Barry Walsh helps you discover sustainable back to school gear from Irish businesses, including eco backpacks, notebooks, water bottles, stationery and more.
With the new school year upon us, Irish businesses are stepping up with sustainable, stylish, and locally made back-to-school gear.
From eco-friendly backpacks and refillable water bottles to ethically crafted stationery and notebooks, these brands are redefining school essentials with a focus on environmental responsibility and social impact.
“This curated guide highlights the best of Ireland’s creative and conscious makers”
Whether it’s Jiminy Eco Toys’ climate-kind supplies, Mamukko’s upcycled bags, or Saoirse EHD’s handmade pencil cases, each product tells a story of innovation and community.
This curated guide highlights the best of Ireland’s creative and conscious makers, helping families prepare for school while supporting local enterprise and the planet.
Backpacks
Jiminy, owned by Roberta Cotter, is one of Ireland’s most prominent eco toy stores. “Our toys delight both the child and their planet. They’re climate-kind and minimal-waste – made in Europe from plants or recycled materials – and full of joy.”
Jiminy Eco Toys has been shortlisted for the Chambers Ireland Sustainable Business Impact Awards 2025.
Founded by Sharon Keilthy, it has developed a reputation for sustainable, planet-friendly back-to-school products. Their range includes essentials such as children’s backpacks in cheerful colours, stainless steel lunch boxes and water bottles, and earth-conscious stationery like wooden colouring pencils and PVC-free erasers.
All items are made in Europe from plant-based or recycled materials, reflecting Jiminy Eco Toy’s commitment to climate-kind manufacturing and minimal waste. Notably, the company partners with respected brands like Stabilo and Wooden Story, showcasing a selection of quality products that prioritise both durability and environmental responsibility.
In addition to practical stationery, Jiminy Eco Toy’s back-to-school offering features art and craft supplies, such as card making sets, wooden paint brushes, and cotton aprons. Their approach goes beyond mere product selection; they champion a low-impact lifestyle by providing tips on eco-friendly school preparations and ensuring all packaging is plastic-free where possible. Whether it’s through their robust backpacks or refillable pencil cases, Jiminy Eco Toys allows parents and children to choose supplies that support a greener future as the school year begins, combining joy and sustainability with everyday usefulness.
From their workshop in Kinsale, Co. Cork, Nora and Attila Magyar run Mamukko — a family-run circular design studio & brand pioneering sustainable innovation in Ireland since 2011. Building on five generations of leathercraft heritage, they create limited-edition pieces that merge heritage skill with contemporary design, transforming rescued sails, decommissioned life rafts, aircraft leather, and other industrial offcuts into works of functional art. Their unique modular recovery system combines multiple reclaimed materials in one design, making every creation a one-of-a-kind narrative.
With 14 national awards for design and sustainability, and features in The New York Times, Forbes, and Stern Magazine, Mamukko’s influence extends far beyond fashion. Recent collaborations with global leaders like aircraft leasing giant Avolon show how their creativity and sustainability expertise translate into high-profile corporate partnerships — proving that circular luxury can inspire at every scale.
Ohh! By Gum is a proudly B Corp certified ethical clothing and lifestyle store in the heart of Clifden, County Galway. Founded by Sharon Griffin, the store offers a thoughtfully curated selection of sustainable women’s, men’s, and kids’ clothing, plus homeware, gifts, and much more – all with a commitment to sustainability. Many of the products are made from organic and natural fabrics, crafted from eco-friendly materials, and produced by artisans and brands who champion ethical practices. Recognised as one of Ireland’s top boutiques, Ohh! By Gum has been featured in The Irish Times and Hot Press for its dedication to quality and sustainability.
Visitors to the store, located in the Station House Courtyard, will find a wide range of brands from Seasalt to TWOTHIRDS, to Madam Stoltz, A Beautiful Story, and many more wonderful brands. With its warm atmosphere and knowledgeable staff, it’s a favourite among locals and visitors alike, with the full collection also available online. Achieving B Corp certification in 2025 marked a major milestone for the business, underscoring its commitment to transparency, accountability, and using business as a force for good.
Notebooks
Created by James Byrne and Eoin Houlihan as a lockdown project, the company was formed in 2020, in their hometown of Kilcullen in Co Kildare.
“Faerly is your online home for sustainable living. A handpicked collection of everyday items from small Irish makers and eco-conscious brands.”
According to The Kildare National: “Faerly promotes a network of small Irish makers and eco-conscious brands and encourages consumers to be more conscious of the need to reduce unnecessary chemicals and plastics in their lives and invest in sustainably-produced gifts, household and skincare products.
Faerly are previous winners of the Ecommerce Website of the Year Award in the Irish Ecommerce Awards as well as two-time winners of the Online Retailer of the Year at the Retail Excellence Awards.
Their online shop’s Back to School collection includes a range of products such as lunchboxes, drinks bottles, sandwich wraps and stationery items and lots more.
Based in Cork City Badly Made Books produces handmade notebooks designed with sustainability at their core. Their books are carefully made using recycled materials such as paper derived from used coffee cups, food fibers, and fabric waste. Their production prioritises low environmental impact, combining hand-operated equipment with digital processes only when necessary.
Their products include “Agus Arís” collection, which features notebooks with elastic binding and loose pages that can be rearranged, revised, restructured, and repaired to reflect the way people think and work—akin to a “ctrl+z, ctrl+v on paper.” Badly Made Books also offers a reusable “book stick” with a crafted wooden spine to enable lifelong reuse and refilling. Their ethos includes transparency about environmental trade-offs, acknowledging that no product has zero impact but aiming to foster sustainability through design for repair, reuse, and recyclability.
Founded by Kim Whyte, inspired by a lifelong love of paper and the art of the handwritten message. The brand name, “Pawpear,” comes from the Irish word for paper, “páipéar.” Pawpear’s products celebrate Ireland’s rich culture, indigenous language, native flora, and landscapes through vibrant and colourful designs that aim to reconnect people through the personal, meaningful act of writing cards and letters. The brand emphasises the emotional and visual aspects of stationery, positioning handwritten communication as a meaningful, analogue alternative to digital messages. Pawpear is stocked in over 60 stores across Ireland, the UK and the US.
Sustainability and ethical sourcing are core to Pawpear’s brand. Collaborating with Irish suppliers, many of whom are family-run businesses, ensures local support and reduced environmental impact. Pawpear uses paper sourced from sustainably managed forests and ensures its packaging is PEFC-certified, recycled, or compostable. Additionally, the company supports environmental initiatives such as donating to HomeTree, which focuses on reforestation efforts in Ireland.
Recently they have won the following awards::
- Best Visual Branding at Showcase Ireland Business of Craft Awards 2025
- Best Start-Up Finalist in the Enterprise Awards 2025 Waterford
Water Bottles and Travel Mugs
Ecoset offers a stylish selection of back-to-school essentials, including premium water bottles, food pots, and a specialised kids’ range all can be personalised to make them unique. Based in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, Ecoset creates eco-friendly products to reduce single-use plastics and support a greener future.
Made from durable, triple-insulated stainless steel, Ecoset bottles keep drinks hot or cold for hours. Their Flasket Junior is range are BPA-free, leak-proof, and tough enough for school bags, playground knocks, and daily adventures.
Each product can be personalised in-house by Co-Founder Oscar Lai, with names and fun illustrations engraved free of charge. This makes every bottle special and easier to identify if left behind at school.
A portion of every sale supports Ireland’s Clean Coasts Programme, making Ecoset a smart, stylish choice for back to school and for the planet.
Mother Reusables was founded by husband and wife team Greg Mutton and Sarah Byrne, is an Irish company that focuses on creating high-quality reusable products designed to reduce single-use plastics and promote sustainability.
Their product range includes artist-designed reusable water bottles and coffee cups that stand out for their joyful, luxe, and unique aesthetics. Many of their bottles, such as the “Bird Watcher” dinky bottle, are made from triple-insulated stainless steel, keeping drinks cold for up to 24 hours or hot for up to 12, and feature BPA-free lids. The brand is proud of its Irish roots and environmental commitments; for example, they plant a tree for every bottle sold and donate portions of profits to environmental charities like Voice Ireland and Born Free, helping combat climate change and protect wildlife. Their products are also recyclable and made from recycled materials where possible, aligning with circular economy principles.
The company features gift-wrapped bottles and offers designs that support environmental causes, appealing to customers who want both sustainability and individuality in their reusable items.
Narcissips is a social enterprise which aims to prove that ‘small changes – can make a big impact’. Their bespoke reusable co-branding and customisation service helps organisations provide clients and employees with practical products – linking every order to measurable results.
To date, over 50,000 Narcissips items have been sold, removing huge volumes of single-use plastics from consumption across ireland and Europe.
At the heart of the brand is the ‘Give Back’ Initiative, aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Each order contributes to children’s tuition fees, fresh water well-building and plants native trees – delivering real, trackable impact. Beyond products, Narcissips shares educational content on sustainability and climate change, recognising that lasting change comes from shifting behaviours at both individual and community level – showcasing that while no one is perfect, we can each play our part.
Founder Cathal O’Reilly was recently shortlisted for the Irish Chartered Accountants rising star, for Narcissips focus on the United Nations sustainable development goals, having funded their 21st freshwater well in Malawi.
Pencil Cases and Stationary
Saoirse EHD (Ethnic Hands on Deck) is a social enterprise founded by migrant women living in Direct Provision and local communities in County Cork, Ireland. The name “Saoirse,” meaning “freedom” in Irish, reflects the enterprise’s mission to unleash the potential of migrant women by channeling their creativity and spirit into building a sustainable economic business. Saoirse EHD was founded with a focus on breaking down barriers for migrant women, empowering them through work that produces stylish, high-quality products with meaningful stories that benefit the community.
The enterprise offers a variety of products such as natural scented candles, scrunchies, and “Mother Tongue” tote bags in different languages reflecting cultural identity. Saoirse EHD also follows a zero-waste policy by salvaging fabric offcuts and leftover materials to create unique one-off pieces sold at regular pop-up markets. Their approach not only supports sustainability but also promotes social inclusion and economic independence for migrant women in Ireland. The organisation is well-regarded for its blend of creativity, ethical production, and community impact, making it a notable example of Irish social enterprise rooted in migrant empowerment and environmental responsibility.
Some of their back to school range include tote bags and unique pencil case
Created by Mundy Walsh, A C H A R A Stationery, based in Kilkenny, Ireland, embraces ethical and sustainable practices at the heart of its brand. The studio prioritises the use of environmentally responsible materials, such as FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified, PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) certified, or Cradle to Cradle certified paper. These certifications ensure that the paper used is sourced from well-managed forests and recycled materials, reflecting A C H A R A’s commitment to reducing environmental impact. Additionally, the packaging is recyclable, further minimising waste. The production process is handmade which supports slow, ethical craftsmanship rather than mass production. Locally sourced materials and an emphasis on high quality and ethical production underscore the brand’s dedication to sustainability and responsibility.
A C H A R A notebooks are perfect for back to school, for pupils, teachers or parents. Each item is made to order, reducing overproduction and waste. Production times vary due to this personalized approach, highlighting the artisan ethos and environmental consciousness behind the brand. Customers are encouraged to engage with the brand’s sustainability story and bespoke service through direct contact, ensuring transparency and reinforcing the brand’s ethical values within the stationery market
Circular Economy
Opening Minds specialises in supplying schoolbooks, stationery, and educational materials to parents, teachers, and schools across Ireland since 1984. With over 40 years of experience, Opening Minds is known for its reliable service and broad range of products tailored to the Irish education system. They focus on meeting and exceeding the expectations of their customers, serving as a trusted provider in the educational supply sector.
The company operates out of Ashbourne Business Park, Co. Meath, and is dedicated to supporting the educational community by offering schoolbooks and related supplies efficiently. Opening Minds plays a key role in helping families and schools get equipped for the academic year, providing a convenient channel for purchasing essential learning materials in Ireland. Not only do they sell first hand books but they have a dedicated second hand book re-sale, designed to reduce costs for families and reduce the environmental impact of producing new books.
Schooldays.ie is Ireland’s most comprehensive online resource aimed at supporting parents, caregivers, and teachers throughout the school years, from pre-school to secondary education. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Baggot Street, in Dublin, the platform provides a wide range of information and services including parenting advice, school listings, learning supports, afterschool activities, school tours, family break ideas, and much more. Most recently, schooldays.ie has launched a dedicated childcare platform connecting parents with trusted childminders, babysitters and au pairs across Ireland. It serves as a valuable hub connecting families and educators with practical resources to navigate education and parenting in Ireland.
The website attracts a strong and growing community, providing quality, curated content tailored especially for parents and teachers. Schooldays.ie also offers opportunities for businesses and professionals to engage with their audience through advertising and sponsorships aligned with educational and family-related themes. Their mission is to create an environment where learning thrives and to ensure everyone involved in children’s education has the support they need for success. The platform is recognised for its user-friendly layout and commitment to continuously developing its offerings to enhance user experience across the country.
SkoolStuff.ie is Ireland’s newest classified ads website dedicated to buying and selling new and used school-related items. The platform offers a fast, easy, and affordable way for people to rehome old school uniforms, sports club gear, and other school essentials. Its main aim is to encourage the reuse and recycling of school products, supporting families in saving money and reducing waste. Operating from Co. Dublin, SkoolStuff.ie provides a convenient marketplace for parents and students to find and sell items for primary and secondary school levels, promoting sustainability through second-hand trading.
The site features various categories including primary school and secondary school supplies, making it a focused resource for school-related needs. SkoolStuff.ie also provides customer support through contact channels like phone and email to assist users in their transactions. This platform stands out as a community-oriented effort to lessen the environmental footprint of school shopping by extending the lifecycle of school items with an easy-to-use online interface.
Image at top: Photo by Chris Hardy on Unsplash
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