Make your backpack lighter
(on the Earth, that is)
We can’t lighten your load but we can show you where to find backpacks that are easier on the Earth. Drop that pack made with toxic vinyl and and go for a stylish hemp or recycled rubber backpack that's safer for workers and the environment.
The companies below sell a wide range of backpacks.
| Ecobags | Totes made from hemp and recycled materials |
| Green Earth Office Supply* | Recycled rubber and hemp backpacks |
| Hemp Sisters | Hemp backpacks and computer bags |
| Global Exchange | Bags, wallets and laptop sleeves made of hemp and reycled materials |
| Greenfeet | Bags made out of hemp and recycled fiber; laptop carriers |
| Greenhome* | Recycled rubber and hemp backpacks, messenger bags, and canvas totes |
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Progressive Kid has a wide range of eco-friendly, PVC-free messenger bags, backpacks, recycled daypacks, lunchpaks, and diaper bags in smart, colorful designs. |
| Reware* | Solar juice bags, recycled cotton bags, and recycled plastic bottle bags. |
| Targus | PVC free bags made from recycled materials. |
| Timbuk2 | Messenger bags, laptop bags, backpacks, and totes made from ballistic fabric and recycled materials; design your own bag or recycle your old one. |
| Voltaic* | Solar charged backpacks are made from recycled plastic bottles. UV ray and water resistant. |
*Warning: May be a little pricey.
Or fix it!
Perfectly good pack. Busted zipper. Don’t toss it! Before you chuck that old bag, check with the maker. JanSport is one company that will fix its packs for free. Just mail yours in and they’ll mail it back with a new set of teeth! Or find out if a local repair shop can do the job cheaply. Just open the yellow pages to “luggage repair.”
Why it’s important
The vinyl found in many backpacks is actually polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a substance with a very bad environmental record. When PVC is made or burned for disposal, dioxins—linked to cancer and developmental and reproductive disorders—are released into the environment. Dioxins persist in nature for many years and accumulate in the tissues of animal and people, moving up the food chain until they reach us. PVC production and disposal facilities also are typically located in low-income neighborhoods, producing pollutants that damage the health of people living nearby.
Learn more
- The facts on PVC and dioxins from The Healthy Building Network
Learn more about the Conscious Consumer Marketplace.
If you would like for your company to be listed in the Conscious Consumer Marketplace, please email Carolyn Danckaert or call 301.891.3683 ext. 125.