Stick a plastic fork in us because we are done with plastic cutlery. Sustainable cutlery, on the other hand, not only looks and feels better, but can take a major bite out of landfill waste collectively and over time.
Want to make like a plastic fork and take a stab at how long one disposable fork takes to decompose?
Hint: It’s over 1,000 years, over which time it’ll break apart into microplastics that are toxic for animals, marine life, and humans too.
Swapping out plastic for eco-friendly eating utensils is one of the easiest zero waste swaps you can make to green your dining routine. But not all are created equally and some actually a more impactful life cycle analysis than their disposable counterparts, especially if we don’t take care of them.
To choose options that are truly better, we’re soon going to revamp this piece with our Brand Rating System, which gives us the full scoop behind the brands making those spoons by examining 22 criteria that you can read about here.
We independently research all featured brands and we ask them to confirm their claims. In many cases we personally review recommended products. This post contains affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you buy something. Learn more here.
Eco-Friendly Utensils to Help You Feast With a Conscience
Jungle Culture’s pure bamboo range of eco-friendly reusable silverware allows you to stay plastic-free when traveling or outside your home.
KNORK Flatware offers a range of hand-forged flatware lines that are ergonomically designed to fit the way you eat naturally. Not only is their disposable eco-friendly cutlery compostable, but it’s also reusable for about a year.
Index: Eco-Friendly Cutlery Brands
- KNORK Flatware Jump to brand
- To-Go Ware Jump to brand
- Food52 Vintage Shop Jump to brand
- Jungle Culture Jump to brand
- Repurpose Compostable Jump to brand
- Starburst Tropics Jump to brand
- Smile Boutiques Jump to brand
KNORK Flatware
Price Range: $8–$19
Want some eco-friendly plastic cutlery without the petroleum? KNORK Flatware plant-based bioplastic may be the solution for you. Their utensils are made using natural materials that will biodegrade once you’re done using them.
Use and reuse them for about one year. At the end of their lifetime, they will compost within 2 years of disposal in a commercial composting facility.
KNORK Flatware’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
KNORK’s sustainable disposable cutlery sets are made from an Eco-Astrik Propriety Blend of 90% sugarcane and 10% bamboo, held together with a biodegradable, plant-based binder. The bamboo is sustainably collected and upcycled from factory off-cuts and scraps, using materials that would otherwise end up in a landfill.
Supply chain & labor practices:
KNORK has been using the same Chinese factory for more than 17 years. It’s powered partially by renewable energy and uses discarded machines from previous factories. HPCA inspection ensures the factory complies with both China and USA health and human safety regulations.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Products are shipped to consumers plastic-free in unbleached kraft paper boxes.
To-Go Ware
Price Range: $11–$15
As their name suggests, To-Go Ware is committed to making improvements to our to-go practices—starting with minimizing single-use plastics.
They carry all you could need for a reusable meal—eco-friendly lunch boxes and sustainable reusable eating utensils, with plenty of kid-approved options. Their eco-friendly cutlery set is perfect for school or work lunches, barbecues, and camping trips. If you don’t need the whole set, they have individual biodegradable spoons and forks, and knives, too.
To-Go Ware’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Bamboo is one of the world’s best renewable materials, being fast-growing, carbon hungry, and harvestable without killing the plant. As reusable utensils, it’s dishwasher-safe, free of phthalates and BPA, heat, and stain-resistant, and won’t absorb flavors.
To-Go’s food-safe polyurethane coating means they can be used for years. All products are lab tested as non-toxic and safe.
Supply chain & labor practices:
As a Certified B Corp, To-Go Ware meets impressive standards for social and environmental performance and transparency. The bamboo is sourced in China, where they’re also manufactured in a small, family-owned factory.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
To-Go Ware uses recycled and recyclable packaging materials—all part of their commitment to becoming zero waste. They utterly refuse the “Big 5”: plastic bags, water bottles, cups, utensils, and polystyrene takeout containers.
They’re also committed to becoming Climate Neutral Certified.
Community & charitable giving:
To-Go Ware is a member of 1% for the Planet, through which they donate to organizations like Climate Neutral and 5 Gyres (an ocean plastic research entity).
They also have a reusable bag take-back program (any old brand sitting in the back of your pantry will do!), which they redistribute to low-income families to show anyone can reduce their plastic consumption just a little.
Food52 Vintage Shop
Price Range: $40–$250
Food52 are leaders in the foodie world. What started as a community for sharing food recipes and cooking product recommendations, has evolved into so much more—namely as a vintage cookware retailer.
Since secondhand makes for some of the most eco-friendly silverware, they definitely deserve a spot on this list. Their selection of vintage sustainable cooking utensils isn’t massive, but it sure is impressive, including both sets and individual pieces.
Food52 Vintage Shop’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
All their vintage sustainable silverware is silver-plated (i.e. true non-toxic “silverware”!).
Supply chain & labor practices:
Most Food52 vintage finds are products that were made in the USA, though some silverware pieces were handpicked in France.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Aside from selling vintage kitchenware, they’re careful to give a second life to any unwanted items from the rest of their business—like selling the unneeded props used for their food styling.
Jungle Culture
Price Range: $15
As one of our favorite zero waste online stores in the UK, Jungle Culture is all about putting the natural jungle back in our modern lives.
Their handmade sustainable reusable cutlery is long-lasting and made using organic and sustainably sourced bamboo or reclaimed wood. Each set somes with compostable knives, forks, spoons, and bamboo straws. We personally love the smooth finish and more durable nature of these compared to other bamboo cutlery we’ve seen. It’s lasted us years already!
Jungle Culture’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Jungle Culture’s eco-friendly bamboo cutlery is made by hand using sustainably farmed bamboo that grows abundantly in the rural province of Thanh Hoa, near Hanoi. They also have alternative wooden cutlery made using reclaimed and upcycled ebony wood scraps procured from a furniture manufacturer in Southern Vietnam.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Jungle Culture’s sustainable solution to plastic utensils is handmade by a happy band of family, friends, and villagers. The initial crafter of the utensils now focuses on building bamboo houses for the local community. The brand oversees production and ensures that every utensil is produced ethically.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Products arrive at your door packaging-free in a natural jute carry case. Recycled newspaper or paper lying around the company office is used to protect items, seal up with paper packing tape.
Community & charitable giving:
Jungle Culture’s .eco domain shows its commitment to promoting environmental issues, considering the carbon neural domain registry requires all sites to clearly state and sign an environmental pledge. They’re also 1% for the Planet member.
Repurpose Compostable
Price Range: $8
There are times when single-use or disposable cutlery is the best option, but that doesn’t mean it has to be made using plastic. “Here for the fun, not forever”, Repurpose Compostable offers one of the best alternatives in its totally non-toxic, totally sustainable certified compostable cutlery collections.
Make a plant-based picnic by pairing their compostable cutlery with likewise compostable plates, hot and cold cups, stemless wine cups, and more.
Just be sure you don’t toss them in your home’s indoor compost bin, as they’re commercially compostable only.
Repurpose Compostable’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Repurpose Compostable’s compostable cutlery is made from corn and other plant-based materials including upcycled plant fiber, PLA (Polylactic Acid), and PBAT (Polybutylene Adipate Terephthalate).
Some of the best eco-friendly disposable cutlery, it’s FDA-approved non-toxic, BPA-free, PFAS-free, certified compostable, certified biobased.
Supply chain & labor practices:
These eco-friendly plates and cutlery are currently manufactured between the United States, Taiwan, and China. However, they’re formulating a cost-effective strategy to shift all manufacturing to the US.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Packaging is made from highly recyclable materials, although the materials are not quite as compostable as the products. They’re working toward cost-effective compostable packaging.
Community & charitable giving:
Their Fork this! program gives you the opportunity to add a donation to your order of disposable cutlery to various choices of organizations making a difference to the environment, underserved communities, women’s rights, children safety, equal rights and more. Donations are matched up to $6,000 per year.
Starburst Tropics
Price Range: $6–$160
Starburst Tropics wants to cozy up our homes with quality, mid-century vintage items.
If you’re looking for kitchenware, vintage home decor, or select furniture, check out this stunning collection of mid-century modern pieces. You’ll find an eclectic mix of boho-inspired, beachy-tropical, retro, and earthy items.
Their upcycled metal silverware is a shining example of eco cutlery that’s already seen a meal or two and if ready for a million more. Their vintage pieces usually date between the 1950s and 1970s, and comes in kitschy mismatched sets to bring both elegance and uniqueness to your dining routine.
Starburst Tropics’ Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Most pieces are sustainable stainless steel utensils, but you’ll find the occasional other metal used, too.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Being an upcycle brand (no further manufacturing required), the supply chain is less relevant. However, we would certainly be interested to know their process for finding these vintage gems.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Any purchase with Etsy comes to your doorstep courtesy of 100% carbon offset shipping.
Smile Boutiques
Price Range: $5–$14
Hailing from Toronto, Smile Boutiques has an impressive range of eco-friendly products—and a reputation that’s just as impressive.
They’ve put a smile on tens of thousands of faces thanks to affordable and gorgeous Naamu wooden cutlery. Use this gorgeous eco-friendly travel cutlery on your sustainable camping trips or a peaceful meal at home.
Packed in a breathable cloth pouch, you can bring your eco-friendly utensils anywhere.
Smile Boutiques’ Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Nanmu wood is a durable yet lightweight hardwood that makes the utensils sturdy enough to last an age. The wood is sustainably sourced and treated with natural oil to stop it from splitting.
They also offer biodegradable wheat straw utensils that can be reused time and time again until they eventually wear out.
Supply chain & labor practices:
These pieces are handmade by the shop, but Smile Boutique doesn’t mention exactly where their Naamu wood is sourced and hasn’t answered our inquiry.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
All Smile Boutiques products are shipped with minimal and eco-friendly packaging.
