Eco-friendly school supplies aren’t something new in today’s world. Yet, academic personnel are still ignoring their benefits. And it’s not surprising that some of the biggest garbage producers are schools and other educational institutions.
With average daily usage of 2,000 pages, a normal American school will go through roughly 320,000 sheets of paper in a school year.
So instead of going to the stores and picking random school supplies you see on the shelf, try looking for the ones that are friendly to the environment. We provide the ultimate list consisting of 7+ eco-friendly back-to-school supplies below.
ONYX+GREEN Retractable Ballpoint Pen
Let’s begin with something every student needs: high-quality pens.
The hybrid oil gel ink and bamboo and corn plastic used to make the Onyx + Green retractable ballpoint pens are both 100 percent recyclable resources.
The packaging is recycled Kraft, which is the best part. Plus, they can last a very long time and the blue ink writes well.
If you are prone to misplacing pens in bags, then this is a great product to pick. When searching through the bag, you can find them without much trouble because they always stand out.
MoshiMoshi Cotton Pencil Case
You can now have a container to house all of your eco-friendly goods, such as pencils, erasers, and rulers. Check out this MoshiMoshi cotton pencil case, one of the most useful eco-friendly school supplies.
They come with a wide variety of colors for their zippered pencil bags made of 100% cotton. In order to give these impoverished people work, disadvantaged women in rural Nepal hand weave each bag.
Even if it gets buried behind your sustainability books in your rucksack, the thick, incredibly strong weave is made to last.
Sprout Pencils
The only seed pencils in existence are sprout pencils. Why does that matter? Each pencil includes a capsule with a non-GMO seed inside of it.
In order to find out if you have a herb, vegetable, or flower, plant the seed when you finish using the pencil.
They are constructed of wood that was collected responsibly. We also like the fact that the packaging they come in is entirely recyclable.
When a youngster is trying to make friends at a new school, sprout pencils are a terrific conversation starter.
When you plan the seed together, you can also use them to teach children some fundamental gardening skills.
Because the pencils are made of biodegradable, lead-free, and non-toxic materials, you have nothing to worry about when using them.
Tombow Mono Sand Eraser
The Tombow Mono is a dual-sided eraser consisting of silica sand and all-natural rubber latex that may be used to remove pencil marks (to erase ink and some markers).
For all of your errors, use one single-use eraser.
The individual erasers come wrapped in a safe, compostable, 100% recycled pulp sleeve. Avoid the multi-packs since they are packaged in plastic and are linked together.
Pml Studio Planter Jotter Notebooks
These 30 percent recycled notebooks, which are bound with wax thread, are understated and sophisticated. They work well for lists, sketches, and even business-related projects.
The Pml Studio Planter Jotter Notebooks consist of sheets with a 3mm grid, a line, or no lines (which would be perfect as graphic paper for math class).
These 5″ x 7″ zero waste notebooks are available with either 30 or 60 sheets. Additionally, you may purchase them alone or in groups of three or six.
What’s best? When the notebook is finished, you may plant the seed paper cover and compost the notebook’s pages to grow wildflowers. A mixture of Snapdragon, Bird’s Eye, Black-Eyed Susan, Clarkia, Sweet Alyssum, and Catchfly will develop from the planted seeds.
Guided Products Recycled Rebinder
No more plastic or synthetic fabric-covered binders (one of many types of plastic, which are lucky to last even a semester). The Guided Products Recycled Rebinder is made from recycled chipboard, which is a much better option than the normal rebinders since it has a better end of life when they do wear out.
Rings can be easily screwed out for recycling, and the remainder can go in the compost! Additionally, you might draw on your own creations!
You can fit roughly 100 sheets of recycled loose-leaf paper in 0.5″ rings. Thankfully, you can now very easily find that at most big office supply stores.
A Good Company Natural Grass Pen
We’re still a little lost when it comes to zero waste pens.
Although there are now pens that are more environmentally friendly, they are still mostly wasteful, and greenwashing is still a problem.
Refillable fountain pens are the greatest zero-waste writing instruments. Excellent for the workplace, but maybe not so much for the school.
Having said that, a fountain pen is a good option that is still reasonably priced and, although not producing zero waste entirely. A solid compromise between extremely reduced waste and affordability.
They will endure a very long time if you take care of them. And to further cut down on waste, occasionally wonderful used fountain pens may be found on eBay.
Otherwise, the Natural Grass Pen from A Fantastic Company is a good choice for youngsters.
Just keep in mind to collect and utilize all of the extra pens you have lying around the home (we know you have enough!). When you’re done, send them to Terracycle, so they may be recycled!
Natural meadow grass and BPA-free recycled plastics are used to create the environmentally friendly grass pen from A Good Company. For us, pens are an excellent use of recycled plastic, particularly when they can be filled again, as this pen does, making it almost waste-free.
The manufacturing facility for A Good Company’s pens uses waste heat and biogas as sustainable energy sources.
To reduce carbon emissions from production, A Good Company plants trees in Africa with each purchase.
And if you are interested in painting, try eco-friendly art supplies. You create some of the most beautiful art projects ever while also being sustainable.
Michael Roger Inc Decomposition Notebooks
The Decomposition notebooks by Michael Roger are the most environmentally friendly notepads we’ve come across. These gorgeous college-ruled decomposition books are a good non-toxic and biodegradable note-taking option. 100% post-consumer recycled paper was used to create each page.
You may find something unique for any topic or mood thanks to the large selection of nature-inspired cover designs (printed with soy inks). Spiral-bound notebooks are also produced by Michael Roger Inc, however, we advise avoiding them if at all feasible. Spiral binders generate more waste by nature.
Conclusion
More people are embracing sustainability and paying more attention to the environment. After all, if we don’t make efforts to protect the future, our children will have to live in a world filled with unhealthy conditions and waste.
So try to make the most out of your purchase by getting eco-friendly back-to-school supplies.
And in these last summer days, you can also try tree-related activities with kids in your family or neighborhood to get them acquainted with the natural environment. Plus, it can even raise their awareness about tree protection.
