We’re powering up with eco chargers that keep us connected without heating up the planet.
Opting for a better battery charger means a move away from virgin plastic towards the use of more sustainable materials and, in the case of portable solar chargers, a cleaner, greener energy solution.
Whether you’re looking for an eco-friendly phone charger, solar power bank, tablet, or laptop charger, several charger brands are (r)amping up on the sustainability front.
For this list, we looked for brands that opted for more sustainable materials, transparency in their supply chains and built some green business practice into their operations.
Our new Brand Rating System will take these considerations further with 22 criteria, from climate change and energy efficiency to human rights. For all the details, take a peek at our explainer here and look out for rated brands below.
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.
Our Top Picks: Eco Chargers
Nimble offers at-home eco chargers and portable battery chargers made from a high percentage of BPA-free and PVC-free certified recycled plastic.
Each purchase of a solid wood wireless eco charger made from Oakywood helps support reforestation projects.
BioLite helps keep your devices powered with their lightweight solar panels, featuring an integrated sundial to help you maximize those sun-rays.
Index: Sustainable Power Banks & Chargers
- Goal Zero Jump to brand
- Nimble Jump to brand
- Biolite Jump to brand
- Casetify Jump to brand
- Anker Jump to brand
- Ecoblvd Jump to brand
- Oakywood Jump to brand
Goal Zero
About Goal Zero’s Chargers
Price Range: $60–$600
Looking for a solar-powered phone charger? Goal Zero can help.
With monocrystalline panels and a built-in kickstand, the NOMAD 5 is their smallest portable solar charger, ideal for keeping your phone charged on the move with minimal bulk added to your backpack.
10W and 20W portable chargers or larger portable panels—which need to be paired with one of their solar power bank inverters—are also available to suit most small battery voltage needs.
They also offer mountable panels if you’re looking for eco home solar trickle chargers (especially if that home is a van or RV!)
Goal Zero’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
GoalZero takes its environmental and social impact seriously.
All of the manufacturers they work with are third-party audited.
Shipping is carbon offset, their Utah headquarters uses 100% renewable energy, and they’re reducing the use of virgin plastics.
The brand gives back by donating a percentage of profits to global humanitarian causes, including disaster relief and community advocacy.
Nimble
About Nimble’s Chargers
Price Range: $20–$125
Certified B Corp and Climate Neutral Nimble has several eco-friendly chargers to suit all your devices.
Made with 72.5% certified recycled plastic, the WALLY Pro Wall Charger takes care of all your devices with multiple ports and 63W of charging power.
They also offer flexible charger modules for powering up on the move. These compact USB-C and USB-A portable chargers come in different wattages with battery sizes ranging from 5,200mha to 10,000mha.
Each Nimble charger is BPA and PVC-free and comes with a two-year warranty.
Nimble’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Committed to combating e-waste, this Californian brand uses recycled materials to make its electronic accessories.
Each order comes with a recycled plastic bag for sending back your old tech in.
Products are shipped carbon-neutral in plastic-free packaging
Biolite
About BioLite’s Solar Chargers
Price Range: $80–$400
BioLite caters to off-grid adventures with a solar battery charger for any outdoor enthusiast.
Choose between 5W, 10W, and 100W lightweight solar panels featuring USB outputs, a 360-degree kickstand, and an integrated sundial to help with placement.
The 5W and 10W panels have an onboard 3,200mAh battery, so that you can store the energy for later. The larger 100W panel pairs with their BioLite BaseCharge 600 & 1500 power stations for a next-level off-grid power solution.
The AlpenGlow 500 is a two-in-one rechargeable LED flashlight and power bank to charge battery voltage up to 5V.
BioLite’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
BioLite specializes in eco-friendly camping gear and products for off-grid living.
From headlamps to sustainable, self-contained fire pits, they cover the practicalities of every adventure with their charging, cooking, and lighting essentials.
The brand’s social mission is simple: “to provide 20 million people with access to clean energy and to avoid 3 million tons of CO2e by the year 2025”.
Stationed in Nairobi, their Emerging Markets (EM) Team works with partners from 23 different countries to provide remote customers with finance and training.
To date, they’ve reached 5,222,926 people in Africa and Asia.
Casetify
About CASETiFY’s Eco Phone Chargers
Price Range: $42
The magnetic wireless eco-friendly cell phone chargers from tech accessories brand CASETify are fun, planet-friendly, and super slim at only 5.7mm.
Key features include being made of recycled aluminum with a strong magnetic disk and non-slip base.
They offer wireless charging up to 7.5W for iPhones and 15W for Qi-enabled devices.
There are hundreds of designs and options to choose from, all printed using eco-friendly ink.
CASETify’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
CASETify is primarily a phone case brand specializing in those made from recycled and plant-based materials (some of which are 100% compostable).
They plant trees with Earth Day’s Canopy Project; and support Breast Cancer Awareness month and The Christopher Street West Association,.
Anker
About Anker’s Chargers
Price range: $330–$549
If you need a quick eco charge, chargers and power banks from Anker are small but mighty.
70% smaller than the original 30W USB-C charger, the Anker 711 Charger (Nano II 30W) offers high-speed charging for your MacBook Air, phone, or tablet and comes with an 18-month warranty.
For something a little more powerful, the Anker 747 Charger (GaNPrime 150W) can charge two laptops or four devices at once.
They also offer USB cables made of 40% bio-based plastic (corn and sugarcane) packaged in FSC-certified, recyclable packaging.
Anker also offers solar powered chargers. Their PowerCore Solar 10000 is dust, shock, and water-resistant, ideal for a day on the beach, hiking, eco camping, or just in your backyard.
For faster charging and more power (cue Tool Time), they offer the PowerCore Solar 2000 with dual ports and a 20,000 mAh battery.
Both models have a built-in flashlight, wrist strap, drop protection, and Anker’s 18-month warranty.
Anker’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
A global leader in charging technology, Anker offers chargers, cables, power stations, power banks, and portable solar panels.
Their new alkaline batteries are free from cadmium and mercury and made from recycled components.
Ecoblvd
About EcoBlvd’s Chargers
Price Range: $30
For a battery charger made from 100% recycled post-consumer materials, consider the PowerPlant Dual-Port wall battery charger from EcoBlvd.
It’s compact, lightweight and made from reclaimed aluminum, steel, and post-consumer recycled plastic.
Featuring 30W USB-C and 20W USB-A outputs, this charger is six times more powerful than your average charger and can charge two devices at once, including phones, tablets, and laptops.
Pair it with a LifeVine USB charging cable made from 100% recycled post-consumer materials to maximize your eco-efforts.
Or consider their Bamboo Wireless Chargers. Out of the 26 designs they have, 12 feature customer favorites from their phone case line, so you can match your case to its charger.
EcoBlvd’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
EcoBlvd tackles plastic waste head-on with its range of eco-friendly products.
Products come in plastic-free packaging with free US ground shipping and carbon-neutral shipping via EcoCart.
You can recycle your old phone cases, chargers, and cables from any brand with their Roundabout Recycling Program (prepaid envelope provided).
A percentage of each sale is donated to nonprofits working to protect our environment.
Our Personal Review Of EcoBlvd’s Chargers
We got the opportunity to test out both types of chargers and love how lightweight and minimalist (without sacrificing the fun of the printed surface) the wireless charger is. Plus, the bright colors make it so you never have to fumble around to find the charger surface.
The PowerPlant wall charger is heavy duty and super durable, and features two ports so we can charge both our phone and another device all on one small, palm-sized plug. Tech accessories can become such a source of clutter, so we appreciate EcoBlvd’s attempt to keep things simple.
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head Of Content
Oakywood
About Oakywood’s Wireless Eco Chargers
Price Range: $70–$110
Each eco-friendly charger from Polish brand Oakywood is made from solid wood (Polish oak and American Walnut) with an eco-wax oil coating.
With several designs to choose from, including a Slim Charging Pad and the chunkier OakyBlocks model, these stylish and sustainable wireless charging pads double as a piece of home décor.
For more modular charging, check out the various charging docks which can support up to three devices and multiple battery types at once.
The charging speed is automatically tailored to your device.
Oakywood’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Combining a love for wood and technology, Oakywood has everything you need to create a sustainable workspace, including desks, desk accessories, phone chargers, cases, sleeves, stands, and more.
The brand’s products are handcrafted in their own workshop in Poland. Sustainably sourced materials include FSC-certified wood, Portuguese cork, Merino wool felt, and steel.
Oakywood supports reforestation projects through partnerships with One Tree Planted and Forever Forest.
What Is An Eco Friendly Charger & Why Use One?
As a global society, we have reached peak electricity demand—and just like reaching peak demand in a circuit, it’s causing us to black out our planet.
So pause your charging for a moment to think about whether you actually need a new charger?
If not, look after your existing charger and try to avoid leaving it behind when you’re out and about.
E-waste is a huge problem. It’s estimated that old chargers create more than 51,000 tonnes of electronic waste each year.
Consider that most chargers are currently made from virgin plastic, lacking in durability, and are often device specific. And many of us change our devices every 2 years. It’s easy to see how the numbers add up.
So be sure to recycle your old chargers responsibly at end-of-life. Here’s our guide to disposing of electronics.
If you do absolutely need to buy a new one, a planet-friendly, eco charger is one that creates less of an environmental impact during manufacturing, consumer use, and its end-of-life phase.
The best environmentally friendly chargers are:
- durable
- made from sustainable materials
- energy-efficient
- compatible with a large range of devices
- easily recyclable
Are solar chargers eco-friendly?
The overall sustainability of solar panels is a bit of a gray (sky) area due to raw materials sourcing, manufacturing, and recycling concerns.
However, solar power is still one of the cleanest, greenest energy alternatives.
A solar charger is an ideal way to power your tech for “free”. They’re handy for off-grid adventures, but even if you’re not headed into the great outdoors, a solar charger is a simple way to reduce energy costs at home.
Charging tech to keep an eye on…
There are some exciting innovations to keep your eye on—err ion?
In addition to solar chargers, you can break free from wall sockets with chargers that use kinetic energy—including pedal-powered chargers, yoyo chargers, and wearable chargers like power wellies!
We hope we’ve sparked your curiosity. If so, please share this with any friends and/or family looking for a new charger.
