5 UK Eco-Friendly Umbrellas To Stay Dry Sustainably
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Looking for an eco-friendly umbrella? I’ve got you covered – quite literally – with this guide to sustainable brollies from UK retailers made from recycled materials.
As Billy Connolly says, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing, so get yourself a sexy raincoat and live a little.”
As a fellow Scot, I wholeheartedly agree with Billy – a good coat does the job pretty well. However, if you really want to keep the elements out, I would suggest you may wish to add a few additional wet weather essentials.
A pair of wellies, for example, can be indispensable in keeping your feet dry. And yes, I’ve totally got a guide to the best ethical wellies if you’re looking for a new pair!
As well as your wellies, you may want to keep an umbrella in your bag for those unexpected showers.
Many umbrella brands have pretty shady environmental credentials. Most brands on the market make their brollies from virgin polyester, which is derived from fossil fuels. This means, as well as contributing to plastic waste, the process of creating polyester is energy-intensive. It emits high levels of carbon dioxide, which adds to climate change.
However, the good news is that a host of brands now offer eco-friendly umbrellas made from recycled materials. These have a much smaller carbon footprint, allowing you to stay dry more sustainably.
Guide To Eco-Friendly Umbrellas In The UK
Here are the sustainable umbrella brands to know:
Duckhead
Duckhead Umbrellas (£39)are so cute you’ll never leave your brolly behind on a bus seat again.
What I love about these umbrellas – apart from the fact that the handle is a wooden duck’s head – is that they are ethically made by hand, and are made from innovative, eco-friendly materials.
The canopy is made from recycled plastic bottles – 9 bottles to be exact. Meanwhile, the duck head handle is made from sustainably sourced birch wood.
No ducks were harmed in the making of these umbrellas. In fact, no animals were. These umbrellas are 100% vegan-friendly.
As well as being made from eco-friendly materials, this umbrella is durable. Wind-resistant and with a high-strength steel frame, it’s sure to stand up to the worst the weather can throw at you.
Duckhead itself is a woman-owned and led London-based company that is dedicated to producing joyful, functional, and considered designs. It only works with recycled, recyclable, biodegradable, and sustainably sourced materials. All the more reason to shower Duckhead with love!
Roka
Roka is another strong, sustainable contender – priced from £24.95.
This lightweight, eco-friendly umbrella is made from weather-resistant, recycled nylon. It also has an extra-strong canopy and frame. These are designed to withstand the toughest rain and wind the world can throw at you, so it doesn’t end up in the bin after one use.
The rubberised handle also gives you extra grip. This helps your umbrella stay in your hand during those unexpected gusts.
Roka’s umbrellas are also fully vegan-friendly – there are no sneaky animal products here.
There are a whopping 37 different colour options – from solid colours to fun multi-colour patchwork designs. These fold down small into the matching pouch.
I’m a fan of Roka – I’ve also featured Roka in this guide to ethical backpacks and my guide to sustainable waterproof jackets.
Marks & Spencer
Like many high street brands, Marks & Spencer is trying to make eco-friendlier choices. Whilst its own brand clothing still has quite a bit to go before I’d consider it an ethical choice, Marks & Spencer has given the classic umbrella a green makeover.
Its own brand recycled umbrella (£20) is made with 100% recycled polyester, for a more eco-friendly way to stay dry. This repels water to help keep you dry during the heaviest of showers.
Marks & Spencer says its Sturdy Windtech™ construction stands up to strong winds – making it more durable.
The umbrella also features a rubber handle for an outstanding grip, no matter how rainy the weather gets.
Its generous 100 cm canopy really helps to keep you dry. However, this does make it a little bulkier than many other umbrellas. It’s also only available in black.
Totes
The Totes Eco range (available at Robert Dyas from £8.49) offers a stylish and sustainable way to stay dry. Its umbrella feature canopies are made from 100% recycled PET polyester, which is sourced from used plastic bottles.
What I also love is that Totes umbrellas have a PFC-free water-repellent coating. This ensures that they stand up to the elements while keeping harmful forever chemicals out of the environment.
With options such as the compact eco-brella for keeping in your bag, to larger walking umbrellas and recycled golf umbrellas, there’s an option for everybody.
Radley
Finally, Radley – the handbag people – make a range of beautiful umbrellas, all made from recycled materials (from £15).
These are all part of the ‘Radley Responsible’ range, where these products are made using more environmentally friendly materials. In this case, its brollies are made using recycled PET fabric from plastic bottles.
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