20 Awesome Eco-Friendly School Supplies

Feel free to share

The Best Eco-Friendly School Supplies

As summer starts coming to an end, it’s time to think about going back to school. This year, you can make back to school time a little greener by checking out these awesome eco-friendly school supplies.

From pens made using recycled bottles to non-toxic backpacks, you’ll find everything you need to make this school year a little more eco-friendly.

Are School Products Toxic?

When you’re loading up your shopping cart with all those items on the back-to-school list, the last thing you might be thinking about is their toxicity.

Yet a study done by the U.S. PIRG Education Fund found several toxic ingredients in a variety of school supplies, including benzene in dry-erase markers, phthalates in three-ring binders, and asbestos in crayons.

Plus, this doesn’t even take into account the trees cut down for paper and the other waste that goes into making these products. Fortunately, you can still get all the back-to-school items your kids need without worrying about excess waste and toxicity when you shop from this complete list of eco-friendly back-to-school supplies.

1. Backpack

When you’re shopping for a new backpack, skip the plastic ones that could contain phthalates and look for a backpack made from natural materials.

One great company to consider for an eco-friendly backpack is Terra Thread. Their backpacks are made with 100% GOTS Certified heavy-weight organic cotton.

The Everyday Backpack can hold pretty much everything your kid needs to take to school. It has two side pockets for water bottles, a zippered large front pocket, a hanging inside pocket, and a convenient laptop compartment that can hold a laptop, documents, and books.

For younger children, consider the Zem Mini Backpack. It has a single front pocket, a hanging inside pocket, and long zipper pulls that are easier for smaller fingers to manage.

No matter which one you choose, you’ll appreciate knowing that Terra Thread is a carbon-neutral and Certified B Corp company that’s committed to giving back! Every purchase donates meals to kids and families in need through Feeding America.

You can purchase Terra Thread backpacks at EarthHero, which is one of the best zero online stores for all of your eco-friendly essentials. If you decide to shop at EarthHero, be sure to use to the code EARTHFRIENDLY to get 10% off your order!

Plus, if you need even more ideas, you can check out this post on the best eco-friendly backpacks. You’ll find plenty of great options that are ideal for school, work, and travel!

2. Lunch Box

Once you pick out a backpack, you need to consider what type of lunch box you want.

SoYoung is a good choice to consider. These lunch boxes are made from linen, which means they’re free of PVC, phthalates, lead, and BPA.

They have an insulated interior that helps food retain its temperature. They’re also machine washable and have a removable liner that makes it easy to keep everything clean.

Or, if you like the look of retro lunch bags, check out this waxed organic canvas lunch bag from Etee. It comes in a variety of really cool colors and is designed to stand up to plenty of wear and tear.

Once you get the perfect lunch box, don’t forget to grab some bamboo reusable utensils and stainless steel food storage containers so you can pack those zero waste lunches.

3. Hand Sanitizer

If your back-to-school shopping list includes hand sanitizer, skip the alcohol-based products and consider this Babyganics foaming hand sanitizer instead.

Babyganics uses plant-derived ingredients to kill 99.9% of germs. Since it’s alcohol-free, it won’t dry out skin. Additionally, it doesn’t contain parabens, phthalates, synthetic fragrances, or artificial dyes.

Not only is this hand sanitizer safe for sensitive skin and non-allergenic, but it’s also a cruelty-free product that’s not tested on animals. Plus, you can get this hand sanitizer either unscented or in fun scents kids love.

Don’t forget you can also make your own homemade hand sanitizer to use at home.

4. Plant-Based Glue

If you need to send your young kids back to school with some glue sticks, you have two great plant-based options.

These Onyx and Green plant-based glue sticks are non-toxic and washable. They also dry clear and quickly, so they’re perfect for those school craft projects.

Another excellent option are these Elmer’s School Glue Naturals glue sticks. They’re also made from natural and renewable plants, and they’re non-toxic and washable. Plus, the glue stick containers are made from 25% pre-consumer recycled plastic.

5. Beeswax Crayons

If you’re looking for non-toxic and natural crayons, these Honeysticks beeswax crayons are an excellent option. They’re made from 100% pure beeswax, so they’re safe for children of all ages.

They come in a pack of 6 of vibrant colors and are completely free from petroleum-based waxes.

Instead, the wax used to make these crayons is a natural by-product of honey production, which makes them a good sustainable option that causes minimal impact on the environment. They also smell amazing!

In addition to the regular size crayons, you can also get these jumbo beeswax crayons. This larger size comes with 12 beautiful colors in a hard-to-break size. They’re ideal for tiny hands and young children who are working on their grip.

6. Eco-Friendly Colored Pencils

If your children need colored pencils for school, you have two excellent options for eco-friendly colored pencils. Sprout plantable colored pencils come with six colors and two graphite pencils.

They all have a seed capsule on the end. When they get too short to use, simply plant them and watch as herbs, flowers, or vegetables grow.

All the pencils are made with biodegradable, non-toxic, and sustainably sourced materials. They’re also made using PEFC or FSC certified wood. This means that every time one tree is harvested, another one is planted in its place.

Your other option is Onyx and Green colored pencils. These pencils come in 24 assorted colors. However, instead of being made with wood, they’re made using recycled newspapers. They’re also packaged in a kraft box that you can recycle.

7. Eco-Friendly Pencils

You also have multiple options when you’re shopping for eco-friendly pencils. Along with colored pencils, Sprout also makes regular graphite pencils with seed capsules on the end.

The Mindful Thoughts pencils have encouraging quotes that offer good reminders for older kids during their studies. Or you can go with the original Sprout pencil.

If you like the idea of growing herbs, flowers, and vegetables from your pencil but would prefer ones not made from wood, the Treewise Plant-a-Pencils come with seed capsules and are made from 100% recycled newspapers.

If you don’t need the seeds, these recycled newspaper pencils are just as hard as solid wood pencils but made from 100% recycled paper.

Another option to consider are the Ticonderoga Renew No. 2 pencils. These pencils are made using recycled wood scraps. Since less wood is used to make these pencils, less waste is created.

8. Recycled Rubber Erasers

Made a mistake? That’s OK! With these recycled rubber erasers, you can easily clean it up with no marks or streaks. You get a pack of 3 multi-color erasers covered in a paper sleeve for easy gripping.

Plus, you can feel better knowing you’re using an environmentally friendly eraser. That’s because these erasers use recycled rubber instead of raw rubber to help cut down on extracting virgin resources.

9. Eco-Friendly Pens

If your kids are a little older and need pens instead of pencils for their eco-friendly school supplies, consider the Pilot B2P. These retractable ball point pens are made from recycled plastic bottles.

They come in both fine point and medium point and in assorted colors, so you can find exactly the style and type of pen you need.

Plus, they’re compatible with Pilot Dr. Grip ink refills. So when your pen runs out of ink, you can simple replace the ink instead of throwing away the entire pen.

10. Eco-Friendly Highlighters

Onyx + Green highlighters are also made from recycled plastic bottles. This pack of four offers fine-tipped, non-toxic highlighters in assorted colors. Since they have a chisel tip, they’re ideal for detailed highlighting.

The bodies of these highlighters are made entirely from recycled PET water bottles, and the packaging is from recycled content.

11. Bamboo Ruler

We all know bamboo is a great alternative to wood because its fast growth makes it incredibly sustainable. Plus, it’s just as strong as wood. If your kids need a ruler for math class, this bamboo ruler makes a fantastic eco-friendly option.

12. Bamboo Calculator

Another bamboo product that’s perfect for math class is this bamboo calculator. The casing and keys on this calculator are made from 100% biodegradable bamboo.

Plus, there’s one other unique feature that makes this calculator one of the best eco-friendly school supplies. It’s solar powered! That means no wasteful and toxic batteries are required.

13. Recycled Printer/Copy Paper

The United States alone uses around 20,700,000 tons of paper every year, which takes about 55 to 110 million trees to produce. If that makes you feel sick to your stomach, it gets worse. Only around 53% of that paper is recycled.

Lately, it’s becoming clear just how vitally important trees are to us. Not only do they produce the very air we breathe, but they also absorb carbon and other gases in the atmosphere, control our weather, and help fight climate change.

To help make a difference, choose recycled paper for your back-to-school needs. For printer and copier paper, I prefer to use Printworks multipurpose paper because it’s made from 100% recycled paper.

14. Recycled Notebook Paper

When you’re shopping for paper, don’t forget about getting recycled notebook paper. Ampad notebook paper is made from 100% recycled content. It’s also college ruled and three-hole punched, so it’s ready to go in a three-ring binder.

15. Spiral Notebook

For kids who need notebooks for going back to school, this eco-friendly A5 notebook is absolutely perfect for taking notes. The lined, college-ruled notebook uses 100% recycled paper to help stop deforestation and save natural resources.

Even better, you get a set of three notebooks and each notebook comes with 120 sheets of paper, so they’ll last a long time!

If you need a larger option, this Mead spiral notebook is a one subject notebook that has college ruled paper made from 100% recycled materials. Or you can take a look at this collection of the best eco-friendly notebooks to find even more sustainable options that will perfectly suit everyone’s needs.

16. Three-Ring Binder

Most three-ring binders are made from plastic. Not only does this increase the chances of children being exposed to phthalates, but you also can’t recycle them.

Instead, consider a Samsill Earth’s Choice binder. This three-ring binder is a USDA Certified Biobased Product and made from at least 59% biobased materials.

The binders come in different sizes that range from 1 inch to 5 inches. They also include all the convenient features you like from traditional binders, such as a PVC-free clear pocket in the front and two clear inside pockets.

17. Dry-Erase Index Cards

Whether it’s practicing multiplication tables or studying vocabulary words, every child will likely have a need for index cards. However, instead of choosing paper index cards that you write on once and throw away, go with dry-erase index cards that you can use over and over again.

These dry-erase index cards come in the traditional 3″ x 5″ size, and you can also get them lined or unlined.

18. Non-Toxic Dry-Erase Markers

When you get your dry-erase index cards, don’t forget to pick up some non-toxic dry-erase markers as well. ZenZoi dry-erase markers for kids come in 13 bright and fresh colors.

Additionally, the non-toxic markers come in a 100% recyclable tube container instead of plastic packaging.

19. Eco-Friendly Scissors

If you’re looking for a way to reduce the amount of plastic you use, have you thought about your scissors? One excellent option to consider are these Onyx + Green scissors.

The handles are made from biodegradable corn plastic and the blades are made from stainless steel. So as long as you take care of them, they should last you an incredibly long time.

Older kids and adults can also eliminate virgin plastic by picking up these recycled plastic scissors. These scissors have comfortable handles made from anti-microbial recycled plastic.

20. Paper Cinch

A paper cinch, sometimes also called a stapleless stapler, is a great zero waste back-to-school item to consider. This paper cinch punches a tab in your papers to hold them together without a metal staple.

Not only does this cut down waste, but it also makes recycling a breeze. When you’re done with your paper, you can simply toss it in the recycling bin without fighting to get the staple out. Plus, you never have to worry about buying staples again.

Now, I do have to point out that this paper cinch can only bind about 10 pages together. If you still need a regular stapler for larger packets of paper, this recycled plastic stapler is effective, durable, and made from 100% recycled plastic.

Awesome Natural Crafts for Kids

Are you looking for easy-to-make craft projects that your kids will absolutely love? Then you need to check out these natural crafts for kids!

Flat lay of natural crafts for kids pages

You’ll get natural versions of some of your children’s favorite crafts, including natural slime, homemade sidewalk chalk, natural finger paint, and homemade bubble solution. Not only will your kids have a blast making these crafts, but they only require natural ingredients that you can feel safe using around your kids.

Help your kids have safe and natural fun without worrying about what types of chemicals they’re being exposed to by picking up these printable natural crafts for kids!

Eco-Friendly School Supplies for Every Age

When it’s time to send those kids back to school, you can do so without worrying about what type of toxic ingredients might be hidden in the products they use every day when you shop this great list of eco-friendly school supplies.

More Eco-Friendly Tips

Now that you see how easy it is to get eco-friendly school supplies for your kids, are you ready for even more tips on natural and sustainable living? Then be sure to check out some of our other popular posts: