Jotters, notepads, ballpoint pens and so much more – school pupils, apprentices and students consume a vast quantity of materials. Besides paper and card, this includes a lot of plastic which is derived from crude oil, a fossil fuel. Whoever wants to empower their customers to pack their school satchel sustainably needs to have environmentally friendly alternatives.
Paper use in Germany stands at more than 240 kilograms per person per year – a figure unparalleled amongst the industrialised and emerging nations of the G201. If you think about how the woodland required for German paper production equates to a total surface area the size of 40,000 football pitches, it becomes clear that there is an urgent need to save paper.
Much hope is being placed on digitalisation. However, as the coronavirus pandemic has shown, even if school is becoming increasingly digital, neither teachers nor pupils can work in an environment that is completely devoid of pencil and paper.
Paper in schools should be recycled and meet a certified quality standard. Consumers can orient themselves with the help of environmental labels such as "FSC Recycling", which is used worldwide, or "Der Blaue Engel" (The Blue Angel) and "ÖKOPAplus", which are awarded in Germany. Ecological paper alternatives such as grass paper are also conceivable. In addition, brick-and-mortar retailers can support schools and teachers in an advisory capacity, giving them tips such as using double-sided photocopying or laminated handouts that can be written on more than once, thereby enabling worksheets to be re-used.
When it comes to tools for writing, painting and drawing, it is primarily about using long-lasting products that, where feasible, can be refilled. Preference can be given to pens and paintbrushes made from wood and metal. The exception to the rule? Recycled plastic. In our throw-away culture, actually using up materials completely is also a really important factor. Traditional implements like pencil extenders can be especially useful here.
In order to extend their lives, expensive textbooks and workbooks are usually covered in plastic jackets or self-adhesive transparent film. At the same time, this could be done in a nearly plastic-free way with recycled wrapping paper and sticky tape. Admittedly, covering school materials in paper requires a bit of practice at first but it is worth the effort from a carbon footprint perspective.
In order to extend their lives, expensive textbooks and workbooks are usually covered in plastic jackets or self-adhesive transparent film. At the same time, this could be done in a nearly plastic-free way with recycled wrapping paper and sticky tape. Admittedly, covering school materials in paper requires a bit of practice at first but it is worth the effort from a carbon footprint perspective.
It is not only books and jotters that are wrapped up in schools, though; packed lunches and drinks also need to go in the school bag. Nowadays there are sustainable alternatives to plastic lunch boxes and bottles that even pre-schoolers and first graders can handle without difficulty. Besides lunch boxes and drinks bottles made of indestructible metal, reusable beeswax sheets and washable wrapper systems and sandwich bags have proven their worth in enabling school snacks to be packed in an eco-friendly way. It is even possible to make your own DIY versions of these.
Satchels, pencil cases and sports bags should, of course, not be left out of any conversation about environmentally-friendly materials for school supplies. Here too, the market is already offering models made of recycled – and even plastic-free – materials, such as those from German manufacturers like Ergobag, Step by Step, Superranzen or SchoolMood.
![[Translate to English:] Doreen Brumme](/fileadmin/_processed_/f/4/csm_Insights-X_Autor_DoreenBrumme_220x260_d3fe9eeb8c.jpg "[Translate to English:] Doreen Brumme")
About the Author
The freelance journalist, Doreen Brumme, a #motherof4 whose work focuses on organic issues, shares her thoughts on how to enjoy a green lifestyle at work, in school, and at home via her blog, doreenbrumme.de
