Sustainable first day of school - How to make it without plastic & co.

When summer comes to an end, it's time for many children to go to school for the first time! For this new beginning our little ones need a number of accessories: satchel, lunchbox, water bottle, pens, exercise books and much more. If you want to focus on sustainability right from the start, you should take a close look at school equipment. We have put together a few tips for the start of school. Of course, these can also be applied to older school children.

Sustainability through conscious shopping choices

Shopping sustainably also means always shopping consciously. That means paying attention to the quality and durability of the materials instead of buying cheap disposable goods. An easy way to avoid this for parents is to write a shopping list before they go shopping. This prevents unnecessary impulse purchases, which may end up unused in a corner for years and end up in the trash. That would not be very sustainable. Furthermore, it is important to pay attention to the ingredients, health safety and, ideally, the production conditions.

Sustainable satchel or backpack for school

Probably one of the most important pieces, quasi the "it-piece" for every school beginner is the satchel. The look is of course very important. Dinosaurs, horses, the favorite cartoon character and most importantly, everything has to be in their favorite color. The new piece should bring joy, so parents are best to choose the piece together with their children.

If you live environmentally conscious, the satchel should not only meet optical and ergonomic criteria, but also be sustainable. There are many ways to go about this, and you can either choose a good used satchel or look for sustainable materials when buying a new one. With as few chemical additives as possible and preferably fairly produced. The same applies to pencil cases and gym bags.

Lunchbox and water bottle - enjoy lunch and snacks sustainably

If you're studying hard, you will need to take a break. If parents want to make their children's break time as healthy as possible, it's not just the health-conscious snack that counts, but also its packaging. If you want to make sure that there are no toxins and health hazardous substances in your kid's food, you should avoid plastic boxes that contain harmful substances like BPA, which can enter our bodies through packaged food.

A good alternative are lunchboxes made of stainless-steel. For example, all lunchboxes from Eco Brotbox are made of pollutant-free and durable stainless-steel. In a stainless-steel bread box, the healthy meal for students also remains fresh. The stainless-steel container comes in many different sizes and shapes: round, square and in rectangular and also multilayered. Parents who are looking for a lunchbox with a partition slide or a leak-proof container with a silicone seal as well as with an insulating function will quickly find what they are looking for at Eco Brotbox.

what they are looking for at Eco Brotbox. If you want to stay concentrated, you should not forget to take regular breaks to drink to keep up your performance. Disposable bottles from school kiosks are not a good idea from an environmental point of view. Plastic bottles should also be avoided for health reasons and for the sake of the environment. Reusable glass bottles are sustainable but can break easily. A safer and more sustainable option is a stainless-steel drinking bottle. The stainless steel drinking bottles from Eco brotbox are food safe, tasteless and can be reused almost endlessly. A food-safe silicone ring makes them absolutely leak-proof.

Sustainable accessories: notebooks, pencils and erasers

Every pupil has to learn how to write. Consequently, they will need equiptment such as notebooks, pads, fountain pens, pencils and erasers. Of course, as a parent or grandparent, you want only the best for your children. To make the sustainable choice, you can easily buy notebooks and pads made from recycled paper. The recycled paper is slightly darker than normal, but this is not really noticeable. Tip: Look for the Blue Angel seal.

In order to protect the environment, it is better to wrap books and notebooks in paper instead of plastic envelopes. You can buy special paper for this purpose or create envelopes from wrapping paper or newspaper together with the children.

When it comes to pencils, parents should avoid lacquered models, as children also like to chew on pencils, which can cause paint and harmful substances to dissolve. Therefore, it is better to use pencils made from natural wood. The erasers should ideally be made of natural rubber or at least PVC-free.

When it comes to fountain pens, it's best to go for a model with a refillable tank. This saves on the plastic ink cartridges. If you keep this in mind, nothing stands in the way of a sustainable start to school.