Back-to-School Shopping Beyond Amazon

Back-to-school shopping has unfortunately turned into a seasonal shopping spree. With back-to-school sales, summer Prime Days, and new styles every month, we’re prone to replacing perfectly usable items in favor of what’s shiny and new.

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And the poster child of convenience, Amazon, is making it easier to do so. Ordering in a few clicks, expedited shipping, and receiving a neatly packaged box at your doorstep — it's hard not to default to Amazon for everything, including back-to-school supplies.

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But these yearly back-to-school hauls aren’t just hard on our wallets, but the planet too. A more sustainable alternative is to use what you already have, even if it needs to be repaired.

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Still need a few things? You don’t have to rely on Amazon to get them. There are sustainable and wallet-friendly options for school supplies that help you skip Amazon, align your money with your morals, and connect with your community, too.

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Secondhand Options

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Buying secondhand is a smart way to give products a second life, cut down on waste, and save resources. You can pick up used books, backpacks, lunch boxes, reusable water bottles, and pencil pouches at thrift stores. You can also find pre-loved clothes, refurbished electronics, and gently worn shoes secondhand. Even if you can’t visit a thrift store in person, there are plenty of online thrift options that make it easy to thrift from home. You can also use Buy Nothing Groups to ask your neighbors for stuff that their kids might have outgrown. It’s a sustainable way to get stuff for free.

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Swap Parties

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Instead of buying everything new each year, facilitate a swap with other families in your neighborhood or school. If the word gets around, you could do a swap every season. Swap parties, especially with kids, might sound overwhelming at first. But with some planning and a more methodical approach, it could become manageable. We wrote a step-by-step guide on How to Host a Successful Clothing Swap, which can work perfectly for school supplies too.

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For new sustainable school gear and supplies, here’s what we recommend:

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EarthHero

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EarthHero is an online marketplace for sustainable consumer products. It has an entire section dedicated to sustainable school supplies. You’ll find products like notebooks made from recycled paper and soy ink, watercolor paints and crayons made from food-grade pigments, and retractable pens made from recycled, plant-based, and sustainably harvested materials.

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Zero Waste Store

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Bamboo rulers, plant-based liquid glue, plantable colored pencils, and recyclable sticky notes — these are some of the sustainable back-to-school supplies that you can find at Zero Waste Store. You’ll also find stainless steel food containers to replace those plastic sandwich bags. If you are looking for a pencil case, check out the Batai pencil bag that is made from 100% Fairtrade Certified organic cotton.

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Backpacks

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These brands make backpacks from sustainable materials, help you repair your existing bags, and even take them back at the end of their life.

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Terra Thread

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From full-sized school bags to the compact Zem Mini, every backpack from Terra Thread is designed to be functional, durable, and sustainable. The brand uses 100% organic cotton canvas grown by smallholder farmers in India. All of its bags are made in Fair Trade Certified™ factories that ensure safe conditions and fair treatment for workers.

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Topo Designs‍

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Topo Designs’ Light Pack is a versatile everyday, everywhere bag made with the planet in mind. The brand uses sustainable materials like GOTS-certified organic cotton and 100% recycled nylon. Every bag comes with a lifetime warranty, repair services, and care guides to help you keep your gear going strong for years.

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Cotopaxi

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From a drawstring bag to a 30L Daypack, Cotopaxi has a colorful backpack for every need. Its one of a kind backpacks are made from excess fabric, which comes from leftover deadstock fabric. Cotopaxi also has a repair program, offers a lifetime warranty, and has a take-back program that accepts its own brand's items for resale.

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Lunchboxes and Water Bottles

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These brands offer a range of reusable drinkware and food containers made from high-quality, food-grade stainless steel, ideal for your kids.

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Klean Kanteen

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Klean Kanteen’s food boxes and canisters are crafted from recycled steel, making them an excellent replacement for single-use plastic boxes. Do check out its plastic-free water bottle that uses just three materials: sustainably harvested bamboo, 90% post-consumer recycled stainless steel, and food-grade silicone.

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Check out Klean Kanteen->

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BEABA

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BEABA's Stainless Steel Lunch Box provides a sustainable, plastic-free alternative for your kid's meals. Featuring practical, removable silicone dividers, the lunch box allows you to customize portions and separate different foods — perfect for creating nutritious, varied meals for your little ones. Crafted from high-quality, durable stainless steel, it is both dishwasher and freezer safe for convenient everyday use.

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Check out BEABA→

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Takeya

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Takeya Actives Kids Water Bottle is made from food-grade stainless steel. Its double wall design helps to keep drinks cold, and it comes with a straw lid that is leak-proof when folded — allows for one-handed drinking & won't pop off if dropped. From the classroom to the playground, this bottle would make sure that your kid stays hydrated.

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Check out Takeya→

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Laptops and Other Tech

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If you are planning to buy tablets or laptops for your kids, you can buy them secondhand as well from these marketplaces:

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Back Market

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A marketplace for refurbished devices, Back Market offers used electronic gadgets from a variety of brands. These gadgets come with a free 30-day return and 1-year warranty. Every device also undergoes a factory data reset before sale.

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Swappa

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A marketplace for refurbished electronics, Swappa operates with a peer-to-peer model where you buy devices directly from sellers. Every listing must meet Swappa's strict quality standards, ensuring you get reliable refurbished electronics like laptops.

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eBay

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A quick search for laptops would give you thousands of listings on eBay. Using the extensive filtering options, you can find a device that matches your needs — whether it's storage capacity, price range, or condition. You can also check seller ratings to ensure you're buying from a reliable source.

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Here are some other online marketplaces where you can buy refurbished tech: 9 Top Sites for Refurbished Tech

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Need sustainable clothing or footwear for your kids? Explore these helpful guides:

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• 5 Sustainable Shoe Brands for Kids on the Move
• 7 Affordable Alternatives to Fast Fashion
• 5 Sustainable Uniqlo Alternatives

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