Sustainable cookware turns the heat up in the kitchen—without doing the same for our planet.
Most of us have some appreciation of the impact of our diets. Especially if you’ve seen the ground-beef-breaking environmental film, Cowspiracy.
But while consuming meat certainly takes the lion’s paw print portion of our carbon-based dinner, what we cook our meals in also has an impact.
We need to consider what materials were mined, what chemicals were used for the coating, and how durable the pot or pan is.
Nonstick pans are the worst—not just because they can release byproducts and toxic chemicals when heated but because their lifespan of three to five years is far from sustainable.
In the immortal words of Chef Gordon Ramsey, nonstick can “get the f*ck out of my kitchen!”
To this end, we’ve curated a list of cookware made by brands who prioritize responsible, safe materials and ethical labor, all backed by relevant certifications. In other words, they’re safe in Chef Ramsey’s kitchen.
Soon we’ll be rolling out a Brand Rating System, assessing 22 sustainability-related criteria, such as climate impact and chemical use. Here’s our explainer, if you’d like to know more.
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.
Sustainable Pots & Pans That Won’t Fry Our Planet
Here are our specials for the evening’s article.
We can personally recommend the Caraway Cookware Set, tried and tested it is what delicious dreams are made of. The four pots and pans have a non-toxic ceramic coating that’s easy to clean and can handle high temperatures.
Be sure to add Great Jones (aka The Dutchess) to the dinner party guest list as the enameled cast iron Dutch oven lasts forever and comes with a lifetime warranty.
When we’re cooking for the planet, less is more—which is why we love the oven safe 8-in-1 Perfect Pot from Our Place.
Index: Eco-Friendly Cookware Brands
- Caraway Jump to brand
- Our Place Jump to brand
- Xtrema Jump to brand
- Great Jones Jump to brand
- Kana Jump to brand
- Material Jump to brand
- Etsy Jump to brand
Caraway
About Caraway
Price Range: $95—$145
Caraway is all about clean cooking.
Even if you’re a boxed-mac-n-cheese kind of chef, their eco-friendly nonstick cookware will make your meal a little healthier.
With frying pans, saute pans, saucepans, and Dutch ovens (available individually or as part of eco-friendly cookware sets) it’s easy to get carried away with Caraway.
Especially because everything—including their Fry Pan— is suitable for induction cooktops and can handle high temperatures.
Did we mention that their ceramic cookware and eco-friendly bakeware sets come in several different colors?
Add them to your ethical gift list for the conscious foodie in your life.
Caraway’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
All Caraway cookware is made with an aluminum core, stainless steel handles, and a non-toxic, ceramic coating that doesn’t leach harmful chemicals (PTFE, lead, cadmium, PFAs, PFOA, and toxic metals).
As a bonus, it requires less oil or butter when cooking and less scrubbing with your zero waste dish soap when cleaning.
Just be sure NOT to use metal utensils for cooking as this will significantly decrease the life of any ceramic cookware.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Caraway cookware is designed in New York and produced in ethical factories in China.
Using BSCI- and SMETA-certified manufacturing partners, they only work with those proud to support safe working environments, fair pay, employee benefits, and regulated work hours.
Because they cut out middlemen, they also cut out some unnecessary retail markups.
Green business practices:
In addition to using a coating that releases 60% less CO2 during manufacturing (compared to conventional non-stick coatings), Caraway uses recycled cardboard, low-impact dyes, 100% biodegradable cork trivets, and zero plastic bags.
Our Place
About Our Place
Price Range: $60—$300
Our Place believes in the power of a home-cooked meal.
While their collection of cookware and eco-friendly dinnerware is small, it’s quite the display.
The star of the show is the best-selling Always Pan, which can be used for braising, searing, steaming, straining, boiling, frying, sautéing, and serving!
A heaven-sent for home chefs, it’s compatible with all cooktops and replaces eight pieces of cookware.
Pair it with the Perfect Pot (a replacement for a stock pot, Dutch oven, roasting rack, steamer, saucepot, strainer, braiser, and spoon rest), and you’ve got EVERYTHING you need for a sustainable supper, in just two items.
The best sustainable cookware, after all, is minimalist and multi-functional.
Our Place’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
These 8-in-1 non-stick cookware dreams are made from a ceramic non-toxic, nonstick surface and come with a beechwood spatula/spoon, and a sturdy aluminum (partially recycled) bottom for even heat distribution.
They’re free from toxic materials like nanoparticles, cadmium, lead, PTFEs, PFOAs, and PFAs.
The enameled cookware coating means these cast iron pans require no seasoning.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Our Place may want to minimize the number of items we have in our kitchens, but they’re also going the extra step to ensure those items have been produced ethically.
Their partner factories are located in China, Thailand, and Mexico and proudly boast certifications from SEDEX, SA8000, ISO, and BSCI.
They ensure ethical working conditions and pay above a living wage.
Green business practices:
In addition to transforming several pieces of cookware into just one (fewer materials = less manufacturing), Our Place sends it in plastic-free, recyclable, and biodegradable packaging materials.
Community & charitable giving:
The woman and immigrant-founded company’s main philanthropic project is a partnership with the Los Angeles Food Policy Council.
They’re currently in the process of helping to establish a locally-owned mini market, which will help provide access to fresh and healthy food in South LA.
They also regularly donate to organizations like Feeding America.
Xtrema
About Xtrema
Price Range: $50—$380
Xtrema wants us to not only think about the ingredients and foods we’re putting into our bodies but also the pots and pans we’re putting our food into.
They provide peace of mind with their line of safe cookware made entirely of ceramic.
Recommended by doctors and nutritionists, their skillets, saucepans, stockpots, dutch ovens, bakeware, teapots, lids, and cookware sets are all free of metals and chemicals.
Bring these non-toxic pots to boil then cover and simmer your way to sustainable supper.
Xtrema’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Xtrema is xtremely uncomplicated with their single-substance eco-friendly ceramic cookware.
Being 100% natural ceramic (a mix of minerals, clay, oxides, and water), these pots and pans are nonreactive and free of PFOA, PTFE, nanoparticles, glues, polymers, dyes, and coatings (read: the BEST non-stick low-impact cookware).
Additionally, the eco-friendly pots and pans from Xtrema won’t change the taste of the food or leach chemicals, lead, cadmium, or metal.
All pieces meet California Prop 65 standards.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Xtrema is family-owned and operated in the U.S.
Each non-stick pan and pot is handmade by skilled artisans in China—a country ranked #1 for ceramic manufacturing in the world.
Each piece takes 20 days to make from start to finish.
Green business practices:
The dedication to quality and 10,000 years of ceramic innovation mean this cookware is durable enough to handle any cooking method.
They’re so confident in this, they provide a 10-year warranty.
Community & charitable giving:
The ethical cookware company has partnered with Goodwill to support those who’ve had a difficult time finding employment by providing fulfilling work in their fulfilment centers.
Great Jones
About Great Jones
Price Range: $75—$190
Great Jones wasn’t just started with great food in mind, it was supported by some of the biggest names in American food (like Momofuku’s David Chang!).
The top cookware brand has kitchen essentials for any type of deliciousness and cooking surface (including induction stoves and cooktops).
Their healthy cookware and bakeware includes stockpots, fry pans, warming dishes, bread pans, skillets, sauciers, and sets.
Like a good chef can satisfy (almost) any taste, they satisfy any kitchen, cook, and budget.
Great Jones’ Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Great Jones’ eco-friendly pots and pans are made from three main materials: enameled cast iron, stainless steel, and ceramic nonstick.
The non-reactive stainless steel pans won’t impact flavors and the aluminum core distributes the heat evenly. The stainless steel handles and knobs dissipate heat, too.
Pieces made with stainless steel contain trace amounts of nickel, but they’re free of Teflon and instead, a nontoxic ceramic coating is used with some of the fry pans.
The Dutch ovens are made of oven safe cast iron enamel that works well with extremely high heat. A bonus of enameled cast iron cookware is that it doesn’t require seasoning either!
Ceramic (specifically, stoneware) is used in some of the non-toxic bakeware, allowing pieces to go from low and medium temperatures to those up to 450°F.
Most pieces are PTFE and/or PFOA-free.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Great Jones partners with vetted cookware factories all over the world (Guangdong, China; Tianjin, China; and the USA).
We’re hoping they’ll give us more details about specific labor practices and worker protections.
Green business practices:
Ever wondered what happens to a non-stick pan when it becomes… a stick pan? It ends up in a landfill and stays there forever.
Great Jones stands out for one big reason—all of their returned cookware is recycled or donated through a partnership with Hot Bread Kitchen in New York.
You’ll probably never even get to that point though because most of their products are backed by a limited lifetime warranty.
Kana
About Kana
Price Range: $125—$270
Kana is committed to taking the things we use around the house every day and making them better.
Transform your kitchen with their Milo Cookware line of cast iron cookware. You can meal prep like the pros using their cast iron pans, Dutch ovens, spacious skillets, and cookware sets.
Like everything else, the Ultimate Skillet is made of enameled cast iron that’s oven safe (up to 500ªF), dishwasher safe, and suitable for all cooktops.
The cast iron cookware comes in nine fun color combinations including Eucalyptus, Terracotta, Dusty Pink, Dijon, Pebble, and Black Gloss (amongst others).
Kana’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
From the Dutch oven to the skillet, everything is made with 40% recycled cast iron, a stainless steel knob, and TOMATEC™ enamel to enhance performance and durability. This makes it naturally non-stick, easy to clean, and free of PFOA and PTFE.
All Milo cookware products have been tested and are REACH and California Prop 65 compliant (i.e. free of 800 dangerous chemicals).
Supply chain & labor practices:
Kana’s cast iron pans cast a light on better working conditions.
The designs happen in California before the cast iron cookware is manufactured in BSCI-certified factories that also adhere to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 standards.
The family-owned factories ensure fair pay and safe working environments.
Green business practices:
Milo Cookware is meant to last. Every piece is guaranteed for life. If it becomes unusable due to normal use, they’ll replace it—free of charge.
Kana partners with EcoCart to offset their shipping emissions.
Material
About Material
Price Range: $95—$295
Material is all about thoughtfully designed items that transform your kitchen (for the better).
When the kitchen is getting hot in herre (cue Nelly), the brand keeps things as cool as possible for the planet—all thanks to their long-lasting saucepan, sauté pan, coated pan, and copper environmentally friendly cookware.
Each item is dishwasher safe and affordably priced.
Material’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Whether heating instant noodles or whipping up a five-course meal, Materials combines safe materials like stainless steel and aluminum.
At the center of the pans and pots is a 5-ply copper core, which ensures excellent heat conductivity.
For anything that requires stirring, flipping, or sautéeing, a non-stick, stainless steel alloy coating is used. It’s non-toxic and free of cadmium, lead, fumes, toxins, and PFOA.
It’ll stop the aluminum/stainless steel pan from imparting “off” flavors when cooking acidic foods, too.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Material’s stainless steel cookware is made in the US, Europe, South Korea, and China.
They work with their manufacturing partners to ensure ethical and environmentally compliant practices are upheld.
Green business practices:
Their use of an extremely durable non-stick coating is proven to last 37x longer than ceramic—and much longer than the 2-3 year lifespan of most pots and pans.
Aside from their limited edition products, everything is backed by a lifetime guarantee. If something becomes damaged, just email and they’ll fix or replace it.
Inclusivity:
Material is friend and AAPI-founded.
Etsy
About Etsy Secondhand Cookware
Price Range: Various
Etsy is a treasure trove for vintage cooking essentials (and one of the best all-around alternatives to Amazon!).
It is THE PLACE to find unique, vintage, and one-of-a-kind cookware. From the famous Rival Crock Pots to beautiful floral Pyrex casserole dishes, Etsy has a vibrant offering of incredible pieces.
We’ll spare you hours (days?) of scrolling by mentioning one of our favorite kitchen-focused Etsy sellers (though there are hundreds more worth giving a taste-test).
Laura’s Last Ditch is dedicated to helping find the unfindable, and with more than 13,000 sales and an average five-star rating, it seems she’s pretty good at it.
This Michigan-based store specializes in antique housewares, food photography props, small appliances, bakeware, and vintage pots and pans.
Etsy’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Expect to see some of the usual materials used for the vintage cookware—namely aluminum, stainless steel, pyrex, ceramic, and other metals.
Supply chain & labor practices:
This varies by store but in Laura’s case, Laura’s Last Ditch is “like grandma’s kitchen, only bigger!” In other words, owner Laura does it all herself.
She enjoys frugal pursuits which is why she dedicates her time to thrifting and reselling hard-to-find kitchen treasures.
Green business practices:
Laura wants her finds to encourage others to be good stewards of resources. Not only does vintage mean less precious resources are required, but everything is also shipped with reclaimed packaging materials.
Why Cook With Non-Toxic, Eco-Friendly Pots and Pans?
What is the most environmentally friendly cookware—and why is it important?
We can boil this answer down with one other question that can no longer be put on the back burner:
Is nonstick cookware environmentally friendly?
There’s no easy sliding around this Q. Most non-stick cookware isn’t great for us or our planet.
According to research by the Environmental Working Group, many of the chemicals found in a standard non-stick pan (i.e. polytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE) are considered “forever chemicals”. That means they take decades to leave our bodies (ew) and never break down in the environment (double ew).
Per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of thousands of chemicals used to coat consumer goods. The two most notorious of the bunch are PFOA (Teflon) and PFOS, which have been banned in the U.S. after being linked to serious health and environmental problems.
So while we’re normally proponents of using what you have until it’s non-functional, but in this case, associated health concerns have us saying, “Toss the teflon pans!”.
Unfortunately for those wanting to “whip something up for dinner,” the chemicals that commonly replace these two are just as dangerous.
One study looked at various coatings (like PTFE, PFOA, and GenX) and concluded that many times toxic chemicals are replaced by chemicals just as toxic.
Ceramic coatings generally don’t contain harmful PFAS chemicals, but the use of nanoparticles and PTFE to coat such cookware hasn’t been studied thoroughly in a long-term capacity—meaning the environmental and health impacts are unknown.
Ruining dinner like a burnt meal, ceramic-coated cookware can also be easily scratched—sprinkling heavy metals and nanoparticles into every bite. In the case of metal alloys (aluminum, lead, zinc, cadmium, tin, chromium, iron, etc.), this can be harmful to health.
This is why it’s important to flip and sauté carefully and never go above the recommended heat range of your pots and pans. We can eat organic kale and season our food with turmeric all we want, but the health benefits are all for naught if it’s exposed to dangerous chemicals along the way to our bellies.
Non-stick cookware with a ceramic coating is undoubtedly safer than a Teflon pan, from a health perspective. But will it cook our planet?
Is non-stick cookware eco-friendly?
Most of the time, getting rid of the “stick” compromises sustainability. A good rule of thumb is to avoid this type of cookware (and most granite cookware for that matter) unless a brand is transparent about exactly what it is and what it’s free of.
Ceramic or mineral-based, non-stick coatings that are free of lead, PFAS, cadmium, and other harmful materials are better for good eats and a healthy earth.
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