Ultimate Guide To UK Ethical Backpacks & Rucksacks
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Here are the best ethical and sustainable backpacks and rucksacks for men, women and children available in the UK right now. Whether you’re looking for something for work, school, leisure or travel, I’ve got you covered.
Whether you’re looking to explore the great outdoors, are planning some travels, or just want something practical to carry around your laptop, a backpack wins hands down. When it comes to functionality, durability, versatility and style, there’s nothing else that quite hits the mark.
However, picking the right backpack can be tricky. With so many choices, it can be overwhelming. Throw in ethical considerations, and it can be difficult to know where to start.
To help you out, I’ve put together my top choice for ethical backpacks. From vegan-friendly rucksacks to bags made out of recycled materials, and backpacks for kids, I’ll help you narrow down the right bag for you.
The UK Ethical & Sustainable Backpack Brands
Ready to learn more about my favourite environmentally-friendly backpack brands? Let’s go:
Passenger
Passenger’s range of backpacks (from £60 – £120 ) are a great sustainable choice for overnight trips or outdoor adventures. With options between 18 and 30 litre capacity bags, you’ll be sure to find the right one for you.
What makes Passenger ethical? This British brand makes all of its bags from recycled fabrics. This includes recycled polyester, recycled nylon and deadstock fabrics.
Its bags are also fully vegan-friendly and are all PFC-free. This means they avoid the toxic “forever chemicals” often used to make outdoor gear water-repellent. Instead, you get water resistance without causing harm to the environment.
Get 10% off your first order when you join the Passenger mailing list.
Roka
For everyday use, Roka’s roll-top backpacks have become pretty ubiquitous, and for good reason. They’re made from recycled plastic bottles – around 12 to 15 per bag – and designed for everyday use.
Priced between £54.95 and £84.95, its backpacks are practical, weather-resistant, and durable. They come in a wide range of colours and sizes, from small everyday bags to medium and large bags suitable for overnight trips. Each features a roll-top opening, adjustable straps, a lightly padded laptop section and a discreet pocket for valuables.
My top tip is to read the sizing info carefully and think about what you are going to use it for. My partner bought me a medium-sized Roka rucksack for Christmas a couple of years ago. I find it’s a good size for days out or an overnight trip, but not so good for more than a night away. The small will be too little for a laptop or for nights away.
Stubble & Co.
Stubble & Co is another ethical and sustainable backpack brand worth bearing in mind. This certified B-Corp (a company certified for high social and environmental standards, accountability and transparency), designs its bags to be repairable, offering a free repair service for UK customers.
There’s a whole host of options – from bags for hiking, gym and sport bags, bags for commuting, travelling, and bags for everyday use, in various colours, sizes and styles. Prices range between £110 and £168.
All of its bags are vegan-friendly, and it prefers to use recycled materials. Stubble & Co says they only use virgin materials where recycled alternatives would compromise durability.
Vaude
Vaude is an ethically conscious German outdoor gear company that is available in the UK at Alpinetrek from £50.
It offers a huge range of waterproof backpacks for almost every outdoor activity. From backpacking and hiking backpacks to cycling and day and travel backpacks – Vaude make it.
Many models are vegan-friendly, PVC- and PFC-free, and independently certified as non-toxic by OEKO-TEX and bluesign. The brand also offers spare parts, repair guides and a handy five-year warranty.
Meanwhile, all of Vaude’s backpacks are ethically made in Germany in climate-neutral facilities. Waste is kept to an absolute minimum. Unavoidable material remnants are upcycled or auctioned off for a good cause via its eBay upcycling store.
Get £5 off your first order when you sign up for the Alpinetrek newsletter.
Got Bag
Got Bag – available at Alpinetrek from £75.95 – takes recycled marine plastic and turns it into stylish day packs and backpacks. In fact, every part of each bag is made from recycled plastic – from the outer shell to the straps and buckles. It also avoids harmful coatings like PFCs.
The 31-litre roll-top model is particularly versatile. It expands and compresses using side flaps, includes zipped inner and outer pockets, and comes with a removable 15-inch laptop sleeve, also made from recycled plastic.
Get £5 off your first order when you sign up for the Alpinetrek newsletter.
Fjallraven Re-Kanken
If you are looking for something practical to tote your daily belongings around, then Fjallraven is a brand worth looking into.
Whilst not all of its backpacks are made from eco-friendly materials, its vegan-friendly Re-Kanken backpack (£95) is made entirely from polyester recycled from 11 plastic bottles. It’s also been dyed using special technology that drastically reduces the amount of water, energy and chemicals used, and avoids the use of PFCs.
Packed with practical features, this 16-litre backpack is sure to be a firm favourite for everyday use. There’s a flat front pocket with a vertical zipper for corraling smaller items. Meanwhile, the main compartment has an internal sleeve and a removable foam seat pad, which can double as padding for your back.
Patagonia
Patagonia – available at Cotswold Outdoor – has a great choice of ethical and sustainable backpacks. Whether you are looking for a day pack for everyday usage or a larger rucksack for travelling or hiking, Patagonia is sure to have you covered.
The brand’s mission statement is “We’re in business to save our home planet”. To reflect that, most of Patagonia’s range of backpacks are made from recycled materials, such as recycled polyester, and most are vegan-friendly.
Patagonia also has strong labour rights and is committed to reducing its energy use and emissions. It also offers a handy recycling program and offers free repairs on all of its products.
Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi (from £80) makes a fantastic range of ethical backpacks for a whole range of purposes. From commuting and short trips to holidays, camping trips and hikes, there’s a backpack for you. These range in size from smaller 13-litre daypacks, right through to cavernous 70-litre backpacks for backpacking.
What I love about Cotopaxi is that all of its backpacks are sustainably made from a mix of recycled and repurposed nylon and polyester ripstop fabrics. These durable yet eco-friendly fabrics will really stand up to all of the adventures you can throw at them.
Not convinced about its durability? Cotopaxi is. It offers a generous lifetime warranty for all of its backpacks. Plus Cotopaxi offers a repair programme should your bag develop a rip, tear or other repairable fault.
Lefrik
Lefrik – available at Wolf & Badger from £46 – is one of the pioneers when it comes to ethical and sustainable backpacks. For over a decade now, it has been committed to extending the lifespan of recycled plastic bottles by using them as raw materials in its range of functional and stylish backpacks.
Whether you are looking for small backpacks for kids, duffle bags, everyday backpacks, or even backpacks that can be converted into a trolley suitcase, Lefrik is well worth checking out.
As well as prioritising the sustainability of its products, Lefrik prioritises social justice and the well-being of both people and the planet through its partnership with 1% for The Planet. Here, members contribute at least 1% of their annual revenue to environmental causes to protect the environment.
Troubadour
Need a stylish and protective bag for your commute to work? Then Troubadour (from £195) is the brand to check out. This certified B Corp makes functional and versatile luxury laptop backpacks in waterproof fabric made from recycled plastic bottles.
And when it comes to functionality, Troubadour is on it. Each bag features a dedicated cushioned tech section, engineered with pioneering protection to safeguard your laptop and iPad. Meanwhile, clever pockets allow for intuitive access to everything from your phone to pens and power banks. There’s even a zipped valuables pocket with a key leash for peace of mind.
Lassig
If you’re looking for a sustainable kids’ backpack, then German brand Lassig – available in the UK at Natural Baby Shower from £34.95 – is one to look at.
Its mini rolltop backpacks, suitable for nursery school kids up to around age 7, are ideal for carrying all of your little one’s essentials sustainably. Made with 100% recycled fabric, Lassig uses the equivalent of eight plastic bottles to make these stylish bags.
As well as its eco-friendly credentials, this backpack is incredibly practical. Velcro fasteners make it easy for little hands to open and close. Handy side pockets make storing your water bottle easy. And the bag also features fun removable patches and reflectors for safety.
Sandqvist
Dedicated to creating functional bags that last, Swedish brand Sandqvist (from £69) is well worth a look.
It makes a huge range of backpacks for every situation – whether that’s hiking, running, commuting, travelling, or school. These are all made from high-quality, sustainable, and recycled materials. This includes organic cotton, recycled polyester and recycled nylon. Most are vegan-friendly, although do check as some are made with leather.
All of its bags are designed to be repairable. Plus, Sandqvist takes steps to ensure it uses chemicals and water responsibly, to avoid harm to the environment.
Sandqvist is a member of the Fair Wear Foundation. This means the brand adheres to the Fair Wear Code of Labour Practices. This code includes principles like safe working conditions, reasonable working hours, fair wages, and a prohibition on child or forced labour.
Whilst Sandqvist ships its products from Sweden, Sandqvist says that for UK shoppers, all taxes and duties are included in the price, and you do not need to pay any extra fees. Delivery is just £5 through UPS, so shipping is not excessive.
If you’d prefer to shop from a UK-based retailer, try WildBounds or Liberty – both carry a good Sandqvist selection.
More Sustainable Resources
Hopefully, you have been able to find the right backpack for you. I add more brands as I find them, so even if you haven’t found anything that fits the bill this time, do check back later for more recommendations. You can also check out my handy guide to ethical bags for more brand suggestions.
In the meantime, I have a guide on what to do with old backpacks in case you have an old one that you are looking to recycle.
I also have guides to ethical clothing brands for women and ethical clothing brands for men, if you are looking for more ideas on how to update your wardrobe sustainably.
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Such a helpful page & blog although Amazon definitely aren’t a good/moral brand in any way, so surprised to see them linked on the page (won’t mention leather as you’ve shared your reasons for listing it – also helpful to read points about brands Luke mat & nat disappointingly greenwashing)! Sorry to point it out but just frustrating how often there linked etc
Thanks Emma. I orginally wrote this post back in 2016, when there were considerably fewer options when it comes to ethical backpacks. At the time some were made of leather, but thanks to the growing ethical options, I was able to update this page a little while ago and provide fully vegan options. And good points about Amazon.
I do have a couple of links to Amazon on this post, where the original item has become unavailable and I’ve struggled to find a better option. I’m looking to update this post shortly, so will hopefully be able to find options that avoid Amazon.
There are some great products here. Definitely bookmarking this one for the future! Worth mentioning though that delving a little further into Mat & Nat gets interesting – there might be quite a lot of greenwashing going on there. In terms of this comments thread, I agree that leather needs to be left out of the equation when talking about ethical products, regardless of the ethical considerations of vegan leather. Something being vegan doesn’t make it ethical if it’s bad for the environment; but equally something being good for the environment but cruel to animals also isn’t ethical. Perhaps leather is just a no-no (unless it’s second-hand)!
Unfortunately, there is a lot of greenwashing in the vegan leather industry. At the heart of it, all vegan leather is plastic, made from fossil fuels, which in turn harms all creatures. However, we don’t all have to come to a consensus on whether leather or plastic is better. If we consume less, continue to demand transparency, and push for regulations that support garment workers and limits overproduction then we can help push the fashion industry in the right direction, whatever side of the plastic/leather debate we fall on.
Fabulous range of backpacks with amazing colour combinations. I like all of them!
Would love to connect, collab and discover more of what you do . I am on @greensocial.media – just launched as a social media co for the green sector.
Wow! What an amazing collection of backpacks. Thanks for sharing!
Madlug backpacks. When you buy one another one is given to a child in care. Children in care often have to move their stuff around in black bin bags.
Thanks so much for tip John!
Thanks for this. Very handy! :)
The author has given her reasons for using real leather over fake leather…however, why not make the truly MORAL decision and buy neither? Timbuk2 and other brands have lifetime guarantee’s on their brands so it’s definitely not a question of durability.
Also, you should feel pretty awful suggesting leather on a website named moral fibres.
Excuse me. Leather is not a contentious issue – or should not be – for a any site calling itself ‘Moral Fibres’. It is perfectly clear that killing a sentient being for the purpose of making a commodity out of its flesh is a grave moral wrong. The various methods used for tanning are neither here nor there when it comes to a being having moral considerability. Your ethics here are inconsistent.
Hi Carol, I’ve included my reasons for why I think leather can be more eco-friendly than vegan PVC or PU plastic, petroleum-based leather in the comment above, but if you disagree (and that’s fine, everyone has differing points of view) then there are lots of vegan backpacks listed in the post too! :)
It really is a joke that you have products containing leather on an ‘ethical’ list.
Hi Andrew, leather is a contentious issue. I included the bag in the list because the leather was vegetable tanned, rather than tanned using heavy metals.
Vegan leathers are often made from petroleum based products, which has a negative environmenatal impact, and isn’t biodegradable, unlike vegetable tanned leather. Leather is also a lot more durable than vegan leather, so needs to be replaced less often. It all comes down to personal preference, and there are lots of other vegan options listed should the leather bag not fit well with your own personal ethics.
The very personal ethics of refraining from killing. Nice one :D
If it’s not for you Isabella, then that’s fine – I have provided vegan alternatives. Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, and I have no place for shaming here simply because your own personal beliefs do not match those of others.
This is a very good point – often we associate ‘vegan’ with sustainable – but as you say some vegan leathers are just glorified plastics and so are really no better environmentally in my opinion. Thank you for highlighting this!
Great share! I love Baggu brand they do have great simple design and can’t go wrong with any outfits! thank you!
happy sharing!
Great post, I’ve recently turned from a handbag person to a rucksack person so will certainly check some of these out when next in need of a new bag!
I love all of them, I’d choose the Patagonia one. But I struggle with backpacks, how to you answer your phone in time if its in your bag, or get your purse out?
I have had this problem in the past! I keep mine in my pocket! ;)
Just have a small cross-body bag on one hip with your phone and wallet in, and carry heavier/larger items in your rucksack. Though some rucksacks have pockets on the straps for those items.