5 Eco-Friendly Umbrellas To Stay Dry Sustainably | UK
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Looking for an eco-friendly umbrella? I’ve got you covered – quite literally – with this guide to the best sustainable brollies 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 wear 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! And you may want to keep an umbrella in your bag for those unexpected showers.
Many umbrella brands have pretty shady environmental credentials – with many making their brollies from virgin polyester, which is derived from fossil fuels.
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 The Best Eco-Friendly Umbrellas
Use the quick links below to navigate to the sections about each eco-friendly umbrella brand, or keep scrolling for the full post:
Duckhead
Duckhead Umbrellas (£36) – available from Veo – are so cute you’ll never leave them 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 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.
And 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!
Thought
Thought might be most well known for its stylish sustainable men’s and women’s clothing, but it also has a range of earth-conscious accessories that are worth casting your eyes over.
When it comes to brollies, Thought are on it. Its eco umbrella (available at Ethical Superstore) (£17.95) makes for a solid sustainable purchase, that’s a little lighter on the pocket, but still just as stylish.
Made from 100% recycled polyester, Thought says this uses up to 59% less energy and 32% less carbon than virgin polyester.
This handbag-sized eco-friendly umbrella comes in a stylish William Morris-inspired print that will complement any outfit.
Roka
Roka – available at Amazon – is another strong sustainable contender.
This lightweight eco-friendly umbrella, made from weather-resistant recycled nylon, has an extra strong canopy and frame. These are designed to withstand the toughest rain and wind the world can throw at you.
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.
Available in eight different colours – from midnight black to avocado green – 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.
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.
Mango
Whilst I don’t class Mango as a sustainable brand – this fast fashion brand has quite the journey to be able to reach that accolade – it has been making a little progress in greening its operations.
As such, it has also given its umbrellas the recycled treatment.
Available from John Lewis, its basics umbrella (£15.99) is made with 100% recycled polyester. Coming in five different colours – from classic black to bright pink – there’s something to complement your wet weather gear.
Something to note is that its handle is made from plastic. There are no details as to whether this is recycled plastic or not. I also don’t know how ethically made this brolly is, or how durable it is. It’s an eco-friendly choice, but perhaps not the most sustainable of options.
The Bottom Line
Whether you’re shopping from an ethical or high street brand – a growing number of brands have made the switch from using virgin polyester to recycled polyester in their umbrellas. This eco-friendly choice helps to cut carbon whilst keeping you sustainably dry. I would say they’re almost too good to save for a rainy day!
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