Back-to-school season is here, and we cannot stay calm! (Just like all the kids in the neighborhood). Yes, it’s time to go shopping for some eco-friendly school supplies.
This is a super exciting time for your kids, of course. It can be quite overwhelming for eco-conscious parents to find the right school supplies for children while still being sustainable.
Most school supplies come with plastic containing BPA and toxic ingredients that are unsafe for children. Exposure to plastic elements in daily school products causes cancer and infertility, impacts brain development, and harms the immune system. Infants and younger children are most susceptible to these health hazards.
In addition, these not-so-planet-friendly components in regular school supplies are bound to end up in landfills. Sounds scary, right?
We know that finding 100% sustainable and eco-friendly school supplies is difficult and time-consuming. So, we researched the best alternatives for kids’ school stationery and listed down the most eco-friendly brands available online.
Here’s a conscious back-to-school shopping guide for you to shop guilt-free. Keep your kids, your home, the school, and our planet, safe for everyone! From recycled pencils to reusable notebooks, we have listed some of the most sustainable school supplies, below. Let’s get started!
1. Sprout World Plantable Pencils
Skip the plastic pencils this time and opt for Sprout World’s plantable pencils. These eco-friendly pencils are made with PEFC-FSC-certified wood, natural clay, and a graphite core.
The best part, however, is that when your patented seed pencils get too tiny to write, you can plant them. Each pencil comes with a biodegradable seed capsule that has a herb, a veggie, or a flowering plant seed.
You can also buy from their Mindful Thoughts Edition; it has beautiful thoughts written on the pencils to give that extra boost to your kids’ creativity!
Add these pencils to your cart and plant them in your beautiful garden.
2. Amber & Rose Recycled Pencils
Here’s another sustainable alternative to the conventional graphite pencils for your child – Amber & Rose recycled newspaper pencils.
These pencils are made using 100% recycled newspaper and magazines, making it the perfect treat for your little ones.
These tree-free pencils not only look beautiful but also do good for the planet. (Now, you can be an eco-warrior and not an eco-worrier!)
In addition, you can introduce your kids to composting by getting them to add the pencil peels to your garden compost, instead of the dustbin.
Now, isn’t that great?
3. Terra Thread Backpacks
Looking for cute little backpacks for your children? Your quest for a good sustainable backpack ends here.
Terra Thread’s everyday backpack is just what your kid needs to carry all their green and zero-waste school supplies. Made with 100% GOTS-certified, heavy-weight cotton, this bag is designed to last.
To add to its list of goodness, the Terra Thread backpack is handmade in a Fair-Trade facility in India. This means that workers have a safe working environment; and they are fairly compensated for their work.
You can grab this eco-friendly product in a variety of pretty colors and floral patterns. And yes, it gets all its beautiful colors using low-impact GOTS-certified dyes.
Safe, strong, and durable – the perfect school backpack for your kids!
4. Eco Pen Club Clicker Pen
Talking about eco-friendly pens, here’s another sustainable option for your children – the Eco Pen Club clicker pen. It is a fantastic addition to your list of green school supplies.
They are made with compostable and recyclable materials (recycled cardboard and plastic/ wheat ends). Each clicker pen saves around 10 million plastic pens from entering the landfill per year.
Not only this, but the sustainable alternative comes with soy-based, non-toxic ink. What’s more – the clicker pen reaches you in plastic-free packaging and using carbon-neutral shipping. In addition, the company plants a tree for every order placed.
It’s probably not too late to say – join the Eco Pen Club already!
5. Onyx And Green Mathematics Set
It can sometimes be pretty difficult to find plastic-free stationery. You will find a number of brands with plastic-free pens and pencils. When it comes to a complete mathematics set, it can surely be a struggle.
Onyx and Green is one of the best brands for eco-friendly school supplies. They offer one-stop solutions for school and office stationery.
Yes, you guessed it right! Our favorite from their stationery collection is this mathematics set. The 10-piece bamboo set includes –
- protractor,
- 45-45-90 degree triangle,
- 30-60-90 degree triangle,
- ruler,
- compass,
- divider,
- craft paper pencil,
- craft paper red pencil,
- bamboo pencil sharpener,
- and non-toxic eraser.
Your kid can do all the things in math class with this single set. Plus, they get a really cool bamboo case with it.
FYI, the bamboo used to make all their products is sustainably harvested. It is also a renewable resource as bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants on Earth!
6. Pokhara Pencil Case by Firiri
Here’s the perfect eco-friendly product for your child – Pokhara pencil case by Firiri. This thick hand-dyed, hand-woven cotton case is super roomy to store all your kids’ eco-friendly school supplies in one place.
The company works with a small organization in Nepal that empowers disadvantaged women. The organization provides skill development training and jobs to these women.
These strong women make handmade cases. The profits from every sale is spent on the education of young girls from rural areas of Nepal.
By buying these pencil cases, you are not only helping the planet but also supporting these underprivileged women.
Need we say more?
7. Decomposition Notebooks
These beautiful Decomposition books are not just pretty on the outside but also extremely sustainable on the inside. Made with 100% post-consumer recycled paper, each page is compostable and non-toxic.
These notebooks come with cute cover designs inspired by nature. Once the ruled notebook is filled, you can give it away for recycling. (If you cannot reuse or compost it yourself, that is!)
Our favorite part; these notebooks are made in plants powered by recaptured landfill gas and are printed with soy ink.
How cool is that!
8. Rocketbook Smart Reusable Notebook
Rocketbook brings you a notebook that’s not just reusable but also smart. Wondering why we say so? It is because this wonderful piece of tech is designed for the digital age. It gives you the feel of a classic pen and paper notebook.
You no longer need to waste precious pages to make notes anymore. Here are some key features that we absolutely love about this book –
- Endlessly reusable – Write, click, and upload to your drive using the Rocketbook app. Erase and repeat. Isn’t that easy?
- Smart titles – You are just 4 hashtags away from renaming your scanned file name. Just put the title between hashtags like this ## TITLE YOU WANT ##, and your scan will be automatically renamed.
- Smart search – The smart AI of the app digitally embeds your handwritten words in the scan. Just search any word/ phrase from your notes, and the app will find it for you in seconds.
These are just a few cool features of this amazing reusable notebook. Let your children try this gadget and explore it for themselves.
In this bundle, you get a Rocketbook Core, a letter-size notebook, a pilot frixion pen, and a microfiber cloth. (Yay!)
9. Ecojot Journal
These journals by Ecojot are another eco-friendly alternative on this conscious list that you should get your kids. All the sheets of paper in these notebooks are made with 100% post-consumer recycled paper.
Each notebook is vegan, compostable, carbon neutral, and printed with vegetable-based, non-toxic ink. You get 150 lined sheets with a total of 300 pages in each journal.
You can choose from your favorite designs on their website; each journal is aesthetically created with love and care by talented designers. These covers are just so beautiful and unique, just like your child!
We are sure these amazing, recycled paper notebooks will fill your child’s (and your) days, with loads of positive vibes.
You don’t need to think twice; just get these cuties already!
10. Earth Grown Crayons
Homeschooled or not, crayons are always your kid’s most favorite things to learn and play with (damn cute!) Conventional crayons, however, use petroleum-based paraffin and synthetic dyes. Both of these ingredients are not good for your kid’s health.
Get your kids non-toxic alternatives like Earth Grown crayons. This small shop brings you homemade soy wax crayons which are safe and only use natural dyes.
What we love most is that these crayons are available in super cute shapes like dinosaurs and fish. A bag of these crayons will ensure several hand-drawn masterpieces from your kid.
Let the creativity flow!
11. Honeystick Watercolors
If you have a little ‘Picasso’ in the making at home, then watercolors must be the first thing on your list of eco-friendly school supplies. If so, here’s a perfect sustainable surprise for your little artist – Honeystick’s natural watercolor paints.
- Ethically made with natural, non-toxic, and food-grade ingredients? Check.
- Have no paraffin wax, fragrances, or fillers? Check.
- Free of allergens? Also, check.
Let us tell you a little more about this amazing product; it comes packaged in a metal tin. The tin can be reused or recycled once empty.
In addition, you also get a paintbrush made with natural materials. You no longer need to worry about finding a sustainable one.
Woohoo! A win-win product for everyone.
12. Eco-kids Craft And Color Busy Box
Be it play dates or just a cute classroom assignment, this amazing Eco-kids’ product will come in handy for your kid’s artistic endeavors.
This craft and color busy box includes –
- an art pad,
- a bottle of non-toxic glue,
- wooden sticks,
- a pair of scissors,
- two watermelon-shaped erasers,
- a box of beeswax crayons,
- a canister of colored pencils,
- and a wooden ruler topped box.
It has practically everything your kid needs for hours of uninterrupted fun. We are sure they will fall in love with this box set.
On and don’t you worry! All the products by Eco-kids are manufactured under stringent American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Toy Safety standards.
13. Agood Company Natural Grass Pens
If your child has already shifted to using a pen in school, then don’t you worry. Here’s an amazing eco-friendly alternative to the use-and-throw plastic pens – Agood Company’s natural grass pens.
These plastic-free pens are made with locally grown meadow grasses (a naturally renewable material) and are completely BPA-free (Phew!) These pens are infinitely reusable; all you need to do is to replace the non-toxic ink cartridge.
Here’s another fun fact; these eco-friendly pens are made in factories powered by renewable energy from biogas and waste heat.
Add this amazing item to your shopping list already!
14. ECO Lunch Box
Bento box lovers unite! This 3-in-1 classic lunchbox by ECO Lunch Box is the safest alternative to conventional plastic lunch boxes. Besides, plastics have BPA, which has been linked to multiple health issues. (Yikes!)
Other eco-friendly alternatives to plastic lunch boxes include glass and stainless steel. Though, glass containers are easily breakable, and not safe for kids. Also, they are not a pocket-friendly option.
This easy-to-pack lunch box comes with 3 compartments. It is crafted from 100% high-quality, food-grade stainless steel. The amazing design keeps all packed food items separate and safe from squishing.
What’s more? This handy and reusable bento box Is dishwasher and freezer safe.
Oh! A quick tip – try to avoid packing dips and liquids in the lunch box, as it may cause spills and leaks.
15. S’well Stainless Steel Water Bottle
S’ip by S’well Glow-in-the-Dark water bottles are super quirky and will become your kid’s favorite in no time. The vacuum-insulated, double-walled design keeps beverages cold for up to 24 hours.
These BPA/ BPS-free reusable bottles will keep children super energetic and hydrated all day long. The silicone loop, leak-free top, and food-grade stainless steel construction make these bottles extremely durable and strong.
So, there are no spills, no condensation, and absolutely no worries for you! In addition, the B-Corp certified company makes sure that you don’t have to compromise on sustainability or health.
We’re sure these cute-looking bottles will definitely have a fixed spot on your conscious shopping list.
Related Articles: 10 Eco-Friendly Bottles That Will Make You Forget About Disposable Ones
To sum up
From plantable pencils to sustainable backpacks, from natural grass pens to toxin-free crayons, this conscious back-to-school list covers them all.
These are all the eco-friendly school supplies you need to get your children ready for an eco-friendly school year ahead.
Oh, and yes! If you buy these items now, there’s a good chance you’ll save some extra bucks. The Back-To-School SALE is already LIVE on most online shops. Hurry!
Happy Shopping! 🌿
For other back-to-school guides, check out our Hassle-Free Back-To-School Skincare Routine For Busy Students
