The Best Sustainable Lunch Boxes and Accessories
Estimated reading time: 12 minutes
I worked as a middle school teacher for fourteen years, and I have seen my share of weird school lunches and lunch boxes. From brown paper bags to state-of-the-art eco-friendly bento boxes, you can’t surprise me with a lunch box anymore. I’ve even seen a student bring their school lunch in a suitcase. I kid you not. Help make schools more earth-conscious by using sustainable lunch boxes and accessories for yourself or your children. If you need a new insulated lunch box, snack container, or sustainable sandwich bag for the next school year, I’m here to help you find the perfect one!
Jump Ahead:
Three Steps towards an Eco-Friendly Lunch Box or Bag
Eco-Friendly Lunch Boxes – ECOlunchbox & Planetbox
Sustainable Lunch Bag Options – Life Without Plastic, Fluf & ECOBAGS
Eco-Friendly Lunch Accessories – Stasher, UKonserve, Ekobo, & Planetbox
Final Thoughts About the Best Sustainable Lunch Boxes
First, Keep What You Have
If you already own a lunch bag or box that serves its purpose, the best green lunch box option is to keep it until it no longer does. As anyone leading a minimalist lifestyle will tell you, overconsumption is not sustainable. You should always consider some of the the other 10 Rs of sustainability, like reuse or repair, before you replace an item.
When it is time for a new sustainable lunch gear, make sure to look at other options for your old one before you toss it in the garbage. Consider donating it, up-cycling it into something new, or checking out alternative recycling programs like TerraCycle.
Second, Avoid Plastic
I think we all know by now that plastic is the arch-enemy of environmental sustainability. Single-use plastics have become the plague of the earth. Plastic production and incineration release almost a billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere every year. If you need more information about why you must pass on plastic, check out this website.
So, your first step in finding the best low impact lunch boxes is to look for eco-friendly materials.
Third, Look for Better Materials
Any material that is recyclable, organic, or durable enough to last a lifetime is more sustainable than plastic. Some to look out for are stainless steel lunch boxes and lunch bags made from hemp, GOTS-certified organic cotton, or bamboo.
If you prefer plastic, look for lunch boxes made from PCR plastic. If we’re talking accessories, ditch the plastic containers and cutlery and look for food-grade silicone, bamboo utensils, or those made from food-safe recycled materials.
Eco-Friendly Lunch Box Options
I’ve looked high and low, north and south, left and right, to find some of the most eco-friendly lunch boxes and bags from reputable, sustainable brands you can trust. Reduce your carbon footprint by purchasing one of these eco-friendly lunch boxes that you can use forever!
ECOlunchbox
ECOlunchbox is a Certified B Corp and a woman-owned, California Green Certified Business. They make everything you could possibly need for a work or school lunch, for kids and adults free of estrogen-mimicking toxins. You can find enough durable items for many years of packed lunches, from straws and sporks to leak-proof plastic-free containers with silicone lids.
Three in one classic bento
About this item:
- 100% high quality, food-grade stainless steel
- Stackable container with multiple compartments to keep foods separate.
- Dishwasher safe & Plastic free
Planetbox Lunch Boxes
This sustainable small business was started in 2009 by two parents that were frustrated at the lack of plastic-free lunch boxes available for their children. This brand uses toxic-free, food-grade stainless steel that contains no lead, PVC, phthalates, or BPA material that is dishwasher safe.
ROVER STAINLESS STEEL LUNCH BOX
About this item:
- Includes 2 leak-proof containers, Big Round Dipper and Little Round Dipper
- 5 compartments to make packing a variety of foods easy with separation
- Comes with a five 5 year warranty!
Sustainable Cloth Lunch Bags
Stop using throw-away plastic bags to transport your lunches! Continue your environmental practices for a sustainable home and get the family some eco-friendly lunch bags that will last a lifetime.
Life Without Plastic
Life Without Plastic is a Certified B Corp with Green America’s top-tier Gold Seal of Approval. They create lunch bags, environmentally conscious lunch accessories, and many other plastic-free essentials for a zero-waste lifestyle. They are a family-owned company, and their products are made of high-quality natural materials, including glass, wood, stainless steel, bamboo, hemp, cotton, wool, khadi, cellulose, and recycled paper. All of their materials are free of known toxins, such as bisphenol A (BPA), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), phthalates, and lead. Packing lunch has never been so fun!
Plastic-free clean lunch bag
About this item:
- Safe, high quality, ethically sourced, Earth-friendly alternatives to plastic
- Removable insulating wool panels help keep hot and cold foods
- 80% GOTS-certified organic wool, 20% mixed GOTS-certified organic cotton, and GOLS-certified organic rubber
Fluf
Fluf makes eco-friendly lunch bags that are independently tested to be free of BPA, PVC, all PFAS chemicals, PFCs, phthalates, heavy metals, AZO, fire retardants, formaldehyde, and more. This earth-friendly lunchbox brand focuses on using renewable and recycled materials with accountability and transparency. They practice ethical lunch box manufacturing with eco bags handmade in a small, family-run, GOTS-certified facility in India and come in various fun designs.
zipper lunch
About this item:
- Outer is made from GOTS-certified organic cotton, so the bag is machine washable
- Big enough to fit two full-sized pineapples
- Water-resistant lining made from 100% recycled plastic bottles with an interior pocket to add an ice pack
- The entire bag is virgin plastic free
EcoBags
Founded in 1989 with Do No Harm and Leave No Trace guidelines, this Certified B corp was ahead of the plastic-free revolution. The founder, Sharon Rowe, wanted people to stop using throw-away plastic bags in an effort to reduce plastic waste. ECOBAGS has been S8000 (Social Accountability International) Certified from the beginning.
They use GOTS-certified organic cotton, recycled cotton, and other sustainable materials to make their products. Just last year, they began using Birla Cellulose, made from renewable wood sourced from sustainably managed forests. This 100% biodegradable lunch box choice is manufactured using a closed-loop process and environmentally efficient technologies.
ORGANIC COTTON LUNCH BAG
About this item:
- Extremely affordable!
- Durable-reusable bags
- 100% certified organic cotton, with a hook and loop closure.
- Machine washable and large enough for a full lunch
Sustainable meal prep Accessories
Single-use plastic bags in our lunch kits should be a thing of the past! Work towards a zero-waste lifestyle and consider some sustainable snack containers for packing snacks and keeping foods separate in your lunch box. Throw in some reusable cutlery and a cloth napkin, and you’re good to go!
Stasher
Keep snacks and food secure when packing your kids’ sustainable lunch boxes with these silicone, reusable, environmentally conscious food storage bags and bowls. Practically indestructible, these are dishwasher, microwave, and oven safe up to 425 Fº, and contain no BPA, BPS, lead, latex, or phthalates. They are leak-free, so you can even store soups or sauces in them! They come in many sizes and fun designs.
stasher
About this item:
- Design radically functional products
- Replace single-use plastic
- Leak free pinch-Loc® seal
- Food-grade platinum silicone
- Dishwasher, oven and microwave safe
UKonserve
The snack containers made by UKonserve are oven, dishwasher, freezer, and microwave-safe. This Certified B Corp makes stainless steel containers with silicone lids to keep food fresh in your work or school bag. They also make lunch totes, bamboo cutlery, metal straws, and more!
ukonserve
About this item:
- Certified B corporation
- 1% for the Planet member
- High-quality, long-lasting products
- Non-toxic, safe products that are tested by CPSIA-accredited
Ekobo
Ekobo lunch products are made with a bamboo base that is responsibly sourced and managed, collected as sawdust waste from chopstick factories. They offer a whole range of snack containers, lunch accessories, and other sustainable home goods.
ekobo
About this item:
- Sustainable materials such as cork, rePET fabric, food-grade silicone
- Non-toxic bamboo base
- GOTS certified organic cotton
Planetbox Mercury Container
We’re heading back to Planetbox to keep food hot for up to twelve hours on those lunch days that need a little extra warmth. This toxin-free, vacuum-insulated, leak-free container will keep food cold as well.
INSULATED HOT OR COLD FOOD CONTAINER
About this item:
- Totally toxin-free
- Vacuum insulated container
- 304 stainless steel and LFGB silicone
- Leak-proof
All the Rest
You might be wondering about cutlery, napkins, or straws to add to your eco-friendly lunch bags. The answer? Use what you have.
There is no reason you can’t pack the utensils from your cutlery drawer in your eco-friendly student lunch box! A reminder, though, not to put a sharp knife in your child’s lunch bag – that never ends well, trust me.
Don’t already have reusable cloth napkins at home? Before you throw away any scrap materials from crafts, or that old t-shirt that isn’t even fit to be donated, consider them for this purpose. Or, you could purchase some second-hand tea towels to save the cost that paper napkin production has on the environment.
As for that straw – do you really need one? No judgment if the answer is yes – sustainable options exist! Get one made from stainless steel, and you’re all set! Don’t forget to add an eco-friendly cleaning brush to ensure your straw stays sanitized (try saying that five times fast!)
Other Uses for Your Sustainable Lunch Boxes and bags
Lunch boxes, eco-friendly food containers, and accessories aren’t just for school-day lunches anymore! Obviously, you can use these eco-friendly lunch bags and boxes as an adult for a sustainable workplace too. Toss them in your work bag before heading out on your environmentally friendly work commute!
But you can enjoy and profit from these best eco-friendly lunch boxes in many other ways! Take them for a sustainable day at the beach to keep your drinks and food cold. Bring them eco-camping to store food and to use as dishes for meals. Plan a picnic for your kids or significant other and tote them along. I bring my silicone bags traveling and use them in so many different ways!
Final Thoughts
Don’t forget that the most eco-friendly lunch bag is the one you already own. Living a minimalist lifestyle is the easiest way to achieve sustainability!
When it is truly time for a new sustainable lunch box or accessories, remember these key things:
- Dispose of the old ones sustainably.
- Look for eco-friendly materials and packaging.
- Make sure your new lunch boxes and snack containers are toxin-free.
- Check sustainable practices – for people and the environment.
Time for lunch!
All products recommended to you on Successfully Sustainable are independently researched in depth. To avoid waste and lead a minimal lifestyle, we test products only when required. This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a small commission. Learn more about this here.
