Having a more eco-friendly home starts with sustainable kitchen products. From plastic bags to disposable cups and towels, our kitchens can create a ton of waste. Use this list of eco-friendly kitchen accessories to inspire your home’s journey towards sustainability.
The motto “reduce, reuse, and recycle” is taught to us at an early age, but putting it into practice takes some work. Luckily today’s sustainable alternatives are easy to find, easy to use, and almost always save you money in the long run.
Sustainable Kitchen Products for a More Eco-Friendly Home
Eco-friendly kitchen products are changing the game of sustainability in the home. Simple things like wax wraps and silicone snack bags can eliminate the vast majority of single-use plastics needed for storing food. The list doesn’t stop there as we have found products to eliminate paper towels, straws, grocery bags, and even reduce your water usage.
Check out the list below of the best sustainable kitchen products on the market.
- Paperless Paper Towels
- Digital Food Scale Made from Sustainable Bamboo
- Reusable Wax Food Wraps
- Food Huggers
- Reusable Silicone Food Bag
- Clear Glass Jars
- Glass Storage Containers
- Reusable Produce Bags
- Linen Bread Bags
- Reusable Beverage Containers
- Mesh Pour-over Coffee Maker
- Sparkling Water Maker
- Traveling Utensil Set
- Sustainable Dish Soaps
- Dish Scrubber
- Dishwasher Detergent Pods
- Compost Bin
- Reusable Straws
- Non-Stick Baking Mats
- Reusable Pastry Bags
What Are Green Appliances?
Eco-friendly appliances like refrigerators and dishwashers are able to use less water and energy throughout the day which creates less waste. When searching for these green kitchen appliances keep an eye out for the Energy-Star seal, or a label that states it was made from recycled materials. The more efficient the eco appliance, the less water and energy it will use.
Which Kitchen Materials Are Eco-Friendly?
Eco-friendly kitchen accessories are usually made from sustainable materials instead of plastics or other non-recyclable materials. If it’s recycled plastic, however, it may still fall into the category of eco kitchen products. In most cases the best materials to seek out for sustainable kitchen goods are as follows.
- Bamboo
- Birch plywood
- Reclaimed timber
- Recycled Plastic
20 Ideas for Eco Friendly Kitchen Products
Paperless Paper Towels
The best way to start your sustainability makeover is by eliminating single use products. Paper towels can be swapped for reusable cloths that will not only save trees, but look great doing it. They can be found in all sorts of patterns and colors to compliment your kitchen aesthetic.
- Eco-Friendly Impact: Reduces Paper Waste
- Price Range: $15 – $25
- Eco-Friendly Impact: Reduces Single Use Consumption
- Price Range: $5 – $10
Digital Food Scale Made from Sustainable Bamboo
Using a digital scale and a bowl instead of several measuring cups can reduce the amount of water used during clean-up – making every recipe a bit more eco friendly. Add to that with a scale made from sustainable bamboo and you have a truly green small kitchen appliance.
- Eco-Friendly Impact: Reduces Kitchen Water Consumption
- Price Range: $30 – $40
Reusable Wax Food Wraps
An alternative to the plastic cling wrap used to cover up foods is a cotton and beeswax paper that is easy to clean and super eco friendly. You can also make them at home with a bit of beeswax, tree resin, and a scrap of cloth. They are reusable for up to a year and completely biodegradable after that.
- Eco-Friendly Impact: Eliminates the Need for Plastic Wrap
- Price Range: $5 – $10
Food Huggers
As the name suggests these are flexible silicone pieces designed to fit around your cut fruits or veggies so they don’t go to waste. Certainly a top 5 in eco friendly appliances just for being shaped like half avocados and lemons to make your lunch of leftovers just a bit more fun.
- Eco-Friendly Impact: Reduces Food Waste
- Price Range: $10 – $25
Reusable Silicone Food Bag
The ideal replacement for sandwich bags are these airtight reusable storage bags. They are durable enough to be put in the freezer, microwave, or even boiling water for easy sous-vide cooking. They come in a variety of sizes and styles to fit your kitchen needs.
- Eco-Friendly Impact: Replaces Plastic Storage Bags
- Price Range: $5 – $15
Clear Glass Jars
The best non plastic alternative to food storage are solid glass jars. They come in a variety of styles from the classic mason jar to the latched glass container. They are widely available, easy to clean, and look great while storing your dry goods on the shelf. While they don’t stack as nicely as tupperware, you won’t have to worry about not finding the lids when you need them.
- Eco-Friendly Impact: Replaces Plastic Containers
- Price Range: $3 – $13
Glass Storage Containers
Similar to glass jars, these containers will eliminate your need for plastic while also adding a few benefits of their own. Unlike your normal tupperware, these containers can be used to cook in the oven, minus the lids of course. They can also be put through countless microwaves and dishwashers without breaking down and leaking chemicals into your foods like plastic will.
- Eco-Friendly Impact: Reduces Plastic Usage
- Price Range: $8 – $28
Reusable Produce Bags
While you may have eliminated most plastic bags by bringing your own cloth shopping bag, you still need to bundle all those loose veggies and fruit in something. Instead of the provided thin plastic bags try a reusable produce bag. They are lightweight and breathable keeping all your produce as fresh as possible from the store to your fridge.
- Eco-Friendly Impact: Reduces Single Use Plastic Waste
- Price Range: $10 – $20
Linen Bread Bags
Similar to produce bags but these are made with a tighter weave that make them ideal for buying bulk items like beans and rice. Keep these in with your reusable grocery bags to eliminate just one more single use plastic from your shopping trip. They are less common than other bag varieties but you should be able to find them at your local home goods store.
- Eco-Friendly Impact: Reduces Single Use Plastic Bags
- Price Range: $10 – $20
Reusable Beverage Containers
Eliminate the need for single use cups wherever you get your coffee by carrying around a reusable coffee cup. There are a few styles that are collapsible and fit easily into your bag or glovebox. Others have more sturdy designs that can keep a beverage hot or cold all day long.
- Eco-Friendly Impact: Eliminates Single Use Cups and Bottles
- Price Range: $15 – $25
Mesh Pour-over Coffee Maker
After cutting out your single-use coffee cups take a look at another environmentally friendly kitchen product to elevate your coffee’s sustainability. You can eliminate coffee filters and Keurig pods by switching to a mesh pour-over coffee maker. The mesh is fine enough to catch all the coffee grounds of a normal filter, but without the waste. Use your scale to get coffee measurements just right.
- Eco-Friendly Impact: Eliminates waste from coffee filters and pods
- Price Range: $10 – $20
Sparkling Water Maker
If coffee isn’t your beverage of choice and you find yourself cracking cans of soda more often, then this may be the solution for you. While aluminum cans are highly recyclable, the printed cardboard packaging they come in is less so. You can cut down on all that waste by investing in eco kitchen appliances like the soda-machine and make your favorite drinks right in your home.
- Eco-Friendly Impact: Reduces Waste from Cans and Packaging
- Price Range: $200 – $250
Traveling Utensil Set
Carrying your own small set of utensils can help cut down your waste each time you stop in at a local food truck. It’s a small thing to remember as you’re going out but it can save a lot of plastic forks and knives over the years. To double down on your sustainability try to find utensils made from eco-friendly materials like bamboo or recycled plastic.
- Eco-Friendly Impact: Reduces Single Use Plastic Consumption
- Price Range: $10 – $15
Sustainable Dish Soaps
The variety of soaps you use may not be creating more waste, but their various chemicals are washing right down the drain and into our lakes and streams. It’s important to make sure that everything that goes down the drain is completely biodegradable. You can keep your rivers as clean as your pans by switching to an eco-friendly dish soap.
- Eco-Friendly Impact: Prevents Pollutants from Entering Waterways
- Price Range: $5 – $10
Dish Scrubber
One well-crafted dish scrubber can replace a year’s worth of disposable sponges. Find one with a handle made with reclaimed wood and you’ll have doubled your sustainability all while making cleaning easier. You can pair a good scrubber with a soap bar to further eliminate the plastic waste created by traditional soap bottles.
- Eco-Friendly Impact: Reduces Waste from Disposable Cleaning Products
- Price Range: $5 – $10
Dishwasher Detergent Pods
Dishwasher detergent typically comes with a hefty amount of plastic that gets thrown away each month or so when you need a new bottle. Switching to pods swaps all that plastic for a recyclable box of biodegradable pods. The coating around the pods will break down in your dishwasher, making it one of the most ethical kitchen appliances.
- Eco-Friendly Impact: Eliminates Plastic Waste
- Price Range: $15 – $25
Compost Bin
Composting can be difficult if you live in the city or any area where it isn’t a part of your regular waste pickup. If you can make it a part of your life there are numerous benefits not only to your garden but also your home’s carbon footprint. There are compost bins that hang off the side of your trash make it easier to switch to composting. There are also bins that sit in the door of the freezer to eliminate any foul smells.
- Eco-Friendly Impact: Recycles Food Waste
- Price Range: $15 – $50
Non-Stick Baking Mats
You can eliminate the need for aluminum foil and parchment paper by investing in alternative cooking appliances like the baking mat. They are made with a fiberglass mesh and food grade silicone that can go from the freezer to a 500 degree oven with no issue. Since they are non-stick you also eliminate the need for greasing the pan which makes each meal just a bit healthier.
- Eco-Friendly Impact: Replaces aluminum foil and parchment paper
- Price Range: $10 – $20
Reusable Pastry Bags
Replacing your piping bags with a sustainable and reusable set is sure to be the last time you’ll need to buy new bags. Their nylon construction works well with both hot and cold foods and is conveniently dishwasher safe. From deviled eggs and dough to icing the cake, you never want to be without a pastry bag.
- Eco-Friendly Impact: Eliminates Single Use Plastic Bags
- Price Range: $20 – $30
Explore Escali’s Eco-Friendly Kitchen Accessories
The road toward a sustainable kitchen is long but lined with lots of fun alternative cooking appliances. Whether you start with a cloth bag or jump right into the best eco-friendly appliances like bamboo kitchen scales, there is no wrong way to go about it.
Escali is committed to sustainability with products like our bamboo kitchen and bath scales, as well as through our eco-friendly packaging. Check out more unique items like this in our new fathers day gift guide for all the conservationist dads out there.