers, be sure to ask about their recipient support. 

You spend weeks designing and launching your program," says Nat. If the reward experience fails at the final moment, or a card isn’t available or something goes wrong, you’ve just delivered a disappointing experience and negated the whole point of your program.

That’s why we take the recipient experience seriously. Redemption has to be smooth and delightful for a successful incentive program. If it’s annoying, or frustrating, none of the upstream work matters.

Ultimately, simplicity is what drives adoption for any incentive program. If it’s easy, scalable, and fun to use, more employees and clients will embrace your sustainable rewards.

Use sustainable gifting to support CSR

Sustainable corporate gifts add weight to your corporate social responsibility (CSR) story in a way that’s both substantive and visible. They make it incredibly easy to connect sustainability KPIs and impact data right into your annual reports or ESG updates.

Plus, for your employees, there’s a powerful emotional lift when rewards align with their own values.

And don’t underestimate the ripple effect: visible eco-friendly rewards remind participants (and their peers or families) about environmental action, inspiring greener habits across all areas of life. Even one tree gift can start a bigger conversation about protecting the planet.🌲

What if your recipients still want something 'real'?

When considering the shift to digital incentives, it’s normal to have concerns about the lack of  something 'tangible.' What if some employees prefer physical gifts? Or my clients want to hold something in their hands? 🤔

Here’s the good news: digital gift cards are flexible. They're easy to pair with a personal note, a shout-out on Slack, or gift real-world experiences. No one's ever made at a delivery from the local bakery, either. 

“Digital gift cards are flexible enough that you can always create the right moment for the person you’re giving it to,” says Nat. 

How to communicate the sustainability of your corporate gifting program

Should you share that your rewards program is greener this year? Absolutely. Communication drives pride, participation, and the ripple effect of sustainable gifting.

In fact, research from Stanford has found that donors are more likely to give to programs where they see measurable and transparent impact. 

Your employees and clients want to feel that their actions matter. Frame your message around transparency (“Every gift card reduces waste and supports your choice of eco-brands or causes”); pride (“Together, we’ve helped plant X trees or offset X tons of CO₂”); and participation (“Every reward helps us protect the environment and our community”).

Simple, clear language sticks best. Try starting your emails or announcements like this:

• “This year we’ve switched to digital rewards, which means no packaging, no waste, just instant appreciation.”
• “Each gift card lets you support a cause, redeem for environmentally friendly brands, or plant trees.”
• “Your action makes a difference—track our impact at [CSR page/link].”

Measuring the impact of sustainable rewards

Finally, how can you prove your sustainable gifting is working? The answer lies in the numbers: redemption rates, participation percentages, and measurable environmental benefits like trees planted or tons of CO₂ offset.

That's why you'll want to work with a fully transparent gift card company with detailed gift card tracking, so you have instant access to who redeemed what, when, and how. You’ll also get global reporting for easy integration into CSR updates or annual impact reviews.

Here’s a quick table to help organize how you can measure and amplify your sustainable gifting program’s results:

Support your community with gift cards and prepaid cards

Finally, beyond eco-friendliness and convenience, digital gift cards and prepaid options also offer a powerful way to support communities, This is especially true when people face unexpected hardship.

That's how Distinctive Schools, a nonprofit serving underserved communities in Chicago, was able to respond so quickly during a period of stress. 

Specifically, during the pandemic, they needed a fast, flexible way to support families struggling financially. So they used Giftbit to distribute  Visa® prepaid cards directly to parents in need. 

At the same time, they used digital gift cards to uplift staff, students, and ambassadors, with surprise coffee gift cards before remote meetings or “thank‑you” rewards for students sharing their stories. 

Over time, these digital rewards have become embedded in their operations and SOPs. They use them for everything from birthday or appreciation gifts to raffles and referral incentives. When a staff member suffered a personal tragedy, colleagues donated collected funds that were sent as a prepaid card, showing deep compassion and responsiveness. 

Distinctive Schools also lean into choice. Sometimes gifts are curated, but lately recipients choose from the full Giftbit catalog—empowering them to select rewards they truly want. 

Why this matters:

• Real value, real time — Funds go where they're needed most, right when it matters.

• Human connection — A small gesture like a virtual coffee fosters normalcy, warmth, and encouragement.

• Respectful autonomy — Giving choice honors recipients’ agency and preferences.

• Operational simplicity — Easy to implement, customizable, and scalable, with minimal overhead.

Depending on your company and its values, things like equity, empathy, and community resilience might go hand-in-hand with sustainability and environmental impact. Digital gift cards make such an ideal tool because whatever your motivations, they offer a tangible, timely way to express support and gratitude in ways that matter.

Sustainable corporate gifts can be scalable, too

Digital gift cards have become the smart, sustainable corporate gift for companies that want to be eco-friendly without sacrificing ease or impact. They eliminate waste, offer flexible choices, and support meaningful causes, from reforestation to social equity or disaster relief.

To get your sustainable gifting program off the ground, you’ll only need a few things: a digital reward platform, your choice of eco-minded card options, and a plan to communicate your impact.

When your gifting is centered on sustainability, everyone wins: your business, your people, your clients, and the planet you share.

And you don't need to overthink it! Sign up for a Giftbit account, and you can be sending rewards in just a few minutes, literally. 

Giftbit makes it easy to send and scale sustainable corporate gifts. Book a quick, pressure-free call to learn more.