I’ll be honest: there aren’t a ton of 100% plastic-free travel mugs on the market.
It seems like, for the most part, you’re going to have to choose your priorities:
- You can either get a low-plastic travel coffee mug that has all of the “features” you want (like leak-proof, insulated, closable cap, etc.)
- OR you can get a totally plastic-free tumbler that is not 100% leakproof and/or insulated, and maybe doesn’t have a handle.
All of that said, I believe that less plastic is better. Even if you decide to use a to-go mug with a plastic lid for now, that’s still better than a 100% plastic one.
Either way, I’m going to give you a bunch of options to choose from in this article.
I researched and contacted a lot of brands to find out more about what materials they’re using and which travel mugs contain the least amount of plastic.
I hope this guide helps you find a to-go mug that’s a good fit for you!
By the way, this article is brought to you by The Filtery Members, who requested and voted on this topic! This guide contains product recommendations and we may receive compensation if you purchase through certain links. As always, we only make recommendations that are genuine! Featured image credits: Life Without Plastic and Mason Jar Lifestyle.
Hot beverages + plastic = toxic
Most of us know by now that plastic leaches toxic chemicals.
That includes plastic constituents, like phthalates or PFAS, and it also includes tiny pieces of plastic itself—aka, microplastics.
We’re only just beginning to scratch the surface of microplastics’ impact on human health, but the research we do have is concerning, to say the least. There are thousands of chemicals used in plastics, and many of them have not been tested at all.
Two of the things that can increase the amount of leaching that occurs from the plastic to your drink are:
- heat
- acidicity
Hot coffee has both of those things. That means drinking hot coffee out of a plastic cup is likely more toxic than drinking, say, a cold water out of that same plastic cup.
FYI: Disposable “paper” to-go cups are actually plastic.
The single-use cups you get from coffee shops actually have a thin layer of plastic around the inside of them. This layer is meant to keep the coffee from disintegrating the paper and leaking through the cup.
So it’s not just the plastic lid you have to worry about—it’s actually the whole cup.
The type of plastic most commonly used on the inside of coffee cups is polyethylene (PE). (As a side note, this is also the type of plastic that was most commonly found in human brains in a 2024 study).
Some plastics are worse than others
In my opinion, there’s no 100% perfect type of plastic. But some types are “less bad” than others.
If you do end up choosing a travel mug that contains a little bit of plastic, I recommend going with either polypropylene or Tritan.
Also, keep in mind that “BPA-free” is relatively meaningless. A lot of the mug brands I researched advertised their mugs as “BPA-free” without actually disclosing what kind of plastic is used. (I had to reach out to them and ask for this information.)
The problem is that BPA is just one type of bisphenol. A mug can be “BPA-free” but still contain one of BPA’s “cousin chemicals”, like BPS, which is just as toxic. It could also contain thousands of other plastic constituents.
So while “BPA-free” may be “better than nothing,” it does not automatically mean the mug is truly “non-toxic.”
Here are your options for a non-toxic travel mug
- Glass is one of your best bets because it is inert (non-leaching), and dishwasher & microwave safe.
- Stainless steel is great because it’s durable and can maintain the temperature of your drink longer, especially if it’s double-walled. I am not particularly worried about leaching from stainless steel for a couple of reasons. It’s usually only new stainless steel that leaches anything, and even then, leaching only happens when something has been sitting for a long time, and it’s still below the Mayo Clinic’s daily limit. (Members can read more about this in our stainless steel deep dive.) In my opinion, the only people who should really be careful about stainless steel are those who have a nickel allergy.
- Silicone is almost required in order to make travel mug lids leak-proof. Almost all of the brands below use silicone in one way or another, either for the lid ring, the straw, the cap, or the sleeve. Silicone is a great alternative to conventional plastic. Although there is some indication that silicone may have endocrine-disrupting properties at very high temperatures (~350-450° F), I am not worried about this when it comes to hot coffee (which is generally served somewhere between 120°F and 140°F).
- Lastly, ceramic is a good option too—as long as it’s glazed properly and not vintage. Lead used to be added to ceramic pottery glazes on purpose, but that was phased out in the 1970s. Although the clay used for ceramic pottery can often be naturally contaminated with lead and other heavy metals, when it is glazed properly, it should be non-leaching. Although the FDA does not currently require dishes be 100% lead-free, leachable levels do have to be below 3.0 micrograms per milliliter. One thing you can do is look for the CA Prop 65 warning label, which indicates that lead and other heavy metals are above a certain threshold. At the end of the day, you will have to decide for yourself if you’re comfortable using ceramic mugs.
Alright, now let’s get on with the recommended brands!
100% Plastic-Free Travel Tumblers
Life Without Plastic


Materials: Glass & silicone
Leak-proof? No
Insulated? Yes
Size: 13.5 oz
This is one of the only 100% plastic-free travel mugs on the market. It’s made of double-walled borosilicate glass, plus a silicone ring around the lid (which you can take off to wash).
The glass lid has an opening in it that you can either sip through or put a straw through. Unfortunately, there is no closure that allows you to cover the opening in the lid completely though.
Mason Jar Lifestyle


Materials: Glass & silicone
Leak-proof? No
Insulated? No
Size: Various
One idea is that you can make a non-toxic travel coffee mug out of a mason jar and a silicone lid. These are going to be very close to the disposable to-go cups you get at the coffee shop in terms of feel and function.
Mason Jar Lifestyle is a great place to get a variety of lids. They have 100% food-grade silicone lids that come in a LOT of different colors, and both regular- and wide-mouthed. It has a dishwasher-safe and resistant stainless steel ring around the outside. Their silicone meets the LFGB European standard, which is a higher standard than the US’s FDA.
They also have straw lids that you can use with your iced coffee if you’d prefer.
They have silicone sleeves that you can put around your mason jars in order to make them a little more durable and help maintain the temperature of your drink for a little longer.
Dustin Mark Johnston


Materials: Ceramic and silicone
Leak-proof? No
Insulated? No
Size: 14 oz
These ceramic travel mugs are not only gorgeous, but also practical. They come with a 100% silicone lid that’s made in the USA.
Dustin Mark Johnson is a professional artist & potter based in Canada. All of his travel mugs are handmade in small batches in his studio in Peterborough, Ontario.
He has handle and non-handle options. They are dishwasher safe, too.
Dustin told me that he sources his clay is made from a local supplier—Pottery Supply House—based outside of Toronto. He also told me that he uses liner glazes in all of his drinkware and tableware, “which is a clear or white glaze that contains no toxic ingredients that could leach into your beverage or food.”
Overall, I am really happy with Dustin’s transparency. He includes a lot of info on his product pages, but then when I reached out to get more info, he replied very quickly. He seems to me like a very professional potter who knows what he’s doing in terms of safe and proper glazing.
Other Ceramic Plastic-Free Travel Mugs
Here are some other options for ceramic to-go mugs:
- Soma: Ceramic mug with a twist-off bamboo lid.
- Etsy: There are plenty of other ceramic options on Etsy as well. I reached out to a lot of them to get more info about their sourcing & practices, and I was more happy with some of their answers than others. I’d recommend picking out a couple of your top picks and then reaching out to the artist to ask them about their sourcing and glazing practices when it comes to heavy metals.
Plastic-Free Thermos with a Screw-Off Lid
If you’re okay with using a screw-top lid that does not have a little hole for drinking (you have to take the whole lid off when you want to take a drink), then you DO have a plastic-free option from Klean Kanteen:
Klean Kanteen


Materials: Stainless steel & silicone
Leak-proof? Yes
Insulated? Yes
Size: 16 oz, 25 oz, or 32 oz
This 100% plastic-free thermos is made out of double-walled stainless steel and can keep your hot drinks hot or your cold drinks cold.
It’s got a twist-and-pour cap with a 360° pour-through design.
They also have totally plastic-free water bottles like this one and this one.
(By the way, Klean Kanteen is lead-free as well.)
Glass & Stainless Steel Tea Tumblers
Another option would be to use a glass tea tumbler as your to-go mug. There are several options on the market, and most of them have screw-off lids. You can remove the tea basket if you want to!
Here are some options:
Non-Toxic Straw Tumblers for Iced Drinks
Pura


Materials: Stainless steel, medical-grade silicone
Leak-proof? No
Insulated? Yes and no (they have both)
Size: 9 oz or 11 oz.
Okay, I don’t know if this might be weird to suggest, but if you like to drink iced coffee through a straw, you could use a kids’ straw cup!
These are 100% plastic free—the bottle itself is made from 18/8 stainless steel and has an interchangeable silicone sleeve around the outside. The straw is made with medical-grade silicone.
You can get a silicone travel covers to put over your straw if you want, too.
They’re MADE SAFE certified, too, which means they’ve been third-party verified to be free from potentially toxic chemicals.
You can use code THEFILTERY for 10% off.
Mason Bottle


Materials: Stainless steel & silicone, + some plastic that doesn’t touch your drink
Leak-proof? Kind of (when the cap is on)
Insulated? No
Size: 16 oz
Here’s another option for a low-plastic straw cup that’s technically made for kids, but you could totally use it for your own iced to-go drinks!
This one is larger than the Pura one above, with a max size of 16 oz.
These cups are made from stainless steel and the straws are 100% silicone. The only parts that are plastic are the gray ring that’s around the outer part of the lid and the optional cap that goes over the straw. So neither of these plastic parts actually tough your drink or your mouth.
These are lightweight, easy to clean, and freezer & dishwasher safe, too.
You can use the code THEFILTERY15 for 15% off.
Low-Plastic (but not totally plastic-free) options
As I said, there aren’t a LOT of 100% plastic-free options on the market… But there are a lot of brands that carry low-plastic travel mugs. Unfortunately, they do still use plastic lids.
But like I said, low-plastic is better than all-plastic. So if for some reason none of the brands above just don’t work for you, the list of brands below are still pretty good options.
Remember: two of the “least bad” types of plastic are polypropylene and Tritan.


W&P: They offer stainless steel and ceramic options, which are wrapped in a silicone sleeve. Their lids are made from polypropylene.
Klean Kanteen: Stainless steel mugs and tumblers of various designs and sizes. Their lids are made out of polypropylene plastic.
Miir: They have a lot of different options for to-go mugs and travel tumblers—handles, no handles, etc. The insides are made of stainless steel and the lids are made of polypropylene.
Life Factory: Life Factory has both a ceramic and a stainless steel option. They told me their lids are made of polypropylene.
Fellow: They have a wide selection of tumblers, some of which have screw-off lids and some of which have flip-tops. They’re made if ceramic-lined stainless steel on the inside. I’m still waiting to hear back from them about what type of plastic is used for their lids. Their Move Mugs come with a snap-in splash guard to make drinking easier on the go.
YETI: They have insulated stainless steel mugs with handles, stackable mugs, and even a french press. I asked them if they have any plastic-free options and they told me no. Their lids are made out of various types of plastic, depending on which specific product you’re talking about. Some are polypropylene, some are Tritan, some are ABS.
HydroFlask: They have tumblers and to-go mugs made of stainless steel on the inside. The lids are made of polypropylene.
Thermos: The classic Thermos brand also offers various options that are stainless steel on the inside, but still use plastic for the lid. I reached out to them to see if they had any plastic-free options, but they said no. They said that most of their lids are made of polypropylene, but some of them use Tritan.
Keep Cup: Glass and stainless steel travel mugs with plastic lids. They have a lot of sizes and designs to choose from. Most of their lids are made out of either polypropylene (PP) or Tritan.
Owala: They also offer to-go mugs and tumblers that are stainless steel on the inside. The lids are made of Tritan plastic.
Bkr: They offer insulated to-go cups made of heat-resistant, double-wall borosilicate glass. They told me their lids are made of food-grade polypropylene plastic.
Simple Modern: They offer a wide variety of colors, designs, and sizes. The interiors are made with double-walled 18/8 stainless steel. Some of the options are ceramic-lined and some are not. I’m still waiting to hear back from them about what type of plastic is used for their lids.
Kinto: These leak-proof ones are made with stainless steel on the inside. A pretty good option for cyclists and people who are very “on-the-go.” They told me their lids are made of polypropylene and silicone.
Frank & Green: They have cute & colorful ceramic-lined stainless steel to-go mugs. They told me their lids are made of Tritan.
Ello: They have a few stainless steel and ceramic options. I reached out to them to ask what type of plastic their lids are made out of and will update this when they reply.
Black + Blum: This London-based brand offers a couple of stainless steel travel mugs that come with plastic lids (made using Tritan, nylon, POK, and POM). They also have totally plastic-free thermoses and water bottles if you’d rather go with a screw-off lid.
I hope you found this guide helpful! If you come across any other plastic-free travel mugs, feel free to let me know in the comments and I’ll consider adding it to the list!
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