Green Living
8 Eco-Friendly Dinnerware Brands To Set Your Sustainable Table
A durable set of eco-friendly dinnerware is a solid ingredient for a sustainably set table. But what exactly is sustainable dinnerware? Let’s talk about it.
What is Sustainable Dinnerware?
Well looking for secondhand and vintage dinnerware is always a good start, whether that’s your grandmother’s porcelain dining sets or a pre-loved set of colorful plates and bowls at your local thrift store.
Another great place to look is estate sales. You can likely find full sets of dinnerware! If none of those options are available to you (or your just not finding something you love) you can check out a site like Etsy Used or Chairish.
*A note on secondhand dinnerware: the FDA started regulating the use of lead in dinnerware in 1971. So you might want to avoid any dinnerware produced before 1971, unless it’s just for display!
Here are some qualities to look for when shopping for new sustainable dinnerware:
Sustainably sourced materials: such as responsibly-harvested bamboo and recycled glass.
Quality: when it comes to products you’re going to potentially use and wash daily, durability is an important factor to keep in mind. Also consider your lifestyle! Perhaps glass and porcelain aren’t the best choices if you have little ones, or you tend to drop things often. (Guilty!!)
Usefulness: You might also want to consider if you will be hand-washing or dishwashing your dinnerware. Some materials are too fragile for the dishwasher, so consider if you’ll have the time (and willingness) to hand wash them all the time. Because part of sustainability is that you’ll actually use the products and they won’t just sit and collect dust! 
Ethical production: this could look like transparent local manufacturing or artisan-made and fair trade. In any case, an ethical dinnerware brand would prioritize fair living wages for the workers, ensure safe healthy conditions (this includes no toxic chemicals used in production!) and go above and beyond to consider the wellbeing of the people who work for them and/or produce their products.
Ownership and Equity: this means looking at who owns and profits from the brands we’re supporting; if a brand is owned by a person of color, it will be indicated in their description below (BIPOC-owned stands for Black, Indigenous, Person of Color-owned and WOC-owned stands for Woman of Color-owned).
Your Values: you may have other elements you look for in a brand, such as traditional craft preservation. Or perhaps it’s really important to you that a brand is giving back to their local community.
Relevant Certifications & Regulations
You’ll see a few certifications and standards referenced throughout this guide. Here’s what each one actually covers:
- EU Heavy Metal Compliance = verifies that food-contact items meet strict European Union limits on lead and cadmium; this is a regulatory standard, not a voluntary certification, so any company selling to the EU will have to follow this
- USDA Biobased Product = certifies that a product is made from a verified percentage of renewable, biologically-sourced material (like corn starch or bamboo fiber) rather than petroleum-based plastic; this is a voluntary official third-party certification speaks to material sourcing, though not chemical safety on its own.
- FDA CFR21 Compliance = this confirms a product meets FDA standards for food-contact materials, covering things like migration of harmful substances into food; again this is legally required so all brands selling into the US should have this but it does still show an extra step if a company has this tested by a third-party, because the FDA is not pre-testing products on the market
- California Prop 65 Testing = verifies a product has been tested against California’s specific list of regulated chemicals (including lead, cadmium, and phthalates)
Where to Find Eco-Friendly Dinnerware
The eco-friendly tableware and sustainable dinnerware brands featured below meet at least one (though most of them meet several) of the above criteria.
In this roundup, you’ll find sustainable pottery (including ceramic plates, sustainable mugs, and more), recycled glassware, artisan-made ethical dinnerware, and everything in between to suit your needs. I hope that this variety of brands will help you set the table, whether that’s for fancy dinner parties, Friday night pizza, or the meals in between.
This article features affiliates and partners. As always, we only feature brands that meet strict standards for sustainability that we love — and that we think you’ll love too!
1. East Fork
Categories: Plates, Bowls, Cups, Glassware, Flatware
East Fork’s ethically-made dinnerware and tableware are among my favorite picks on this list. Their beautiful sustainable ceramics, glassware, mugs, and other goods are elegantly designed and built for durability.
Committed to creating local manufacturing jobs, all of East Fork’s eco-friendly pottery is made in Asheville, North Carolina. Plus, the company partners with local grassroots organizations to give back 1% of all revenue to community-led initiatives.
Conscious Qualities: Locally-Made, Transparent Production
Price Range: $14 (small bowl) -$250 (serving platter)
2. Our Place
Categories: Glassware, Bowls, Plates
Handcrafted from natural stoneware, Our Place has tablescape-ready chip-resistant plates and bowls in neutral and warm hues. I purchased a full set of their dinner plates, salad plates, small plates, and soup bowls in “Char” (their charcoal gray).
The set is beautiful and we got so many compliments from our guests that we decided to get a set of plates and bowls for my parents in the Steam color — and they’ve loved their set just as much. Our Place also carries glassware made of partially recycled glass.
Conscious Qualities: Natural Materials, Durable
Price Range: $45 (tiny plates set) – $85 (dinner plates set)
3. Healthier Homes
Categories: Plates, Bowls, Mugs, Servingware
Healthier Homes’ kitchen collection spans a wide range of styles while holding every piece to the same standard: lead- and cadmium-free stoneware, crafted in compliance with strict EU regulations on heavy metals in food contact materials.
The Edge collection designed in Germany offers clean, modern lines in muted colorways, while Simply Ceramic brings a softer, rounded aesthetic for serving pieces. From Portugal, the Friso collection offers a more traditional, farmhouse-leaning look, while the Arenito collection is made from Ecogres, stoneware crafted from reclaimed scraps (I always love a recycled option!) — both single-fired for a lower-emissions process. For something brighter, the Blue Sky collection is made from natural Brazilian clay.
Conscious Qualities: Lead & Cadmium-Free, EU Compliant, Recycled Clay Options
Price Range: $68 – $171
4. MADE IN
Categories: Bowls, Mugs, Plates, Servingware, Flatware
With a 10-year “no-chip guarantee” and lifetime warranty MADE IN’s restaurant quality dinnerware is built to last.
The brand’s stoneware is all made in Stoke-On-Trend England, a city that has been known for clay craftsmanship since the 1600s and has been delivering dinnerware to the hospitality industry for decades. The options are limited aesthetically, but if classic ceramics are what you’re looking for, MADE IN delivers.
Conscious Qualities: Made in England, Durable
Price Range: $59 (side bowls set) – $149 (soup bowls set)
5. Fable
Categories: Dinnerware, Drinkware, Cutlery, and Servingware
I love the muted colorways of Fable’s dinnerware! Prioritizing timelessness and sustainability, Fable sources quality materials and simple designs that last the test of time.
The eco-minded dinnerware company partners with makers in Portugal, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the US that use conscious practices, like ethical employment, craftsmanship, and low-waste practices (like using locally-sourced recycled clay).
Conscious Qualities: Quality Craftsmanship, Recycled Clay, Made Responsibly
Price Range: $54 (little plates set) – $99 (dinner plates set)
6. Farmhouse Pottery
Categories: Plates, Bowls, Serving Dishes, Mugs, Flatware
Based in in Woodstock, Vermont, Farmhouse Pottery is committed to honoring the slow craft of pottery. Their team of skilled artisans crafts quality dinnerware entirely from domestically mined and blended clay in the brand’s own studio, building livelihoods for young artists in rural Vermont. And you can rest easy knowing the pottery is all lead-free.
The brand’s stainless steel cutlery is made in New York, as part of efforts to revive an American cutlery factory. This shows me just how mission-driven this company is, beyond just checking off boxes.
Conscious Qualities: Locally Sourced Clay, US-Made, Craft Preservation
Price Range: $55 (silo bowl) – $125 (flatware set)
7. GOODEE
Categories: Plates, Glassware, Cups & Mugs, Serving, Flatware
For artisanal plates that can elevate your tablescape, GOODEE is the answer.
From 100% porcelain stone ceramic plates hand-crafted in the ancient Japanese town of Arita and hand-painted plates made from Egyptian clay to marble patterned ecothylene® upcycled BPA-free plastic plates ideal for family-friendly daily wares (though this option might not be ideal if choosing natural materials is your priority), GOODEE has options for everyone.
Conscious Qualities: Ethical Production, Craft Preservation
Price Range: $19 (small plate) – $135 (dinner plate set)
8. Zungleboo
Categories: Bowls, Plates
Lightweight, shatterproof, and made from corn starch and bamboo fiber, Zungleboo creates family-friendly and eco-friendly dinnerware.
Their versatile plant-based bowls and plates are also dishwasher and microwave safe, making them easy to care for no matter how busy mealtime is. As Zungleboo writes on their website, their sustainable dinnerware is “from real plants, for real life”. The dinnerware is made in China, though they work with just one close partner to ensure transparency throughout manufacturing. And have been tested by a third-party lab to comply with FDA CFR21 food contact materials standards and California Prop 65 standards for lead and cadmium.
Conscious Qualities: Eco Materials, USDA Biobased Product
Price Range: $50 – $60 (Use code CONSCIOUS15 for 15% off!)
More Guides For An Eco-Friendly Kitchen:
Best Fair Trade and Eco-Friendly Tablecloths
Your Sustainable and Zero Waste Kitchen Guide
The Best Zero Waste Food Storage Options
The post 8 Eco-Friendly Dinnerware Brands To Set Your Sustainable Table appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.
8 Eco-Friendly Dinnerware Brands To Set Your Sustainable Table