Phoebe Smith | 06 November 2019
16 of the best eco-friendly travel product essentials
It's time to consider investing in kit that won’t (quite literally) cost the earth. Here are some of the latest eco-friendly options, including clothing, luggage and essential accessories...
The best environmentally-friendly clothing
1. Patagonia Down With It Jacket, £210
Stay warm and cosy with this 700-fill (toasty) duvet jacket made from 100% recycled down, with a 100% recycled polyester shell.
There are snug pockets, a removable hood, and an internal pouch for valuables.
2. Columbia Eco Tech Shell, £180
Made from 100% recycled polyester – both inside and out – this waterproof uses no harmful PFCs in its water-repellent technology.
There's no water to colour it either (saving 13 gallons per jacket).
3. Kathmandu Earthcolours Pullover, £59.99
Made from 12 recycled plastic bottles (39%) with partly recycled trim (38%), this cosy hoodie is also woven from responsibly grown, sustainable cotton.
The colour has good green credentials too. It’s dyed with traceable ‘Earthcolours’, which are made in Barcelona (so a lower carbon footprint for Brits) from agricultural waste – think nut shells, leaves and veg.
Perfect for keeping you warm on a chilly plane.
4. Craghoppers Corey V Half Zip, £35
Fleece is a great fabric for a midlayer – it’s inexpensive, warm and lightweight – but being made from polyester doesn’t make it feel like an enviro-conscious choice.
This particular offering helps appease your worries as it’s made from 100% recycled plastic bottles, has minimal trims, and the half zip allows for easy ventilation.
5. Paramo Cascada II, £155
No harmful PFCs or pollutants are used or produced when making these trousers.
There are no membranes or taped seams to break down, just eco-friendly Nikwax Analogy technology which moves any water away from you – so no need for waterproof overtrousers.
Plus, all company operations are offset with the World Land Trust.
6. Mammut bioRe Cotton T-shirt, £35
The entire manufacturing chain of these tops is traceable – from the organic cotton farms in India and Africa (which use 91% less water) to the fair-trade spinning yarns.
Every tee marked bioRe is carbon neutral, too.
The best environmentally-friendly luggage
7. Lowe Alpine Bag for Life, £6.50
Great for folding up in your luggage and using at local markets, the Bag for Life is made from fabric offcuts from the backpack maker.
With each bag sold, 50p goes to helping young people access the outdoors.
8. Samsonite Spark SNG Eco, £195
This bag’s casing is engineered from 100% recycled plastic bottles, with trims made from sustainable cork.
It’s also durable, has multi- directional wheels, and a double tube extendable handle.
The best environmentally-friendly drinks bottles and straws
9. Ecostrawz Bamboo, £3.99 (pack of four)
Refuse the straw in your iced coffee or cocktail and use one of these compostable and biodegradable numbers instead.
They are sourced from sustainable bamboo forests and are reusable and durable too.
10. Light My Fire Eat 'N' Drink Kit Bio, £30
We all know we should say no to single-use plastics, and when we travel that means taking our own spork (knife, fork, spoon combi) and reusable cup.
But this Swedish gear company has gone one better: their products are made using pioneering bio-based material created from waste wood fibres, sugarcane and GMO-free corn.
11. LifeStraw Go Bottle, £50
This water bottle is not only free of nasty BPA chemicals, but also features an excellent two-part filter inside. It removes bacteria, parasites, and now microplastics and pesticides too.
The bottle is lightweight (222g), and its microbiological filter lasts for up to five years – or 4,000 litres. Stay safe and reduce landfill, wherever you may go.
The best environmentally-friendly footwear
12. Keen x Sherpa, Innate, £140
This PFC-free waterproof walking boot is made from sustainable and enviro-certified leather. Plus, £15 from each sale goes to charity Room to Read – helping children in developing countries learn to read and write. Keenfootwear.com
13. Aku Bellamont Plus, £164.90
The first ever footwear to be given an Environmental Product Declaration. The leather is tanned without chrome chemicals, and the shoe is made from recycled rubber, bamboo and coconut fibre. aku.it/en
14. Temko Off Road, £25.90
Now you can be green from head to toe with these well-cushioned, seamless and ventilated socks made from 100% recycled material – namely commercial fishing nets. The dyes are carefully regulated (no allergens, carcinogens or formaldehyde here), and all materials and products are shipped rather than flown. tekoforlife.co.uk
The best environmentally-friendly specialist kit
15. Picture Organic Oskana, £260
Did you know that wetsuits and swimwear are made from synthetic rubber (lycra or neoprene) which is derived from petrol and takes hundreds of years to break down?
This company has developed its own swimwear made with EicoPrene – an eco-friendly alternative using recycled polyester and special ‘green’ glue.
16. Mountain Hardwear Lamina Eco AF, £230
You can hardly fail to notice this sleeping bag’s colour – or lack thereof – but did you know that the dying process uses hundreds of litres of water per item, and flushes harmful chemicals into the water system?
Not so with this white – or rather green – number. The synthetic insulation is made from 70% recycled nylon, while the lining and outer fabric are 100% recycled – and all of the trimmings are at least 30% recycled.
Even the water-repellent coating is free from environmentally unfriendly PFCs.
