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Check out these sustainable essentials for back-to-school.
“Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what’s for lunch.” – Orson Welles (and likely your kids by 10 a.m.)
Back-to-school means it’s time to start packing lunches again, and while the lunchbox contents may change with the seasons, one thing shouldn’t: the sustainability and functionality of your lunch-packing gear.
When you add up all of the half-eaten sandwiches, leaky juice boxes, and crumpled plastic food wrappers, school lunches can be a surprising contributor to your household’s food waste footprint. With a few smart, sustainable swaps, you can make a big difference not only for the planet, but for your wallet and sanity, too.
If your current system involves single-use plastic baggies, old takeout containers stained beyond recognition, or a well-loved lunchbox that may not survive another school year, we’ve got you covered. From stainless steel containers that will protect their contents through bumpy bus rides to labels that ensure your kids’ stuff actually makes it home, these sustainable picks from the Bluedot Living Marketplace are perfect for keeping school lunches fresh, organized, and waste-free.
Keep It Customizable
PlanetBox lunchboxes put the fun in “functional.” The stainless steel bento-style lunchboxes come in different colors and patterns, and kids can make them their own using magnets.
Keep It Cool
Out of the Woods’ washable coolers are as sturdy as they are nostalgic. They’ll keep food cold until lunchtime — no soggy sandwiches in sight.
Keep It Fresh
OXO’s Smart Seal containers are airtight, durable, and come in a variety of sizes that will work for snacks, sandwiches, or last night’s mac and cheese.
Keep It Coming Home
If you’re a frequent flyer at your school’s lost-and-found, these waterproof, customizable name tags from Mabel’s Labels are here to save the day by ensuring your new reusables actually make it home to be, well, reused.
Keep It Compostable
For when convenience and disposability are a must, reduce both virgin plastic and guilt with compostable, resealable sandwich baggies from Responsible Products. The bags are industrially compostable, so check with your local facility!
Keep It Sealed
Stasher’s reusable silicone bags are colorful, kid-friendly, and seriously leak-proof. More importantly, they’re dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup. (Pro tip: Keep your Stasher bags in tip-top shape by never turning them inside out to clean or dry them!)
Keep It Insulated
Whether you’re packing soups or salads, bento boxes or banana splits, S’well’s insulated, leak-proof, stainless steel containers will make sure lunch stays at its intended temperature.
Keep It Under Wraps
Ditch the flimsy plastic wrap for sturdy, reusable, and stylish Bee’s Wrap. A wide variety of shapes, sizes, and unique patterns make it easy to find the right wrap for the job.
Find more Bluedot-Approved Lunchbox Upgrades.
Happy shopping and happy lunching!
