10 Sustainable School Supplies That Help Reduce Waste

Back-to-school season is officially upon us. As retailers across the country set up their displays, you can't walk through any

chain store without seeing walls lined with brand-new

backpacks and aisle upon aisle of shiny pens and cute notebooks.

With all these options available, it may feel overwhelming to pick the school supplies you actually need. It can also be really hard to find sustainable options at big-box stores. So if you're trying to have a more

eco-friendly school year, we've got you covered.

You may think that a bag made out of paper would disintegrate after a couple of uses, but this backpack will prove you wrong. With wide, durable cotton straps and a body made of Supernatural Paper (which is crafted from tree cellulose!), you can feel good about flaunting this stylish bag on campus.

This isn't a regular notebook. It's made of high-quality, sustainable, and recyclable stone paper (yes, stone!), has an expandable back pocket and divider ribbon, and a waterproof cover and pages. Aka no coffee spills will never ruin your day.

Pack school lunches in this reusable lunch bag that's made with washable paper. The Supernatural Paper, which is sourced from responsibly-managed forests, has the look and feel of leather despite being 100% vegan.

Back up lunches the eco-friendly way by swapping single-use plastic baggies for this reusable silicone option.

This organic cotton pencil case is both Fairtrade Certified and Carbon Neutral. Use it for pens and pencils, makeup, and beyond.

This perfectly portable collapsible cup makes it easy to ditch single-use plastic options. It can be used for coffee, smoothies—whatever your heart desires. Plus, it can be easily collapsed and stored in your bag when it's not in use.

These decomposition books are great for all your note-taking and journaling needs. Decomposition's notebooks are made of 100% post-consumer-waste recycled plastic and feature a sewn binding. Not to mention, they come in a wide array of gorgeous designs.

This may look like your typical notebook, but it's actually anything but. Rocketbook's Core notebook is one of the coolest school supplies. The digital notebook is endlessly reusable and connects to all your favorite cloud services, so you'll have access to your notes anytime and anywhere.

With all those long days in class and hours doing extracurriculars, it doesn't hurt to carry a portable charger in your bag. This one by CHAMP is ultra-compact, works with just about every device, and is made with 72.5% post-consumer plastic for a more eco-friendly charge.

Everybody makes mistakes. But with these erasers from Onyx + Green, you might not even feel so bad about making them. They're made from recycled rubber and come with a paper sleeve for gripping, so you can get rid of even the biggest errors.