7 Sustainable Picnic Baskets And Coolers For Your Park Picnics

May 19, 2022

For Mindful Picnicking

This spring and summer, turn your local park, lake, or even backyard into a picnicking experience! Throw together some sandwiches, add a few drinks, and maybe grab snacks to nosh on, and that’s all you need for a day well spent in the great outdoors. Well, except for maybe the basket to put everything in.

Check out these seven sustainable picnic baskets and coolers that bring you natural design for a day out in nature. Crafted with recycled or responsibly sourced materials, you’ll find fitting options for solo dining, a family outing, or a couple’s retreat.

Hop on over to our guides to recycled glassware and sustainable silverware, too, and ditch your reliance on single-use plastics for good.

1. Sea & Grass

Best For | Two-person picnics
Standout Ethics | Gives back
Price | $69 (small basket)–$220 (jumbo tote)

Inspired by her Thai heritage, Sea & Grass’s founder Pam set out to create handwoven accessories using natural materials. Today, the brand works with local artisans to make eco-friendly and ethically made handbags, hats, and accessories. Each Sea & Grass picnic basket is crafted with seagrass, vegan leather, and an eco-friendly protective coating. With each purchase, a portion of profits give back to the Areeya Foundation, supporting Thai students in need.

Shop Sea & Grass

2. Uashmama

Best For | Day trips
Standout Ethics | Made of waterproof eco-friendly paper
Price | $129

The family team behind Uashmama designs washable paper bag products that look and feel like leather, but are actually made of Pull Up paper (!). Stretched and tanned by Tuscan locals, this eco-friendly alternative looks better with each wash. The Uashmama Italian Utility Tote is ideal for day trips, equipped with a reinforced handles and extra pockets.

Shop Uashmama

3. Business and Pleasure

Best For | Daylong food & drink storage
Standout Ethics | Recycled & sustainable materials
Price | $79 (cooler bag)–$99 (cooler tote)

As seen in Architectural Digest and Oprah Mag, Business and Pleasure’s coastal living accessories have us all California dreamin’. The brand’s umbrellas, beach chairs, tents, and coolers are designed with premium canvas and eco-friendly recycled PVC linings for the ultimate sustainable sunbathing. With more than a dozen coolers to choose from, your food and drinks will stay crisp all day long—enjoy!

Shop Business and Pleasure

4. Ekobo

Best For | Solo dining
Standout Ethics | Eco-designed products
Price | $29

For a picnic party of one, check out Ekobo’s eco-friendly lunch bags. Made out of five recycled water or soda bottles, this sustainable bag comes with thoughtful pockets, loops for cutlery, and more than enough room for your solo dining experience. If bento boxes are more your thing, Ekobo has options too! Products are made under safe conditions with fair wages, so each purchase is as sustainable as it is ethical.

Shop Ekobo

5. Olli Ella

Best For | Transportation-friendly baskets
Standout Ethics | Women-led certified B Corp
Price | $30 (small market basket)–$140 (basket cart)

Started by two sisters from Byron Bay, Australia, Olli Ella is now a global brand with a presence in over 80 countries. This certified B Corp offers all sorts of goods for babies, children, women, and home—including the most delightful baskets made of natural seagrass or rattan. We especially love the ones that come with a cart, attach onto bikes, and have cute bamboo handles for going straight from the farmer’s market right to a picnic. Olli Ella ships worldwide.

SHOP OLLI ELLA

6. Igloo Recool

Best For | Drinks
Standout Ethics | Made entirely from biodegradable materials
Price | $6.99

Never worry about drinks getting warm again with Igloo Recool’s cooler. This extra-affordable cooler is made in the USA with recycled paper and natural materials for long-lasting support, plus it fully biodegrades whenever you’re done using it. Unlike most other foam drink coolers, this one doesn’t squeak—because who really enjoys that sound?! Each cooler holds 75 pounds, so keep the cold brews coming.

Shop Igloo Recool

7. Etsy’s Vintage Picnic Baskets

Best For | Variety (sizes, colors, materials)
Standout Ethics | Carbon-neutral shipping
Price | Varies, starting at $15

Throw it all the way back by picking up a vintage picnic basket on platforms like Etsy. There are secondhand options from all around the world, many from the peak of picnicking days back in the 1950s. Going secondhand in this case truly is the most sustainable pick, wouldn’t you say?