Review: Eco-Friendly Lunch Boxes to Help You Go Plastic Free

Black+Blum (affiliate link) eco-friendly lunch boxes, lunch bag, water bottle and travel mug

You may remember when I reviewed some of Black+Blum’s eco-friendly lunch boxes (affiliate link) a few years ago. If not you can read the post here. This was back in 2018 and I have been an avid fan of Black+Blum ever since and use their products most weekdays. But I am not the only one who loved their range of eco-friendly food containers. Almost immediately my husband adopted most of the products we received for himself.

He was extremely impressed with the quality and durability of the stainless steel products. He works outside as a landscape gardener and his lunch bag takes quite a beating being hauled around every day and chucked in the back of a van. He liked that the lunch boxes were metal and really hard-wearing and he loved the thermos pot that allowed him to take hot meals to work in winter. He even bagsied the insulated water bottle.

All that was left for me to use was the sandwich box and that is only because my husband doesn’t really eat sandwiches and I would eat sandwiches for every meal if I could.

Recently the seal on his stainless steel lunchbox gave way and he was very sad to have to buy a whole new lunch box only because the seal had failed. It was then that I learned that Black+Blum actually sells replacement parts (affiliate link) on their website and for just £5 we could buy a new lid for the lunch box. We were both so happy to discover this as it felt so wasteful to ditch the whole lunch box when only the lid was broken.

It is small things like this that really make me respect a brand and want to stay loyal to them. Black+Blum makes eco-friendly lunch boxes, water bottles and accessories and this is a core value for them. So instead of profiting from their product eventually failing, they have given their customers a way to prolong the life of that product and save it from landfill and damaging the environment. I have so much respect for companies that live by their values.

While I was on the Black+Blum website buying a new lid (affiliate link), I spotted the new range of glass lunchboxes that Black+Blum has just launched and I reached out to them to see if I could review the new products as well. Rather selfishly I was quite excited to see that the products were made of glass as it meant they are probably too delicate for my husband to use for work.

The products that I requested were the glass lunch pot (affiliate link) and the glass lunch bowl (affiliate link), the lunch bag (affiliate link), the glass travel cup (affiliate link) and the glass water bottle (affiliate link). I figured this was everything I would ever need for taking my breakfast and lunch to work with me. It covers all bases.

I could take my overnight oats for breakfast in the lunch pot, my healthy lunch in the lunch bowl, coffee in the travel mug for the car journey, water in the water bottle and pop as much of it as would fit into the lunch bag. It actually felt like an act of self-care as I am terrible at remembering to eat during the day and often end up grabbing unhealthy food on the fly. Then I feel guilty about the extra expense and calories as well as the unnecessary plastic that food inevitably comes in.

I vowed to myself that I would make a real effort to meal prep on work days and these eco-friendly food containers will help me to do just that. I now have no excuse.

Eco-Friendly Glass Travel Cup

I normally use the glass travel cup for my coffee on my morning commute and I do actually occasionally use it throughout the day at work as it keeps my coffee warmer for longer. The travel cup holds 340ml and comes with a really nice easy-grip, non-slip protective silicone sleeve. I choose a lovely dark green colour but it does come in three other colours.

It feels really nice to hold and the sleeve not only protects your hands from temperature variations but it also provides a really nice non-slip grip.

The cup is made from hand-blown durable and lightweight borosilicate glass and is 100% leakproof which is very important if you’re taking it around with you and maybe slinging it in your bag.

The lid is lockable and can be opened with one hand. The small drinking hole means that spillages are unlikely and if they do occur not much will come out. The spout also enables ‘direct flow’, which, similar to drinking from a mug, means you’re less likely to burn yourself.

A big bonus for me is the fact that it is not only dishwasher safe but also microwave and freezer safe and the lid can be disassembled for ease of cleaning. And I also really like that it can fit securely into the cup holder in the car.

Eco-Friendly Glass Water Bottle

The glass water bottle can hold 600ml is BPA free and has a similar protective non-slip sleeve. I chose the Almond sleeve but there are six other colour options available. The bottle is also 100% leakproof thanks to the high-quality stainless steel lid.

A really nice touch that surprised me and that I had never experienced before is the fact that the thread is actually on the inside of the bottleneck for a much smoother drinking experience. It is the small design details like this that really make Black+Blum stand out to me. It’s like they really have gone above and beyond during the design process to give the user the best possible experience.

The lid’s design also ensures that there is full glass and stainless steel contact with the water. The paracord loop makes it really easy to carry around and is very sturdy.

Eco-Friendly Leakproof Lunch Boxes

The two eco-friendly lunch boxes that I received are the perfect size for breakfast and lunch. The smaller glass lunch pot holds 450ml and is 100% leakproof making it suitable for taking cereal or overnight oats for the morning. This works well for me as I can’t eat first thing so I often end up either skipping breakfast altogether or taking it to the office with me. Whilst I’ve been using it for breakfast the glass lunch pot would obviously be suitable for a small lunch portion.

The larger glass lunch bowl is great for salads and pasta which I tend to take to work and I love the fact that it is leakproof. I’ve lost count of the times that salad dressing has leaked in my laptop bag previously or I’ve had to take a lunchbox inside a carrier bag inside the laptop bag.

The glass lunch bowls are also made from borosilicate glass which is lightweight, stain resistant and strong. It actually took three years to develop this design as Black+Blum wanted to ensure it was lightweight and leakproof unlike other glass products on the market.

The protective outer bowl is made from sustainably-sourced wood fibre and a PP mix base which helps to keep the contents cool. Both the glass bowl and the wood fibre bowl are microwave safe. The silicone lid can be used instead of clingfilm when microwaving and the little lip on the lid can be tucked inside the rim of the glass to prevent a vacuum from forming – genius! The glass bowl and the silicone lid are both oven-safe and the whole lot is dishwasher and freezer safe.

Eco-Friendly Lunch Bag

The eco-friendly lunch bag holds 6.7l and is made from recycled PET. The welded/sealed edge construction makes it leakproof and the insulating inner surface ensures that the contents stay cool. It has an innovative roll-top construction, which makes it easy to carry, collapse down for storage or strap it to another bag.

The bag is really quite large and can fit a lot inside. It is more than adequate for the small glass lunch pot and the glass lunch bowl along with the glass travel cup. However, I couldn’t quite fit the glass water bottle as well. But if you were only taking one eco-friendly storage container along with a water bottle and maybe some fruit it would all fit with no problem.

The only criticism that I have about any of these products is the fastening mechanism that latches the carry handle together on the lunch bag. It is really easy to do up and undo and it very secure, but if the bag is quite heavy and you intend to carry it by hand, the clasp can be a little uncomfortable for smaller hands.

Eco-Friendly Meal Prep Containers

All in all, I am extremely impressed by the new glass range of eco-friendly lunchboxes, water bottles, and travel cups by Black+Blum and the eco-friendly lunch bag. The design is impeccable and they have really thought of every little detail to minimize the impact that these products will have on the environment but also to make sure that the user experience is second to none. There have been no compromises in the quality of these products and it really does show.

I asked if I could review these products because I really do believe that Black+Blum is using the power of good design to bring about positive change. Design has what it takes to help us solve many of the environmental problems that we are now faced with. Companies like Black+Blum who are brave enough to step away from planned obsolescence and offer products that are more circular, designed to last and that can be reused thanks to the availability of replacement parts, all while ensuring an excellent user experience both in terms of product and service are the ones who will thrive in the long run.

I really do admire their approach and it has been a real pleasure testing these products. I have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone looking for lunchboxes for adults and the associated accessories. I really do find that Black+Blum offers the best eco-friendly lunchboxes (affiliate link).

If you’d like to hear from Dan Black, founder of Black+Blum, talking all about the new range you can catch this interview I did with him here.