Yes. Our high quality 18/8 (300 SS) and 18/10 (400 SS) stainless steel is food safe and will not leach toxic chemicals when in contact with food. These types of stainless steel have been used for food storage in many cultures for generations, and are preferred materials for hospitals, commercial kitchens, and other environments where sanitation is a priority.
Stainless steel is 100% recyclable, meaning less waste in our landfills. Most stainless steel is also made of approximately 60% recycled content. Your PlanetBox is made to last a very long time, so we don’t anticipate that you would need to recycle it at any time soon. You can contact your local recycling program about how to recycle your PlanetBox, or you can send your PlanetBox back to us when you are done with it and we will make sure it gets recycled. Email us at info@PlanetBox.com and we will send you instructions.
We went to great lengths to ensure that our magnets would not be made out of PVC/vinyl, which is the most toxic kind of plastic produced and is the standard for most refrigerator magnets. Instead, we made the magnets out of a synthetic rubber material that has been certified to be free of toxic materials and is accepted as safe for use in European markets (which have much stricter environmental health regulations than the USA).
YES! Our products contain NO lead, vinyl/PVC, Phthalates, Bisphenol-A(BPA) or other harmful or toxic substances. We source our materials very carefully, and the very reason we created our products was to offer a non-toxic way to carry our children's lunches to school.
It measures 10 inches x 7 ½ inches x 1 ½ inches, making it smaller than a typical 3 ring binder. PlanetBox is lighter than it looks. It weighs 19 oz – less than most Harry Potter books!
Our bag measures 11 1/2 by 9 1/2 by 2 inches.
No. You can never put metal in the microwave.
The Big and Little Dippers are designed to hold wet, messy foods like yogurt, applesauce and dips. They contain a food grade silicone rubber seal in the lid to prevent leaking. When the Dippers are placed inside your PlanetBox the lid of the PlanetBox will seal the Dippers when closed. If you want to use the Dippers separately for snacks, you should either pack dry food in them or place a rubber band around them to engage the seal. The Dippers fit in the outside pocket of the PlanetBox Carry Bag so your child can have easy access to them for snack time. The silicone material used for the seal is a fully cured, synthetic rubber that is inert and stable at high temperatures. The silicone material is tested and certified to be free of lead, cadmium, mercury and a host of other toxic materials – we are happy to share the test results and certifications with you upon request.
PlanetBox is designed to keep foods from "touching each other." When you close your PlanetBox the top and the bottom meet so that foods will not co-mingle, even when carried and stored on its side. The seal on the PlanetBox itself is not designed to hold wet, messy foods like yogurt, dips and applesauce. We created the Big and Little Dippers as an additional option for parents to use for these foods. They have a silicone rubber seal that engages when placed inside the PlanetBox and will create a tight seal.
When packing fruits, the majority of fruits work just fine packed directly in your PlanetBox. In our months of testing we have found that cantaloupes, strawberries, raspberries, and most other cut up fruits will not create enough juice for there to be any spilling. Watermelon and oranges can be tricky however. We have found that if you cut and pack these fruits the night before, they can create a lot of juice that can leak if put directly in the PlanetBox. Therefore, we recommend either cutting and packing these fruits in the morning (they make a lot less juice that way), or packing them in the Big Dipper.
You can include a reusable cold pack next to your PlanetBox and it will help keep your food cold. Cold pack not included with your PlanetBox – please purchase it separately.
PlanetBox contains small parts and is not intended for children under 3 years of age.
The "main" compartment is designed to accommodate sandwiches - it measures 4x4x11/2 inches. We sized the compartment based on the "average size" sandwich. There are many sizes of bread slices, and people vary as to whether they cut off the crusts. But this size accommodates most sandwiches.
Your PlanetBox compartments wipe out easily with a sponge and mild soap and water, or you can put your PlanetBox in the dishwasher. Do not use bleach or cleaners containing chlorine to clean your PlanetBox. It is best to dry off your PlanetBox after cleaning.
No, PlanetBox is not designed to hold hot foods.
The Big and Little Dippers are designed to hold wet messy foods, which could include some thick creamy soups, but not broth/liquid based soups.
The latch on the PlanetBox lunchbox is designed for 3 year old hands and older to close and open by themselves. The Big and Little Dipper containers can be a little more challenging for little ones – most 3 and 4 year olds can do it, some cannot, but most preschool teachers are happy that they only need to help with one or 2 lids as opposed to many! Five year olds and older can remove the lids themselves.
Yes. It’s best to take off the magnets before cleaning your PlanetBox – try sticking them on the refrigerator until your PlanetBox is clean and ready to pack for the next day! And no worries, the magnets are optional so use them only when you wish.
You can wipe it clean with a damp sponge or dishrag, or you can hand wash and line dry.
PlanetBox is made of polished steel that will show signs of use after years of faithful service. This is normal and safe. Use of ‘brillo’ pads or wire brushes will scratch the surface.
Most of us are used to the low cost of buying things made out of plastic and designed to be used and thrown away fairly quickly. Our product is different. We use a high quality, expensive material, and our products are intricately engineered to function well over time. All this costs more than the throw away items we are too used to consuming. We realize that this is a significant investment for many families As you know, this is something that you and your child can use every weekday for years to come. It is a high quality product that is not cheap to produce. Our sincere hope is that people will find the investment was worth it for their family.
Yes! By replacing wasteful, single use plastic and paper containers, you will save money over the lifetime of the product. Also, your PlanetBox allows you to buy food in bulk, which is cheaper and less wasteful than single use containers. For example, a 1 oz prepackaged bag of cheesy crackers costs 87 cents, but 1 oz of those exact same crackers taken from a 12 oz box costs 43 cents – half as much!
Currently we are only offering our products direct to consumers through our website.
As of now we do not offer our products wholesale to retailers. But send us an email and we will keep your contact information and let you know when we start offering our products wholesale.
While we don't offer group discounts per se, you can save money on shipping costs if you are ordering more than 3 sets at a time. Our shipping rates are capped at $19.95 for shipping within the USA, so if you go in on an order with a bunch of other families then everyone pays less shipping.
We may send you emails occasionally with important new information about our products. If you don't want to receive them, just let us know. For more information, click here: PlanetBox Privacy Policy.
Our stainless steel lunch boxes are made in Taiwan, and our magnets and bags are made in China. When we started our company, we did an extensive search domestically in the USA for suppliers who could manufacture our product. We were unable to locate manufacturing partners within the USA who could meet our needs. The one domestic manufacturer that we found who was willing to partner with us would have charged us a rate that meant we would have to sell the PlanetBox for $300 a piece! We share many of our customer’s concerns about working conditions abroad, and we work to make sure that the suppliers we choose to partner with provide ethical treatment to their employees and the environment.
Yes. You can order them from us through our website.
Yes. We stand by every product we ship. If you are not pleased and excited by your new PlanetBox you can return your items for a refund or exchange within 30 days of receipt. Returned goods must be clean and still in their original packaging. Refunds will be credited in the same form as the original payment. Shipping and handling charges will not be refunded. Please email or call us at info@PlanetBox.com or (415) 454-3005 for a Return Authorization number. Returns will not be accepted without a return authorization.
By taking care of your PlanetBox products, you can expect years of dependable service. 3rd Stone Design warrants all PlanetBox stainless steel products to be free from defects in material or workmanship for a period of 5 years from the date of original purchase, and PlanetBox soft goods products to be free from defects in material or workmanship for a period of 1 year from the date of original purchase. Any problem that is caused by abuse or negligence is not covered. Normal wear and color fading are not covered. 3rd Stone Design's sole obligation under this warranty and any implied warranty is limited to the repair or replacement, at 3rd Stone Design's option, of any component that fails to conform to this warranty.
According to an article by Green America (formerly Coop America) entitled "Green Your Shipping", "You can’t beat the US Postal Service (USPS ), which comes to your house daily, unlike other carriers, which have to make special trips to bring you a package. The USPS uses water-based inks for its stamps, and its Priority and Express envelopes and boxes have been Cradle-to-Cradle certified for meeting high environmental standards from manufacture to disposal. A third of all USPS deliveries are made on foot, and its delivery fleet includes electric, hybrid, and biodiesel vehicles. It has also been working to reduce energy use and incorporate green design elements in its buildings, and its employees are unionized.