In this article, I am going to share with you all of my tips and recommendations about eco-friendly travel products!

Let’s face it – travel is awesome but also highly unsustainable. It’s certainly a time to experience new cultures, places, foods, and ways of living. But, between unsustainable transportation methods and single-use toiletries, it’s not exactly eco-friendly. Think about a long-haul flight – your carbon footprint is already huge before the vacation has even started.

Don’t beat yourself up though… this article is here to help!

The journey to sustainable travel is made of small steps and one of them could be switching to eco-friendly travel products. It doesn’t have to be a drastic shift – simple, gradual changes can go a long way.

The goal of this article is to share alternatives and information to help you choose the best available option.

Let’s get started!

Eco-friendly travel products

What are eco-friendly travel products? And why even switch to them?

Sustainable travel products have a lower impact on the environment and local communities alike.

Typically, they generate less waste or don’t use up as many resources. They also should reduce the amount of impactful pollutants dispersed in the ocean and environment.

When visiting new places, it’s easy to think that things “aren’t your issue” as you are not the one living there. But, as the world is connected and because all people and environments are equally important, actions that happen on the road are just as impactful as actions that happen at home.

A simple yet effective example

Say you’re traveling to a location where you do not intend to drink their local water. A simple option is to buy plastic bottles and make sure to recycle them. And that could work – but what if the area doesn’t have an efficient recycling system? What if all materials put aside are eventually thrown in with garbage?

Some communities, especially in developing and under-developed countries, don’t have the means to efficiently collect waste. It just lies on the side of the street for weeks until it’s transferred to the landfill or dumped in a river or the sea.

Even if your plastic bottles made it to the recycling plant, the process would require resources and, after several times, that plastic could not be recycled anymore. Either way, it ends up in the landfill or is dispersed in the environment, it’s just a matter of time.

By purchasing a reusable water bottle and filter, you are saving the communities you’re visiting from future recycling and/or disposal issues. You are also saving marine biodiversity from plastic waste and all that comes with it.

This is one of many examples of how a simple choice can benefit communities and wildlife.

How to choose eco-friendly travel products

If you’re trying to swap to more eco-friendly travel products for the first time, it may not be easy to choose. What’s really sustainable? What’s greenwashing? Where to start?

With all the products and brands out there, there’s no golden rule to help you buy the right stuff. But it’s important to think about what you buy, how it was made, what kind of impact it generates while you use it, and how it is disposed of.

Read on to find tips and recommendations to buy eco-friendly travel products that meet all of your needs and don’t harm the environment.

A quick disclaimer.

By no means do you have to cross every item off this list to be a responsible traveler. Some of these eco-friendly travel products may not be available everywhere, or accessible to everyone. That’s fine. Being sustainable doesn’t mean you’re 100% waste-free – no one is. But you’ll be hopefully inspired to be more mindful next time you need to buy travel items.

That being said, let’s take a look at what makes for an eco-friendly travel item!

Luggage

Everyone needs luggage to travel.

The most sustainable piece of luggage is one that you already have. If your backpack or suitcase is still usable, you don’t need to buy a new one. Simply let it run its course, and when it is time to replace it, choose an eco-friendly option.

You may look for ones that are made from recycled plastic. Even if it’s just partly recycled, any bit helps.

Or, if you want to avoid plastic altogether, there are many plastic-free luggage options. They are usually made from fabric or other innovative materials. Beware though – being plastic-free doesn’t necessarily make these products sustainable. You still have to consider how the materials were sourced. For example, did they use new fabric, or were the products made from scraps? If possible, buy a bag made out of scraps – it will cut down on both the amount of fabric being processed and the amount of fabric reaching the landfill.

Unfortunately, most of these alternatives are quite expensive and not affordable for many. If that’s the case, you could look for travel bags made out of natural fibers like cotton, jute, or hemp. Although the materials are not recycled, they are sustainable and eco-friendly.

Finally, if none of the options above suits you, buy the most durable luggage you can find whatever material it’s made from. The longer it lasts, the less waste is generated overall.

Extra tips when buying luggage

Avoid greenwashing – a product made from 1% recycled plastic can’t be considered sustainable. Read up on the brand and see just what “made from recycled materials” means to them. Big claims supported by little or no actual effort are just greenwashing.

Make sure a product is “fair trade” – if your natural fiber backpack was made from human exploitation, the backpack is still not sustainable. Look for companies certified as “fair trade” and, as always, do a little research into their practices.

Toiletries and skincare

Toiletries are another necessity while traveling. Unfortunately, as many travel with limited space, it is common to buy smaller sizes of products and replace them frequently. This leads to a lot of waste that could be avoided with minimal effort.

Here are a few alternatives and tips to keep in mind when it comes to sustainable and eco-friendly toiletry products.

Shampoo and soap

When buying shampoo, it’s important to think of packaging, ease of transport, and what chemicals are used to make the product.

As always, first use what shampoo and soap you already have – when it is time to purchase more, look for a sustainable option.

Using solid shampoo and soap bars is an excellent way to reduce plastic waste. They usually come in a paper box or wrap that’s much easier to recycle. Most solid shampoo and soap brands are environmentally conscious and their packaging is likely biodegradable or compostable.

As an added benefit, with a solid bar, you do not have to worry about pesky liquid limits when flying. And they are spill-free too, so no risk of making a mess of your luggage.

If you prefer using liquid soaps instead, it’s a good idea to refill and reuse the bottles you already have. This way, you reduce the amount of waste you generate.

Whether solid or liquid, make sure the shampoo or soap you buy doesn’t have harmful chemicals inside. This is especially important if you’re visiting a location without a water filtering and/or sewer system. In that case, sewer water is released directly into rivers or lakes and so are the chemicals coming from your shampoo and soap. A 100% natural product is the solution to keep both yourself and the environment clean.

Skincare

Choosing eco-friendly skincare has many of the same characteristics as choosing eco-friendly soaps and shampoos: use a solid product or reusable bottle and pick something without harmful ingredients.

With skincare being such a dominant industry, there are many brands out there with an eco-focus and it won’t be hard to find eco-friendly travel products that are both high-quality and easy to carry around.

It may be difficult to determine what products are sustainable by reading a list of ingredients you’ve never heard of before. As a start, you may look into ones that don’t use any substances from the EU-banned chemical list. This is one of the most comprehensive lists and has been compiled according to strict criteria.

In addition, look for brands committed to sustainability. This may imply using plastic-free or reusable packaging, offering to dispose of used makeup tubes when they are difficult to recycle, and using raw materials that are ethically sourced.

Sunscreen

Sunscreen is a must-have to protect your skin while on vacation. However, hundreds of those multicolor plastic tubes are found daily on the seashore or buried in the sand with devastating consequences for marine wildlife. What can we do then?

By now you know the drill. Use what you already have, then buy products with reusable or recyclable packaging to reduce your waste. For example, aluminum and glass are much better materials than plastic in terms of recyclability. Once all of your sunscreen is gone, make sure to properly dispose of the packaging.

When it comes to sunscreens, it’s important to remember that not all aspects of eco-friendliness are about waste management – direct impacts on the environment are just as important.

A huge number of products contain chemicals that cause coral bleaching and/or alter the marine ecosystem. When you go swimming, you involuntarily release them into the water.

Unfortunately, no sunscreen has zero impact as they are all foreign substances entering ecosystems where they’re not supposed to be. But, as you do have to wear sunscreen for your own health, make sure it has the least impact.

You can keep both your skin and the coral reefs safe by checking the labels and avoiding these 13 ingredients put together by the Haereticus Environmental Laboratory (HEL):

These are all known to disrupt reef environments.

This is to say that fully-recyclable packaging is great, but doesn’t necessarily make a sunscreen sustainable.

Bug repellents

Like with sunscreen, it’s important for bug repellents to not be harmful to the wearer or the environment. 

If possible, look for eco-friendly products with natural, non-toxic ingredients such as citronella, neem, tea tree oil, lavender, or eucalyptus.

You could also make your own bug repellent at home following one of the many recipes you can find online.

Toothbrush

Toothbrushes are not meant to last forever, so choose an option that is easily recyclable or made with sustainable materials. Unfortunately, this is not that easy as you can rarely find truly eco-friendly toothbrushes on store shelves. If that’s the case, you could try specialized stores or online.

There are many kinds of toothbrushes out there. Bamboo, plastic, electric, manual – the list goes on and on. Find what works for you, and do your research on how they are made and disposed of.

You may buy a durable plastic toothbrush with a replaceable head to minimize the waste you produce. Or, you could try biodegradable options made from bamboo fibers or other kinds of bio-plastic.

Be on the lookout for greenwashing though. Companies that are actually committed to sustainability back up their “eco-friendly” claims with evidence and details on how what makes their products eco-friendly, how they achieved that, and why it’s relevant.

If you see a bright green label on a product but there’s nothing else on the packaging or on the company’s website to justify it, it’s likely just marketing.

Toothpaste

Toothpaste comes in many forms. It’s important to think about the paste itself and the material it is contained in.

Most plastic tubes are not recyclable and will go right into the landfill. If there’s no better alternative, be sure to at least pick the largest size you can find and a paste that is natural and benefits your teeth.

A few brands have started selling toothpaste in glass or aluminum jars and even offer to take the packaging back once the product is gone. This is a great alternative but might not be the most practical when traveling by plane as some airlines don’t allow glass containers on board and the jars may even be above the 100ml (3.4 oz.) limit.

A good way around this is using toothpaste tablets. These pill-like tablets can be also held in a reusable glass or metal container, but don’t count as a liquid.

Finally, you can buy solid toothpaste that comes in paper packaging and brings the same benefits as solid shampoo and soap.

Clothing

An upcoming trip is for many people the occasion to go on a shopping spree and impulse buy new outfits and accessories.

Unfortunately, the fashion industry is one of the largest contributors to waste and pollution. Between fast fashion and poor factory policies, there are many aspects of the clothing industry that are less than sustainable.

It can be hard to find both sustainable and affordable clothing, but it’s not impossible and you don’t have to fill your wardrobe in one go. Keep wearing the clothes you already have and gradually replace them with more sustainable options.

In addition, when it comes to sustainability, less is more. Rather than buying dozens of fast fashion items that wear out very quickly, choose fewer high-quality and versatile clothes that can be mixed and matched to create many different outfits.

Last but not least, buying second-hand is always a sustainable option both for the environment and your pockets.

When buying clothing, some of the factors to look out for include:

Environmental impact of materials used

Amount of recycled fibers used

Material certifications

Labor

Environmental impact of materials used

When possible, find out who manufactures the clothing. How much waste do they produce, and where do they dump it? How energy efficient are they?

But more importantly – and more easily to know – find out what material the clothing is made from. Synthetic fabrics like polyester, nylon, and Lycra are all essentially made from plastics.

When these materials are washed, millions of microplastics are released into the wastewater system and later into rivers and oceans. Try to avoid these fabrics and prefer natural ones such as cotton or linen instead.

If you already own lots of synthetic fabric clothes or sustainable alternatives are too expensive, you could buy specific washing bags able to filter the microplastics released from the clothes.

Amount of recycled fibers used

Be on the lookout for clothing made with high amounts of recycled fibers. When clothing is recycled, the amount of waste and energy produced is lessened.

Material certifications

Sustainability certifications guarantee that the entire supply and production chain of the product you’re buying is in compliance with environmental and social sustainability standards.

Each certification emphasizes specific criteria, but they are all grounded on the same principles of sustainability. For example, if an item is labeled USDA Organic or is GOTS Certified, you can know that the clothing has been third-party certified to be organic. The BCI Certification, instead, is more about water consumption and the use of pesticides while the FSC Certification focuses on deforestation and fair working conditions.

Certifications alone are not enough though. Too often they’re used as a tool for greenwashing.

Big names in the fast fashion industry have been launching “eco-friendly” collections to appeal to conscious buyers. However, if that’s not paired with a broader strategy to gradually offset their negative impacts or improve the working conditions of their suppliers, there is a chance it’s just greenwashing.

Labor

As always when buying clothing, ask yourself this question: who made this?

Many companies utilize overseas production to churn out the highest volumes of clothing at the lowest price. Oftentimes, these low prices come at the cost of hazardous working conditions and terrible pay for garment workers.

A 100% organic cotton shirt that is made with slave labor is still not sustainable.

Be sure to research where the clothing you’re looking to buy is made. If any shady practices are involved, shop elsewhere.

Miscellaneous items

There are other eco-friendly travel products out there that you may find useful. Some of them are quite obvious, others might not necessarily be used daily, but are important nonetheless.

Reusable bottle

Reusable bottles are an excellent way to create less waste and save money. Buying one bottle has an up-front cost, but it is quite cheap in the long run because you don’t have to keep buying plastic bottles everywhere you go.

Buy a bottle that is durable and will last a long time before you need to buy a new one. Bonus points if the company you buy it from is carbon neutral, uses recycled materials, or has other sustainable practices in place.

Pay attention to the quality of the materials as well and search for a bottle that’s safe to use and BPA-free.

If you’re traveling to a place where tap water is safe to drink, just refill your bottle before leaving your accommodation or ask cafes and restaurants to do it for you. A lot of cities have installed water stations where you can get water for free or a few cents. Apps like Tap will help you find such stations, so it’s a good idea to download them in advance.

Lunch items

We all need to eat but also make sure single-use plastic doesn’t have a seat at our table.

It can be tricky to find eco-friendly eateries and stores while on the road. That’s why it’s convenient to bring your own lunch box and cutlery – you could cook your own food and save money at the same time, or ask street food vendors to put food in the lunch box rather than a single-use container.

Lunch boxes are also a simple yet effective way to reduce food waste.

Bamboo cutlery is a great option for those looking to carry eating utensils. They are 100% biodegradable and sturdy, so you will get a lot of use out of them before it’s time for them to be replaced.

Just like for the water bottles, make sure your lunch box and cutlery are high-quality and food-safe.

Solar chargers

This may not be for everyone, but it’s still worth mentioning.

If you are outdoors often or are away from areas with electricity, it could be useful to bring your own source of power. Portable solar panels have become the most popular choice to recharge your devices while hiking and reduce your carbon footprint.

Weigh the pros and cons, though. While renewable energy is extremely sustainable, solar panels are not exactly eco-friendly travel products in themselves – they are made of diverse materials that can rarely be reused or recycled.

so, before buying a solar charger, ask yourself how frequently you’re going to use it. If it’s not enough to offset the impact of the charger itself, then it may be better not to buy it in the first place.

Eco-friendly packing cubes

Packing lightly is key to reducing our carbon emissions, but even the most dedicated minimalists may have a hard time fitting everything in their bags every now and then.

Using packing cubes is an amazing way for travelers to save space and separate clean clothes from dirty ones.

Rather than using plastic bags, invest in reusable packing cubes that you can wash and reuse over and over again.

Eco-friendly packing list

To recap all the sustainable travel essentials highlighted in this article, here’s a packing list you may find useful for your next trip.

Eco-friendly packing list:

Eco-friendly suitcase

Sustainable toiletries

Solid shampoo and soap

Eco-friendly skin care products

Reef-safe sunscreen

Natural bug repellent

Eco-friendly toothbrush and toothpaste

Sustainable clothing

Miscellaneous items

Reusable bottle

Zero-waste lunch items

Solar chargers

Eco-friendly packing cubes

Final Thoughts

That’s all for now! As you can see, it takes a few simple swaps to make your luggage more sustainable.

Many of these eco-friendly travel products, such as solid shampoo and reusable water bottles, could (and should) be used in your everyday life even when you’re not traveling. The initial investment will be even more worth it.

Remember, sustainability isn’t something that happens overnight – it is an accumulation of small steps that over time have the ability to create lasting change. Just start somewhere and, before you know it, you’ll be making more conscious choices that go well beyond packing for a trip.

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