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
Check Out Wisdom Supply Co.
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.)
Check Out Onyx and Green
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
Check out Sprout
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
Check out Terra Thread
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.
Check Out A Good Company
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
Check Out Honeysticks
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
Check Out ECOLunchbox
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
Check Out BackMarket
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
Check Out Better World Books
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
Check Out AusPen
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
Check Out Green Field Paper Company
12. Eco Pen Club
As you may have guessed, this store sells sustainable pens that are compostable and recyclable.
And, you can find 100% recycled notebooks and greeting cards from Eco Pen Club, too. You can even get custom-printed pens here for your company, club, or other group.
Categories: Pens, notebooks, cards
Check Out Eco Pen Club
