10 Ways to Have an Eco-Friendly Lunch Box

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More and more we are trying to replace as much as we can with more eco-friendly, green options in our everyday use.  I know when Andrew and I were little, we both had plastic lunch boxes and our moms primarily used disposable sandwich and snack bags for our food. None of it was good for us or the environment. So today, we’re super excited to bring you this awesome list of ideas to creating the perfect eco-friendly lunch box for your little ones back to school time!


1. Juice in the Box – Reusable Juice Boxes – I actually got the idea for this post when I first learned about Juice in the Box.  I was so excited that there was a product like this.  Kids are creatures of habit and want everything the same of their friends, so I was excited to see that kids could still have juice boxes, but in an eco-friendly way.  Juice in the Box is a reusable juice box that allows you control over what your child is drinking.  It saves money from having to continuously buy expensive juice boxes too. Did you know traditional juice boxes take over 300 years to decompose and over 4 billion of them are consumed EVERY YEAR. Juice in the Box holds up to 8oz of liquid.   It currently comes in blue, green, pink, orange, and red.  We have been using these even though Skibbles isn’t in school yet and we’re big fans! 

2. Keep Leaf Insulated Organic Lunch Bag is made from 100% Organic Cotton Canvas.  It has an easy to secure velcro closure and a place inside to hold an ID Card.  This lunch bag has a waterproof liner, as well as a handle strap, and it machine washable.  It’s 10″ x 6″ x 5″. It currently comes in four different colors: Black and White, Tiles, Floral, and Fruit.

3. Kids Konserve Stainless-Steel Insulated Food Jar is a hand-wash only, 12 oz jar that can keep contents hot for hours.  Made from a corrosion-resistant stainless-steel with an insulated interior, it’s BPA, phthalate, and lead free.  The lid screws on and has both a stay cool lid and base. It measures 3.5″ x 3.5″ by 5.25″.  It comes in Lime, Turquoise, and Ocean.

4. All Natural Travel Size Hand Sanitizer – we have and love this stuff! With it’s ability to clip to anything, you always have the ability to fight germs on the go.  Using an all-natural alcohol and aloe vera, it leaves you skin soft to touch afterwards.  It’s non-greasy and uses only organic and natural ingredients inside to boast a 99.9% germ kill ratio.

5. To-Go Ware – Bamboo Kids Utensils  – includes a spoon, fork, and knife inside a recycled holder. Being both heat and stain-resistant, these utensils won’t absorb previous flavors and is finished with a food grade safe oil.  The holder comes in berry, kiwi, melon, and orange.

6. Yummi Pouch – Reusable Food Pouches – I love this kit that we have.  The pourer (sold separately) allows for easy filling and they are easy to clean as well.  Yummi Pouch is freezer safe and dishwasher safe and each pouch holds up to 6 ounces.  Each pouch is BPA and phthalate free as well. The Bright pouches come in a set of four bright colors and designs, but plain white ones are also available.

7. Non-toxic Ice Packs – Measuring at 6″ x 4.5″ x .75″ these are perfect for lunch boxes, bento boxes, totes, and more.  They are non-toxic, reusable, and biodegradable as well.  Must be hand washed.  They will keep your items cold for hours!

8. Laptop Lunches Bento Boxes – Bento boxes are the “it” thing right now!  Each of these come with four sealable containers that are leakproof, made in the USA with non-toxic materials, and free of PVC, BPA, and lead. All items are top rack dishwasher safe and the containers (not lids) are microwave safe as well.  The Extra-large (6″x5″x2″) holds 2.5 cups, the large (4.75″ x 3.12″ x 2″) holds 1.25 cups, the medium (3.12″ x 2.5″ x 2″) holds 2/3 cup, and the small (2″ x 1.5″ x 1.5″) holds 1/8 cup.  Containers can be sold separately as well.  Colors include: Lime, Avocado, Berry Blue, Pink, Primary Colors, and Multicolored.

9. Cotton Craft Reusable Napkins – This set of 12, multicolored reusable napkins are perfect for lunch boxes.  Each set contains one each: Lime, Ming Red, Stone, Black, Magenta, Grape, Orange, Lavender, Teal, Mustard, Navy, and Leaf. Each napkin measures 20″x20″ making them 38% larger than your standard napkin and will help little ones keep their messes contained more.  Machine washable.

10. Itzy Ritzy Reusable Snack Bags – boast an amazing 20+ designs to choose from in the snack bags. Each bag is FDA approved and BPA, Lead, and PVC free. They are washable and reusable and the lead free zipper keeps contents secured inside. They are also machine washable. The Snack Bags measure 7″ x7″. Other sizes available.

BONUS!!  We couldn’t mention back to school without including a backpack!  We found this super cool backpack made from recycled rice bags, how cool is that!? I absolutely love the bright colors and fun designs. It’s 18″ x 15″ x 3″ and is 100% handmade.

We hope this list inspires you to make some eco-friendly “green” choices for the back to school season.  Even just one change at a time helps save the world one steps at a time!

BUY IT:  All of the items mentioned above can be purchased directly from Amazon by clicking on the corresponding links below.