Backpacks to Water Bottles: Plastic-Free Back-to-School Gear

For many of us, our daily routines are filled with plastic — that goes for school days too. From backpacks to lunch boxes, there are sustainable, plastic-free swaps for nearly every aspect of your or your kids' school day.

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Once you make the switch to plastic-free, you'll very quickly start saving on plastic waste and microplastics in your home! Here are some of our favorite brands with plastic-free options for your school year routine.

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Backpacks

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Backpacks are made from performance fabric, optimized for easy cleaning and durability. This means they often are made from some kind of synthetic fabric, or at least have plastic additions in the form of buckles or zippers.

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Of our favorite backpack brands, Terra Thread and 8000 Kicks have bags made completely from natural fibers (with the exception of metal and and plastic accents).Other brands on our list, like United by Blue and Rothy's, use waste plastic or plastic that would otherwise go to waste. You can see our full list here.

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Plastic-Free Lunch Boxes and Containers

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From sandwiches to soups, these plastic-free options don't sacrifice on function.

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Plastic-Free Water Bottles

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It's hard — but not impossible — to find completely plastic-free water bottles. We've selected a few of our low-plastic favorites, along with a couple of completely plastic-free options.

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