We found 8 different types of backpacks made from all sorts of recycled materials. Along the way, we’ll describe how backpacks are made and what recycled material these sustainable backpacks save from landfills.
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What are backpacks made of
The earliest types of backpacks were made from cotton canvas; however, many different materials are now used. They might use plain cotton, nylon, polyester, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride or PVC. Some advanced fabrics may be used, such as ripstop nylon, common in camping and hiking packs, or ballistic nylon, thicker nylon originally used in WW2 military apparel.
So how do you make a backpack sustainable? Well, to start with, you use a material that has been upcycled or recycled. Next, you make the backpack strong and sturdy so that it will last a long time. You can even make it fashionable if you use the right materials.
These great sustainable backpacks that we have discovered are made from recycled fabrics, upcycled from pre or post-consumer materials. Not only do these bags provide you with a place to carry your belongings, but they help save useful materials from landfill.
We found bags made from old boat sails or kite surfing sails, old airbags, truck tarps, and leftover advertising signs. There is even a bag made from the fabric used to filter the hops and barley at a brewery.
In our opinion, there are so many recycled backpacks made from recycled and upcycled material on the market there should be no need to buy backpacks made from virgin materials.
Use our guide below to find your favorite. You can also check out our guide on sustainable backpacks made from recycled polyester or recycled PET bottles. Oh, and there are luggage and handbag guides coming soon.
Check out our guides on swimwear for 20 Amazing Brands Making Recycled Swimwear for Men and 35 brands creating recycled swimwear just for you.
Backpacks Made from Recycled Sails
Mafia
Redesigning discarded kite sails into functional backpacks is what this team is all about. Finding the perfect bag to carry wetsuits around using old sails was where it began. Mafia now operates in four countries and have saved 16,489 yards of sails from landfill so far.
They transform leftover sails from kite surfing into handmade and sustainable backpacks, totes, duffels, messenger bags, and other accessories. No two Mafia products are alike. They are colorful and stand out in a crowd.
Recycled Material: Recycled kite surfing sails are usually made from polyester but possibly blended with other materials
Price Range $$
Made in: USA
Shipping info: Ships Worldwide
SeaBags
Any day on the water is a good day! That’s Sea Bags tag line. Their bags are made from sails, retaining the essence and freedom of what they once were. They look lovely too. If you are looking for backpacks made in the USA, Sea Bags are an excellent place to start. They collect the sails from Maine, New England, and other areas around the US. All their suppliers are local, and their bags are designed and made locally too.
Each piece is unique. They take into account each unique detail of the sail and incorporate it into the design. They have been making their bags since 1999 and have saved 700 tons of material from going to landfill.
Recycled Material: Handcrafted from recycled sails on the working waterfront in Portland, Maine, USA
Price Range $ – $$
Made in: USA
Shipping info: Ships across the USA, contact them for international shipping.
Truce Designs
Own a piece of sailing history is the tagline of Truce Designs. Luke, the founder, learned to sew while repairing sails and making boat covers. Truce was born after he discovered the scrap bin and found his first source of material for bags.
We like custom-made items because they help minimize waste; however, the Truce bags are even more special because they are made from reclaimed materials.
The design is unique and great for travel with a dirty laundry pocket built-in and a wide U-shaped zipped opening to get better access. Being made to order, there are different sizes to choose from too.
Recycled Material: Handcrafted from recycled sails with diving suit factory scraps lining the bags.
Price Range $ – $$$
Made in: USA
Shipping info: Ships across the USA, and worldwide.
Demano
These guys create different types of backpacks out of whatever waste they can find. They have made bags and accessories from recycled kitesurf sails. Every year, thousands of fans of this sport discard their kites. To reduce all this waste’s environmental impact, Demano decided to reuse this resistant, lightweight, and foldable material and make products that respect the planet.
Each kite has an adventure to tell and they capture that story while they shape it for its new life.
Recycled Material: recycled kitesurf kites
Price Range $
Made in: Barcelona
Shipping info: Ships Worldwide.
Backpacks Made From Recycled Firehose
Recycled Firefighter
Working as a full-time firefighter, Jake from Recycled Firefighter realized that he wasn’t making enough money to support his growing family even with overtime. He decided it was time to venture into something new.
Teaching himself how to sew, he started making wallets out of repurposed fire hoses. All of his products are hand-made in the USA. He has recycled and repurposed over 15,000 feet of decommissioned fire hose from around the U.S.! His recycled backpacks each hold a fantastic story of where the hose has come from.
Recycled Material: Handcrafted from recycled firehoses
Price Range $
Made in: USA
Shipping info: Free Shipping across the USA, and ships worldwide.
Elvis & Kresse
2005 Elvis & Kresse have been on a rescue mission since 2005. They started with rescuing decommissioned firehose from landfill. Now they work with leather waste, saving leather off-cuts and recrafting them into new luxury items. They are B-certified and give 50% of their profits to charities. What superstars.
They have compact briefcases, messenger bags, weekend bags, camera bags, and clutches. All made from decommissioned firehose used to fight fires around the UK.
Recycled Material: recycled firehose & leather off-cuts
Price Range $$$
Made in: United Kingdom
Shipping info: Ships Worldwide.
Bags Made From Recycled Inner Tubes
Upcycled
During a road trip around Australia, the founder of Upcycled came across a huge mountain of old tires and inner tubes. Inspired to do something about it, Upcycled was born. The inner tubes work well for all sorts of accessories, including bags. Creating something new out of what would otherwise end up in landfill or in a big pile somewhere is a great way to reuse the world’s resources.
They have quite a selection from laptop bags, wallets, and saddlebags to earrings, bracelets, and necklaces.
Recycled Material: Handcrafted from recycled bicycle tubes
Price Range $ – $$
Made in: Australia
Shipping info: Ships Australia, contact them for international.
Felvarrom
Started in 2008, Felvarrom loves giving new life to waste bicycle parts. Each piece shows the history from its previous life, scratches, patches, or marks. Felvarrom actually means “I’ll stitch it up,” and that’s exactly what László Szabó, the founder and CEO, likes to do.
Although these are not backpacks, we decided to include them because they look pretty cool. Felvarrom has many products in addition to their bags like belts, coin purses, and earrings. Their products are durable but fun and stylish. They even make key holders from old bike chains.
Recycled Material: Handcrafted from recycled bicycle tubes
Price Range $$$
Made in: United Kingdom
Shipping info: Ships Worldwide.
Alchemy Goods
Alchemy Goods is a B-certified sustainable company that upcycles old materials into new items. They work their magic on bicycle tubes and advertising banners, turning them into different types of sustainable backpacks and accessories. They create bags, belts, purses, wallets, travel kits, and they have a great 6-pack holder.
They offer a lifetime warranty and a repair service to help ensure your items last as long as possible.
Recycled Material: Handcrafted from recycled bicycle tubes
Price Range $ – $$
Made in: USA
Shipping info: Ships Worldwide.
Backpacks Made From Recycled Umbrellas
Demano
Demano saw large amounts of waste material from the manufacturing of umbrellas being thrown away and decided to do something useful with it. The waterproof material was perfect for going to the gym, the beach, shopping, or for dirty clothes when you go on a trip. They also make bags and sustainable backpacks from kitesurfing kites and advertising banners.
Top of Form
Recycled Material: pre-consumer fabric waste from umbrella manufacturing
Price Range $
Made in: Barcelona
Shipping info: Ships Worldwide.
Backpacks Made From Recycled Tarps
Freitag
Today Freitag recycled backpacks are available in 26 FREITAG Stores and in over 300 resellers stores worldwide. I wonder if Markus and Daniel Freitag expected to be here back in 1993 when they started their company.
The designers looked for a functional bag to hold their creative work and were inspired by the multi-colored trucks rumbling past their flat. Their first Freitag was made from used truck tarpaulins, discarded bicycle inner tubes, and car seat belts.
Now they have a full range of over 90 different models. They even offer an exchange program that lets you swap out your current Freitag bag with a new one. What a fabulous forward-thinking idea.
Recycled Material: worn-out tarps from trucks
Price Range $$$
Made in: Switzerland
Shipping info: Ships Worldwide.
Grünbag
With a passion for recycling, the founder of GrünBag, Helen Leegaard, embarked on a journey to reuse industrial materials and save them from landfills. Unlike Freitag, GrünBag uses the clippings and residues left over from the production of truck covers. These leftovers are converted into stylish bags and different types of sustainable backpacks in their own workshop. They also use end-of-life seat belts for their straps and carry handles.
The fabric is sturdy and waterproof, making their bags durable. So not only are they recycled but you should not need to buy another for quite some time. GrünBag upcycle old sails,
Recycled Material: pre-consumer waste from the production of truck tarps and party tents. Plus they use end-of-life seat belts
Price Range $$
Made in: Denmark
Shipping info: Ships Worldwide.
M-24
M-24 refer to their bags as “tough as nails”. They are designed from recycled truck tarpaulin. They salvage interesting truck tarps from across the UK and save them from landfill. In their headquarters in Somerset, they clean, cut, and trim the tarps seeing new life in the old. Each recycled backpack is unique.
Recycled Material: recycled truck tarpaulins
Price Range $
Made in: United Kingdom
Shipping info: Ships Worldwide.
Backpacks Made From Recycled Advertising
Demano
We did say these guys create bags out of whatever waste they can find. In addition to the discarded kites and umbrella offcuts, they make bags out of old banner ads.
Since 1999 they have been walking the streets of Barcelona looking for discarded advertisement banners. After checking its quality, they craft them into unique bags, no two the same. These guys even have kids size recycled backpacks too.
Recycled Material: recycled kitesurf kites
Price Range $
Made in: Barcelona
Shipping info: Ships Worldwide.
Sustainable Backpacks Made From Recycled Seat Belts
From Belo
The aim of From Belo’s is to minimize the effect we have on the environment. To do this, they source recycled materials and rescue them from landfills. They transform them into new products. Their process is completely transparent.
They use Seat belts, recycled and reformed fabrics, offcuts from industry, and demolition wood that they use for handles. They use artisan workers in Brazil who are supported through ethical working conditions and fair wages. Plus, they also work with charities to help support the local communities.
All that and their products are beautiful and multifunctional. You can wear the Ju seat belt bag four different ways, an over-the-shoulder bag, on the arm handbag, a cross-body bag, and lastly, a backpack.
Recycled Material: recycled kitesurf kites
Price Range $$$
Made in: Brazil & UK
Shipping info: Ships Worldwide.
Sustainable Backpacks Made From Other Cool Recycled Materials
Rewilder
Rewilder, like many of the other companies listed here, will make bags out of whatever they can get their hands on. They even have some bags made from cloth that has been used to filter the hops and barley at beer manufacturing plants. These look great, and the handles are made from upcycled climbing ropes.
Their bags are dependent on what is available at the time, so they will always be unique. Currently, they have a backpack made from 100% upcycled airbags and seatbelts.
Recycled Material: recycled airbags
Price Range $$
Made in: USA
Shipping info: Ships Worldwide
Keep an eye out for all types of recycled products, and be sure to let us know if you find anything of interest so we can share them with everyone.
Well, hopefully, you liked what you saw. Please be mindful of the first part of the mantra REDUCE and REUSE before you rush out and buy one of each!
Find more ways to vote with your wallet in our buying guides.
- Buy Recycled: Wallets for Women
- Buy Recycled: Sunglasses
- Buy Recycled: Swimsuits for Kids
- Buy Recycled: Swim Trunks for Men
- Buy Recycled: Swimsuits for Women
- Buy Recycled: Leggings & Activewear
- Buy Recycled: Shoes
- Buy Recycled: Dog Products
Or take a look at our recycled products shopping guides or Brand Directory showcasing the brands making something from our trash.
