Eco-Friendly Office Supplies We Love

Although we use our laptops and screens for nearly everything these days, there is still something to be said for taking notes in a notebook, or the feeling of writing with your favorite pen. And sometimes, you just need to print something! 

Instead of grabbing the same old run-of-the-mill stuff next time the supply closet is low, consider these eco-friendly office supplies we love. Not only are they better for the environment, recyclable, and in some cases, compostable and vegan friendly, they are stylish and just as user-friendly as their less-green counterparts. 

It’s a simple way to decrease your company’s overall carbon footprint and become more sustainable. Here are a few of our favorite eco-friendly office supplies: 

Decomposition notebooks

Michael Roger has been family-owned and operated since 1949 making eco-friendly products including their popular decomposition notebooks, greeting cards, and sketchbooks. 

All notebooks are made in the USA with 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper and printed with soy ink. According to their website, Michael Roger’s “use of 100% PCW-recycled paper has saved the equivalent of nearly 40,000 trees, over sixteen million gallons of wastewater and thousands of tons of CO2 and solid waste” since they began. Now that is a notebook worth talking about! 

Bamboo pen

Don’t you just love a good pen? How about a bamboo one? The Earth Greetings Bamboo Pen comes with a bamboo body, refillable black ink, and a rubber grip for easy writing. You won’t want to lend this one to a co-worker—because you won’t be getting it back! 

When your pen runs out, take it with you to find the correct size for a refill and extend the life to prevent waste. It should be compatible with medium size ballpoint pen cartridges.

Plantable pencils

Pencils AND a plant all in one!? Talk about a two-for-one-special! Sprout pencils are the only original and patented seed pencils in the world—that’s right, when it’s too short to use for writing, you can plant this pencil and watch it grow into herbs, flowers, or even vegetables! 

Every aspect of Sprout pencils is 100% sustainable and non-toxic. The wood they use comes from fully sustainable forests, which means for every tree that is harvested to make the pencils, a new tree is planted.  

Grab a box of these for the office and hand them out to your co-workers. Then plant them in the kitchen or common areas together to watch your plants grow. They’ll be a great conversation starter and keep the office looking beautiful all year long.

Cork laptop case

Handcrafted in Hamburg, Germany, By COPALA makes laptop cases, pencil cases, totes, and more out of sustainable, vegan materials including cork, wood, leaves, and kraft paper. 

We especially love this cork laptop sleeve not only because it’s handmade, eco-friendly, compostable, and vegan, but it’s stylish and functional! The material is water-resistant to keep your laptop safe on those wet commutes, and the inside is covered with cotton to protect your laptop from the bumpy ones. 

It’s made for 13-14 inch notebooks and laptops, which is perfect for your standard MacBook but check out By COPALA’s Etsy page for more sizes and styles. And if you get a new laptop that doesn’t fit this sleeve anymore? Just cut out the magnetic lock and compost it! 

Corn plastic scissors

Eco-friendly notebooks and paper, sure. But scissors!? This brand, Onyx and Green, is on a mission to create school and office supplies made from recycled and low-impact materials. These scissors have stainless steel blades and the handles are made from corn plastic!

Recycled paper

On the off chance that you are still printing things (there is always that one shipping label, isn’t there?) it’s best to be using 100% recycled paper.

Nearly 40% of all paper collected for recycling in the United States is sent on a long journey overseas, remanufactured, and then sent back to the US—creating an enormous carbon footprint between gas, energy, and transportation. 

Unlike other recycled paper, Print Works recycled copy paper is remade in the USA (just 300 miles from the paper mill!) from recycled food and beverage containers and other paper-based printed materials. This significantly reduces the carbon footprint required to produce the paper, promoting a more sustainable manufacturing process. 

So if you’ve gotta print it, Print Works has your back.

Cork mousepad

This mouse pad is made entirely of Portuguese certified cork—an eco-friendly, vegan, natural material that is both sustainable and stylish. Add it to your home office or to the workplace to bring a little natural element to your desk. Your mouse will be happy you did!

What other eco-friendly supplies are you currently using or loving for your office? Re-share this article and let us know your ideas on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook!