Sustainable and personalized gifting at TED2022

Sustainable and personalized gifting at TED2022: A New Era, April 10-14, 2022, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)

At TED2022, the goal of the gift program is to prioritize sustainability and minimize waste. The chosen items aim to inspire creativity and better habits while also considering the packaging and materials used. Attendees can personalize their TED Gift by creating a wishlist with all the things they’re interested in – and deliberately select something unique to them.

Building off TED2022’s theme of “A New Era,” this year’s gift has three main areas of focus: sustainable materials; the future of travel and work; and web3. Let’s take a look at what’s on offer:

Sustainable materials

Climate change has always been a part of TED’s DNA. (The first TED Talk ever published online was Al Gore’s 2006 warning about the looming climate crisis.) This year’s TED Gift features a range of eco-conscious products like the Solgaard Shore-Tex Lifepack, made with upcycled ocean-bound plastic fabric, and CARIUMA sneakers, which are created with ethically sourced and recycled materials like cork and sugar cane. Long-time TED partner S’well also returns with their blonde wood bottles and tumblers, helping cut down on plastic waste. And to dress it up a bit, attendees can opt to receive fine jewelry brand VRAI’s sustainably grown, emission-free diamonds. 

The future of travel and work

After more than two years of a global pandemic, the future of work and travel is on everyone’s minds, a theme represented by offerings like Moft laptop and phone stands, which make it easy to work comfortably from anywhere, and Occushield blue light glasses and screen protectors, which guard against harmful screen fatigue. The freedom of remote work makes the Trtl travel pillow an essential item for anyone on the move. When it’s time to wind down, the Hatch sound machine and sunrise alarm make it simple to set up (and stick to) a personalized sleep routine. And when you wake up, the compact Aeropress coffee maker creates fresh, great-tasting coffee quickly and easily – without the mess of disposable filters. 

web3

Everyone’s talking about web3, the metaverse and crypto. With Unstoppable Domains, it’s easy to secure a personal NFT domain, which acts as your name, crypto wallet and log-in across web3, putting people back in control of their data and identity. And when it’s time to send money, MobileCoin (MOB), the first carbon-negative cryptocurrency, offers digital cash transactions directly through the Signal Messenger app.

Other special contributions include: 1SE, Audio Technica, Asteroid Day, B612, BKYLN Larder, Click and Grow, Demio, Gozney, Hello Genius, RoseBYANDER, Slingshot, Who Gives A Crap and Yumi