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Life Cycle Assessment
Life Cycle Assessments help us to understand the impact of a product across the whole supply chain – from raw materials to end of life. Read the latest LCA for the EF backpack.
Backpack LCA
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Go through almost any airport terminal in the world and you’ll likely notice a recurring accessory: the EF backpack. Over the years, millions of EF travelers have shouldered their humble backpack, on their way to an unforgettable experience.
They’ve been on airplanes, buses and trains, in schools, through jungles, and over mountains. But as time has progressed, so has the EF backpack.
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The EF backpack has been all around the world with our travelers.
In 2023, a trial began on a new EF backpack made from post-consumer recycled plastic water bottles. The first order of new backpacks by EF Educational Tours diverted over 1.9 million plastic water bottles from landfill.
The success of this initial trial triggered a ripple effect, inspiring other EF businesses to start their own initiatives:
EF High School Exchange Year completely overhauled its student materials to reduce waste and increase longevity, making sustainability a core consideration.
For 2024, EF Academy started its sustainable backpack journey with a large-scale redesign project.
EF Language Abroad started providing the EF sustainable backpack to its younger students across the world in 2025. It also significantly reduced packaging and increased sustainable materials used in its student and staff merchandise.
“We think the things we give should be worth holding on to. So we choose items our students and staff can actually use, reuse, and feel proud of — made to last, not just to exist.”
Packed with memories: Our EF Language Abroad students love customizing their backpacks, turning them from a functional item into a treasured momento they'll hold on to for years to come.
Thanks to our long-term partnership with MaCher, the EF backpack has continued to make strides. To date, over 6 million plastic bottles have been saved from landfill.
MaCher is tracing and testing materials to verify the amount of recycled content used. This means EF’s backpacks are made with a minimum of 75% recycled materials – but the true number is usually far higher.
In addition to the materials, the backpacks are put through rigorous testing to ensure durability, and are designed to encourage customers to use them for years to come.
All these efforts result in the production of merchandise that has a more positive impact on the environment. In the latest Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), we found each EF backpack emits just over 7KG of CO2e in its lifetime – 8% less than a backpack made with non-recycled (virgin) materials.
However, this is only part of the picture. With responsible sourcing, reduced waste, and greater durability, fewer backpacks and materials are heading to landfill and are made with circularity in mind.
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And counting...
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Reducing impact on the planet
Positive social and environmental impact
Working with suppliers who adopt sustainable practices supports our own sustainability journey. As a certified B Corporation, MaCher is operating to the highest social and environmental standards. They’ve even set goals around how they approach growth, to remain focused on their purpose and prioritize value creation over volume. Through this progressive model, 2% of revenue is redirected toward environmental and social projects.
“The best backpack is the one that was never made”, said Derek. “We want these backpacks to last and be part of someone’s life, so they don’t feel tempted to buy another, and another.”
Some EF businesses have taken this ethos to heart, even opting to end some merchandise productions altogether.
Derek believes taking steps to reduce the impact of product creation and demanding high standards from factories has a ripple effect across the industry.
“EF’s action sets a strong example to others. It sends a message to our suppliers that there is a demand for this type of product. It creates a business case to the factories. The more businesses doing this, the better, because it snowballs.”
Within EF, businesses are sharing their experience in producing sustainable products so that change continues across our business and in the wider industry.