18 Best Ethical Greeting and Christmas Cards
A card is the cheapest thing in any gift guide and the one most likely to be read out loud, which makes it a good place to put your money somewhere useful. Washed Up Cards are handmade by Flora Blathwayt from plastic collected on London river and coastal beach cleans, so the card itself is the story. Arthouse Unlimited cards carry artwork made by adults with complex neuro-diverse and physical support needs in its Godalming studios. Black & Beech screen-prints in Cardiff and has donated over £25,000 to feminist causes.
Nothing here is a multipack of forgettable snowmen. Cards start at £1 for a Miss Macaroon greeting card and stop at £7, so a full set of Christmas cards from this page still costs less than one supermarket hamper. Stock is read from each brand's own shop and refreshed weekly, and the Christmas designs sell out earliest, so order those before December.
Christmas cards
The ones to buy in October, because these are small runs.
How To Have a Perfect Christmas, Christmas Card
£6.00
From Arthouse Unlimited: read why we picked themHow To Have a Perfect Christmas, drawn in an inclusive studio session and funnier than the title suggests.
Merry Strangemas, Christmas Card
£6.00
From Arthouse Unlimited: read why we picked themMerry Strangemas, for the relative who would rather have a joke than a robin.
Santa Paws, handmade from plastic picked off the Thames foreshore, so the card starts the conversation for you.
Have a Treemendous Christmas and New Year
£7.00
From Washed Up Cards: read why we picked themA tree pun on a card made from rescued beach plastic, by a founder who also runs the beach cleans it comes from.
Stand Out Christmas Card
£5.00
From Stand Out Socks: read why we picked themA £5 Christmas card from the brand that employs people with Down syndrome in design and fulfilment.
Joy of Print Baubles - Pack of 5 Christmas Cards
£7.00
From Fine Cell Work: read why we picked themFive bauble cards from Fine Cell Work, which has trained over 8,000 prisoners in needlework and sees under 2% reoffend after release.
National SPCA Christmas Cards
€3.50
From National SPCA Shop: read why we picked themChristmas cards from Ireland's National SPCA, where the shop's profits fund rescue, veterinary care, and rehoming.
Birthday, new baby and thank-you cards
The everyday drawer stocked from social enterprises instead of a service station.
Happy Birthday Your Highness Card, Birthday Card
£6.00
From Arthouse Unlimited: read why we picked themHappy Birthday Your Highness, from a studio that pays its artists a royalty on every product their work appears on.
Congratulations On Your New Baby Don't Drop it, New Baby Card
£6.00
From Arthouse Unlimited: read why we picked themA new baby card with advice nobody asked for, which is the point.
A new baby card handmade from river plastic, and a neat contrast with the pile of plastic toys.
Have a blooming great birthday! Upcycled plastic card
£7.00
From Washed Up Cards: read why we picked themA blooming great birthday, upcycled from plastic collected on UK beach cleans.
Stand Out Thank You Card
£5.00
From Stand Out Socks: read why we picked themA thank-you card at £5, and an easy pairing with a pair of the same brand's socks.
Macaroon Greeting Card
£1.00
From Miss Macaroon: read why we picked themA £1 card from the Birmingham social enterprise that employs people facing mental health challenges, learning disabilities, and criminal justice involvement.
Cards with something to say
For when the message matters more than the occasion.
You Have The Power, Greetings Card
£6.00
From Arthouse Unlimited: read why we picked themYou Have The Power, from artists whose studio exists to make their work public rather than therapeutic.
Sending Lucky Stars, Greetings Card
£6.00
From Arthouse Unlimited: read why we picked themSending Lucky Stars, for the exam, the interview, or the appointment.
A £2 Rad Dad card from a Cardiff label that gives at least 10% of profits to frontline feminist work.
Mum Lion Heart, screen-printed in Cardiff by a brand founded by Stacey Grant-Canham.
In Spite of the Odds | Medium Card - Greeting Card
£4.00
From Black & Beech: read why we picked themIn Spite of the Odds, which reads as well for a recovery as it does for a promotion.
Give by cause
Prefer to start from the impact? Each cause hub lists every brand we feature for that cause.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What makes a greeting card ethical?
- Usually one of two things: what it is made from, or who made it. Washed Up Cards are handmade from plastic collected on river and beach cleans, which keeps the material out of the water. Arthouse Unlimited cards carry artwork by adults with complex neuro-diverse and physical support needs and pay those artists a royalty. Black & Beech prints locally in Cardiff and donates at least 10% of profits to feminist causes.
- How much do ethical Christmas cards cost?
- On this page, between £1 and £7 per card, with the Fine Cell Work baubles sold as a pack of five for £7 and the National SPCA cards at €3.50. That is more than a supermarket multipack and less than most single cards in a gift shop.
- Can I order these cards in bulk for a business?
- Several of these brands sell card packs and corporate orders directly, and the brand page on Purpose Picks links to each shop. Order early: these are small teams, and the Christmas designs are printed in limited runs.
More gift guides
- Gifts made by disabled makers →
Chocolate, art-led homeware, socks, and tees from brands where disabled people hold the paid roles.
- Social enterprise chocolate and food gifts →
Chocolate boxes, celebration cakes, madeleines, coffee, and beer from kitchens that hire people the job market overlooks.
- Christmas gifts →
Curated top picks for 2026, then stocking fillers, chocolate, and hand-woven scarves for December.
- Birthday gifts →
Celebration cakes, birthday macarons, and keepsakes for the person who has enough stuff.
- Leaving gifts →
Farewell gifts a team can club together on, from keepsakes to letterbox brownies.
- Teacher gifts →
End-of-term thank-you gifts, including a section under £15 and gifts a whole class can club together on.