Start off the 2023 school year right with school supplies that are both functional and eco-friendly! You can also use this guide for finding eco-friendly office supplies for the workplace or your work-from-home desk setup too.
You’ll be able to check off that supplies list for math class, art class and everything in between with this guide. The brands featured here create everything from recycled notebooks and pens to bamboo rulers and pencils to natural crayons and plant-based liquid glue.
The Best Eco-Friendly School Supplies Companies:
Note that this guide includes partners and affiliates. As always, all brands featured meet strict standards for sustainability and are brands we love — and that we think you’ll love too!
1. Wisdom Supply Co.
Wisdom Supply Co. has zero waste school supplies and office supplies for all your needs.
One highlight is their Zero Waste Binder Kit! Manufactured in a wind-powered factory, this binder is the first and only self-assembled binder with a 100% recyclable and replaceable FSC certified cardboard cover. It includes sturdy cardboard cover, 3-ring strip, and hand-twist screws for fastening. You can reuse the hardware with a new cover to ensure it’s the only binder you’ll ever need. Plus: your first binder replacement cover is free!
Categories: No-waste notebooks, yearly and school-year planners, recycled folders and binders, and refillable pens
2. Onyx and Green
From recycled plastic scissors and pens to plant-based glue sticks, Onyx and Green will help you check off quite a bit on your back-to-school supplies list!
Categories: Notebooks, pens & pencils, staplers, wireless mouse, glue, push pins, erasers, rulers, math tools (like a compass, protractor, etc.)
3. Sprout
Sprout has plantable pencils made from FSC-Certified wood.
Each eco-friendly pencil is lead-free, biodegradable (will decompose if buried) and contains either herbs, vegetables, or flowers to grow!
Categories: Pencils
4. Terra Thread
Find GOTS-certified organic cotton pouches, laptop cases, backpacks, and more for carrying around all of those eco-friendly school supplies!
The accessories from Terra Thread are made in a Fair Trade Certified factory as well.
Categories: Backpacks & totes, laptop sleeves, pencil cases / pouches
5. A Good Company
A Good Company is creating next-level eco-friendly office products and school supplies! Their notebooks and journals are made from durable stone paper sourced from reused stone and recycled construction debris using 100% solar energy and their pens are made from grass in a biogas-powered factory.
6. Honeysticks
Did you know that most crayons are made from paraffin wax, which is derived from petroleum? Gross, right?!
Thankfully Honeysticks is offering a safer, more sustainable alternative with their beeswax crayons.
Categories: Crayons, coloring books
7. ECOLunchbox
Need a new lunchbox this school year? Get a plastic-free one that’s built to last for years and years to come.
ECOlunchbox has perfectly sized non-breakable stainless steel lunchboxes that are dishwasher-, freezer- and oven-safe.
Categories: Lunch boxes, snack boxes
8. BackMarket
For kids or teens that need technology like tablets or laptops for their classes, of for your at-home set-up, definitely take a look through BackMarket!
This online marketplace is making it easier than ever to shop used tech with their search functionality, 30-day money back guarantee and 1-year warranty.
Categories: Used laptops, tablets, headphones, and more tech
9. Better World Books
For college students (or others) who need to purchase textbooks, Better World Books is a great resource!
Save up to 90% on textbooks while saving some trees, too. Better World Books also donates books and raises funds for libraries and literacy causes as well.
Categories: Books & Textbooks
10. AusPen
Raise a digital hand if you can’t stand when markers run dry and you have to toss them! Turns out there’s a solution for that.
AusPen creates refillable dry erase whiteboard markers in a variety of colors. Just get some ink to refill the marker when it runs out.
Categories: (Refillable!) whiteboard markers
11. Green Field Paper Company
Creating paper products that are light on the planet, Green Field Paper Company has recycled non-invasive seed paper and hemp paper!
Find journals, drawing & sketchbooks for art class, cards & envelopes, folders, reams of paper, and more.
Categories: Stationary, paper, journals & art books
You May Also Want to Check Out:
Your Ultimate Guide to Zero Waste Dishwashing
Best Zero Waste Food Storage Options
A Sustainable and Low Waste Kitchen Guide
The post The Ultimate Guide to Eco-Friendly School Supplies and Office Essentials (2024) appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.
The Ultimate Guide to Eco-Friendly School Supplies and Office Essentials (2024)
Curating a conscious home is a thoughtful process involving much consideration — who made my products, how they were made, and what are they made from — and this guide aims to support you on your journey towards finding ethical and sustainable home decor you truly love.
What is Sustainable Home Decor?
Sustainable home decor includes any home decor that is made in a way that takes into consideration both the makers and the planet. Sustainable home decor will be ethically made using eco-friendly and natural materials. Eco-friendly decor will also be produced using sustainable supply chain practices. This includes using renewable energy and recycled or compostable packaging.
While there are numerous sustainable home decor brands, some of which are featured below, first consider what’s already been made in order to prevent contributing to new waste. Secondhand, used, or DIY home decor options are typically more sustainable than buying new.
What is Ethical and Fair Trade Home Decor?
Ethical and Fair Trade home decor is produced in a way that adheres to Fair Trade standards and is, ideally, Fair Trade Certified. Fair Trade means paying artisans and makers a fair, living wage and providing ethical working conditions. Ethical home decor also includes supporting goods made by artisans using traditional heritage techniques and art forms. Many cultures around the world are at risk of losing their age-old artisanal crafts forever in the age of mass manufacturing.
It’s important to note that sometimes a major brand may use an “eco” fiber while still supporting irresponsible labor practices, and excessive production amounts that inevitably lead to a lot of waste. This is not true sustainability in my mind!
Most artisan-made home decor is ethically produced and directly supports the makers. However, it’s important to check if a brand or marketplace is transparent about their business practices to ensure they are ethical or Fair Trade.
Where Can You Find Sustainable Home Decor?
In terms of environmental sustainability, looking secondhand and vintage is always a great first place to look for sustainable home decor.
But if you’ve scoured those options and haven’t found what you’re looking for and/or if you’re looking to financially support artisans and traditional crafts around the globe, this shopping guide is designed for you. You’ll discover many brands with artfully designed and artisan handmade goods for furnishing any space among this list of decor brands.
All of the brands in this guide use natural and/or recycled fibers and avoid the use of virgin synthetics like polyester; however, some brands do use materials that are not the most environmentally-friendly option on the market, such as conventional cotton.
And of course, I wanted to choose brands that followed slow, thoughtful production practices, prioritizing artisan handmade over factory labor and quality over quantity.
So without further ado, here are my favorite small-batch, artisan-made, and ethical home decor brands.
Note that this guide includes affiliate links — as always, we only curate brands vetted for sustainability that we love (and that we think you’ll love too).
1. Urban Natural
Categories: Accent Pillows, Tabletop, Lighting, Wall Art & Mirrors, Blankets & Throws
Eco-friendly home retailer Urban Natural is on a mission to curate high-quality furniture (and other home goods) built with quality and free of toxic chemicals. Urban Natural carries several sustainable home decor brands, including artisan brands Ethnicraft and Jaipur Living as well as ethically USA-made brands Farmhouse Pottery and East Fork.
2. GOODEE
Categories: Pillows, Lighting, Wall Decor, Planters, Baskets, Blankets, Candles
GOODEE is an ethical marketplace featuring numerous sustainable artisan brands and designers. You’ll find a variety of beautifully crafted home decor goods to suit a wide range of styles. Goodee is a Climate Neutral and B Corp Certified company. They publish an annual impact report so you can easily ensure their business practices align with your values.
Our favorite brands on Goodee are Texidors, Baba Tree, Makaua, and Tensira.
3. Healthier Homes
Categories: Rugs, Lighting, Tabletop, Baskets, Wall Decor & Wallpaper
Founded after years running an award-winning healthy home building firm and publishing a book by the same name (Healthier Homes) this retailer is a go-to online destination for finding non-toxic home goods. The eco-friendly home decor on Healthier Homes is primarily made with natural materials like clay, cotton, seagrass, mango wood, and bamboo,
4. Will & Atlas
Categories: Baskets, Tabletop
Will & Atlas is a women-owned small business making most of their homewares from plant materials like jute, palm leaf, and hogla grass. Their natural fiber baskets are flexile but sturdy built to hold blankets, pillows, laundry, magazines, toys, or just to stand alone as a decor piece. You’ll also find jute coasters and placemats in their tabletop collection.
The brand is committed to ethical practices, partnering with nonprofit fair trade artisan groups in Bangladesh and craftspeople in the U.S. to build long-lasting production relationships.
5. Ten Thousand Villages
Categories: Baskets, Pillows, Throws, Candles, Wall Art, Planters & Vases
Founded 80 years ago, Ten Thousand Villages is the original fair trade store. Throughout the decades, the nonprofit business has continued their commitment to fair wages, safe working conditions, as well as sustainability.
As a founding member of the World Fair Trade Organization, with artisans around the world from under-resourced communities. Most of the products they carry are made from recycled, upcycled, and natural materials.
6. MagicLinen
Categories: Curtains, Kitchen Linens
Linen is an exceptional material for home decor — there’s a reason we say “kitchen linens!” It’s natural, beautiful, and is often high quality.
I purchased a set of linen curtains from Magic Linen one year ago and they remain one of my favorite home decor pieces. The fabric they use meets the OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100, meaning its been tested for harmful substances.
7. Passion Lilie
Categories: Pillow Covers, Table Linens
Passion Lilie is a fair trade fashion and lifestyle brand with ethically made home decor, too. The Fair Trade Verified brand has handwoven cotton blankets, organic cotton kitchen linens, unique ornaments, and hand-dyed throw pillow covers.
Each piece is made by Passion Lilie’s partners in India who pay living wages and ensure a safe working environment. Beyond this, the brand supports efforts to enable artisans to continually develop their skills and creates opportunities for community development.
8. 54kibo
Categories: Throw Pillows, Wall Hangings & Artwork, Mirrors, Baskets, Rugs, Lighting
A destination for modern African artisanal decor, 54kibo curates a stunning selection of ethically made home decor. The pieces on 54kibo are made with time-honored techniques using locally sourced materials with rich histories. The designs are exceptional, but the stories behind them make the pieces beautiful additions to your home beyond the surface.
9. The Citizenry
Categories: Baskets, Planters & Vases, Tabletop, Wall Decor, Mirrors
The Citizenry partners with artisans around the world, ensuring safe conditions, fair wages, and offering grants to their artisan partners so that they can expand their businesses.
Their online collection features small-batch artisan-made home goods made from locally-sourced and natural materials like palm leaves and indigo dyes.