Ethical & Eco-Friendly Halloween Treats

Every year around Halloween, billions of candy wrappers are thrown away, and much of the candy itself is made with unsustainable ingredients like palm oil. Not to mention that some of the largest candy manufacturers contribute tremendously to negative impacts on the environment. But it doesn’t have to be this way!

Learn about more sustainable alternatives to mass-produced treats to give out to the kiddos (or save for yourself) this year.

What Environmentally Friendly Treats Can I Give Out on Halloween?

There are plenty of eco-friendly Halloween candy options available that taste just as good as the conventional stuff.

Consider taking a new approach:

• Make your own treats that don’t require a wrap or have compostable wrapping
• Find candy made with sustainable sugarcane or fair trade chocolate
• Get candy that comes in biodegradable packaging

Making Your Own Halloween Treats

Homemade sweets to give out to trick-or-treaters is actually not as difficult as it might seem. There are many great options, including:

• Cookies
• Fudge
• Chocolate covered pretzels
• Rock candy

If you feel you need to wrap the treats, consider a compostable paper bag wrapping or biodegradable food wrap.

Ethical & Sustainable Candy Options

If making your own treats isn’t a challenge you want to take on, there are still plenty of eco-friendly and ethical choices for you.

Here are some resources and some of our favorites to consider:

• Slave Free Chocolate – Browse a list of ethically grown and sourced chocolate companies.
• Alter Eco Chocolate – Compostable or recycled/recyclable wrappers, plastic-free, organic, fairer trade, carbon neutral
• Nelly’s Organics – Fair trade, organic, non-GMO, additive/preservative free, vegan chocolate bars
• Raisins – It might seem lame, but raisins are a great sweet treat option that you can usually find organic and plastic-free
• Fruit – You might want to be “that person”, but fruit is always a healthy (but still sweet) option to consider

Eco-Friendly Halloween Bags

Another important aspect of trick-or-treating to consider is the bag. This may seem small, but there are so many people that use plastic bags or buckets that are thrown away after a single use.

Consider a paper bag, reused bucket, or the classic pillow case as a durable and greener option for candy collection.

Related Sustainable Halloween Guides

• Eco-Friendly Halloween Costumes
• Eco-Friendly Halloween Decorations
• Throwing a Green Halloween Party