Explore the Outdoors: 11 Sustainable Backpack Brands

AEVOR demonstrates a commitment to sustainability by utilizing fabrics with 50% to 100% recycled PET bottle content for their packs and bags, ensuring both eco-friendliness and style for an active lifestyle. As a Fair Wear Leader and bluesign® system partner, the brand actively pursues fair working conditions and chemical safety in production, aiming to minimize environmental impact.

Cancha demonstrates a commitment to sustainability by being a proud member of 1% for the Planet, pledging 1% of gross sales to environmental preservation and restoration. The brand is Climate Neutral Certified, having measured and offset its annual emissions, and works with Bluesign Certified suppliers to ensure responsible sourcing of materials and fair labor practices. Additionally, Cancha supports 'Serving Up Hope', a non-profit for underprivileged children.

Lefrik integrates sustainability into its product lifecycle, creating durable and functional backpacks, bags, and accessories from recycled plastic bottles, certified by the Global Recycled Standard, and ensuring ethical manufacturing through SEDEX-audited facilities. The brand is committed to transparency, sharing annual reports on their supply chain and joining the "1% for the Planet" network. With a PETA-approved vegan certification and a focus on timeless design, Lefrik emphasizes quality, traceability, and a goal towards a circular economy, offering a 5-year warranty to support product longevity and reduce waste.

LIMÓN crafts backpacks using recycled PET bottles, aiming for longevity and minimal environmental impact, evidenced by their water-resistant, durable, and lightweight designs. The brand offers a reclaim option to prevent their bags from ending up in landfills. Certified by Global Recycling Standards, LIMÓN's approach ensures that their products, like the Okapi backpack made from 29 recycled bottles, meet stringent sustainability and environmental criteria throughout their lifecycle.

Ortlieb emphasizes genuine sustainability, integrating environmentally conscious practices into its product lifecycle, including in-house manufacturing in Germany to ensure quality control and minimal emissions. The company's commitment to durability is evident through a repair-before-replace ethos, with products designed for longevity and a repair service that handles over 18,000 items annually. Additionally, Ortlieb is actively reducing its carbon footprint, aiming for 100% self-generated renewable energy by 2025 and striving for transparent communication of its environmental impact, aligning with UN sustainability goals.

Sandqvist is committed to sustainability, focusing on the environment, responsible sourcing, and fair working conditions. The brand prioritizes the use of recycled and environmentally-friendly materials and is part of the Swedish Textile Initiative for Climate Action, aiming to halve carbon emissions by 2030. Sandqvist emphasizes product longevity, offering repair services. Furthermore, the company ensures fair labor practices in its supply chain, supported by the Fair Wear Foundation, and seeks to minimize water pollution and chemical use in production.

Terra Thread offers a range of bags and apparel crafted from 100% organic cotton canvas, supporting smallholder and tribal families in India. Their products are Fairtrade Certified Organic Cotton, ensuring fair prices and safe working conditions for farmers, and are made in a Fair Trade USA Certified Factory, promoting ethical labor practices. The brand is committed to environmental stewardship, offering carbon-neutral products and contributing to projects that reduce carbon emissions, while also giving back to the community through partnerships with food security initiatives.

Théla crafts premium fashion and lifestyle accessories from discarded plastic, adopting a circular, zero-waste approach that diverts waste from landfills and oceans. Their handcrafted products are vegan, ethically made, and packaged without plastic, reflecting a commitment to environmental and social sustainability through partnerships with fair trade tailoring units and traditional craft communities. Théla's transparent practices are geared towards empowering consumers with sustainable choices, supporting artisan communities, and minimizing environmental impact without the use of new plastics or toxic chemicals.

Ucon Acrobatics is committed to sustainable practices, focusing on material innovation and ethical manufacturing. They have developed the 'Lotus Infinity' material, 'PUrTEX∞', which is durable and made primarily from recycled textiles, reducing CO2e emissions, energy, and water usage. Partnering with organizations like Ecologi and Plastic Fischer, Ucon Acrobatics plants trees and collects river plastic. Their manufacturing processes in China prioritize fair wages and aim to reduce overtime work, while their dope dyeing technique for textiles significantly cuts down on water and chemical usage.