Eco-friendly purses are tricky when we talk about sustainability. There are several different materials & they all have advantages and disadvantages. Leather has cruelty issues, and it comes with a slew of tanning, whereas the vegan alternatives are produced by using plastics or contain plastic coatings.
There is a good range of choices to meet different requirements, styles & ethical values, and like other round-ups, a combination of North American, as well as European based brands, is also available.
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What Does Eco-Friendly Stand for?
At its most basic, environmentally friendly items, do the minimum harm possible to our surroundings. Keep in mind; there are several ways to damage our environment.
The extraction of different resources, industrial processes, authentic usage, & then discarding items can all be challenging. Eco-friendly products reduce the harm done in all possible ways.
Eco-friendly products, for example, purses extend their advantages to the environment. There are several benefits of using eco-friendly purses; some are written below:
Cost-Effective
Eco-friendly purses usually charge more money to both production and acquisition. That can look like an annoyance to industries and customers. In the end, do not we want to cut charges anywhere possible? Obviously!
Eco-friendly purses can do that. In several countries, single-use plastic handbags now cost money to purchase from the store. Several administrations are implementing a plastic tax to pay for their use.
You save money as you are not buying them all the time. Moreover, they are fragile and break easily. By contrast, biodegradable options are long-lasting and hardy. They rarely require replacement.
Durable
With the sound of falling shopping & your shouts of despair, it certainly creates a scene. Your freshly purchased items scattered on the floor. Vegetables & fruit get squashed, liquid-items disperse, and glass jars crack before your eyes. It is not ever fun.
Plastic handbags break easily. They are thin, fragile, and not made for heavy loads. On the other hand, eco-friendly purses are usually formed for a more extended period. Finally, the idea is to decrease the new materials needed. Reusable products mean fewer resources require sourcing. Because of this reason, these purses are more reliable as well as more durable.
They Take Up Less Space
Almost everybody has space in the kitchen or store for plastic bags. It is full of a lot of plastic bags you have attained over time. And as rapidly as you utilize them, further come along. We have plastic handbags falling out of our ears.
As compared to eco-friendly purses. You generally need one or two to meet all your shopping requirements. Pop them in your car, or keep them in an apparent place, to ensure you have them when needed.
Health Benefits
According to recent research, micro-plastics are recently found in several stool samples of people. Plastic residues enter the eco-system. Many animals eat it, the earth, as well as water, absorb it. People then eat those animals, drink water, and so on.
This is not good for everyone. Single-use plastic is harmful to everyone. It is full of lead, BPA, and other dangerous chemicals leaving serious health effects. We do not want them in our system!
In several states, plastic waste is burned. Lacking infrastructure, we do not have another possibility. Think of all that risky smoke being inhaled in by a lot of people each day. Eco-friendly purses mean a better lifestyle and less plastic waste all around.
Best eco-friendly purses brands
From eco-friendly offerings to attractively crafted leather pieces, there are the best ethical & sustainable purses brands available you will love and wear forever.
1. Made from Cork
Cork looks like one of the better options to get sustainable purses. It is natural & renewable material, and it can be elastic and durable, just like leather.
Corkor
This brand is based in Portugal. Handbags from Corkor use sustainably harvest, and FSC® certified cork. All handbags have a great variety of styles and colors and are approved by PETA, which confirms that no animal products were used during the production.
- Products: handbags, clutches, backpacks, wallets, cross bodies, and messenger bags
- Famous for: classic styles having a natural cork look
- Conscious Highlights: FSC® certified, natural cork material, made in Portugal, and vegan.
- Shipping: ships international
Rok Cork
The brand is based in Canada, which produces purses in family-run shops in Portugal by using Portuguese cork. This brand has a range of classic styles but produced from cork with striking colors and facts.
- Products: purses, wallets, totes, cross bodies, and satchels
- Famous for: traditional styles with several colors
- Conscious Highlights: ethically prepared in Portugal by using natural cork material
- Shipping: ships worldwide
2. Made out of Recycled Materials
Recycled materials are an eco-friendly option as no new materials need to be produced (saving lots of energy & resources), and it also saves current materials from wastage.
Elvis & Kresse
This brand uses original and long-lasting materials such as repurposed fire-hoses, parachute silk, and printing blankets for making purses; it also has a collection produced from leather off-cuts. This eco-friendly brand also offers lifetime repairs for its products.
- Products: handbags, wallets, clutches, and travel bags
- Famous for: classic purses in unique & durable materials
- Conscious Highlights: offers lifetime repair, recycled materials, made in a workshop in Turkey
- Shipping: based in the UK, and ships worldwide
3. Made from Leather
You can personally buy leather for ethical reasons, but some people use it for the look & durability. Thus here are some brands making leather purses more sustainably.
CGC (Central Grazing Company)
CGC stands for their transparency as well as sustainability. The brand has a noticeable supply chain, regenerative farming, & only source hides by Animal Welfare Approved farms. Its products are made in the US and vegetable-tanned.
- Products: at this time one purse and wallet style
- Famous for: transparent as well as a sustainable leather
- Conscious Highlights: certified & traceable, regenerative farming, made in America, vegetable tanned
- Shipping: ships in the US
O My Bag
Located in The Netherlands, it has a wide range of styles and produced by leather that is sourced close to the tannery; this brand comes from local meat by-products and cows after natural death, & then goes through the process of “eco-tanning.’’ The purses are then ethically produced in one of their factories.
- Products: a large collection of females’ and males’ bags
- Famous for: classic leather styles
- Conscious Highlights: fair production, “eco-tanned” leather, carbon-offset,
- Shipping: ships all over the world
Ms. Bay
Handbags made by fish-leather, obtained from the food industry as a by-product that is vegetable-tanned. This brand also uses recycled linings as well as packaging, & creates purses in SA 8000 and some certified factories in India.
- Products: purses, cross bodies, and wallets
- Famous for: luxury, minimal purses
- Conscious Highlights: recycled materials, certified factories, and vegetable tanning
- Shipping: based in Belgium, transports within Europe
4. Made by Synthetics (PU)
It has been extremely challenging to find out brands in this class that have good quality, sustainability, & are transparent about their production and ethics, but you need to find companies that do not use PVC. One of these brands is given below.
Angela Roi
Angela Roi produces their polyurethane and vegan purses in Korea with a quite high-quality. You will like Angela Roi handbag when it requires to be replaced, and you will try to get a more sustainable company that is more transparent.
- Products: handbags, crossbodies, and shoulder bags
- Famous for: a non-PVC Matt & Nat alternative
- Conscious Highlights: eco-friendly
- Shipping: located in the US, ships within the US (but you can also order worldwide from these stores)
5. Made by Other Materials
AAKS
AAKS handbags are produced from raffia (palm leaves fiber from raffia). All purses are made in Ghana by using fairly-paid artisans with a traditional hand-weaving procedure.
- Products: handbags, cross bodies, & totes
- Famous for: stylish and decorative statement purses
- Conscious Highlights: produced by local artisans using natural materials, eco-friendly
- Shipping: located in Ghana, ships throughout the world (for free)
HFS Collective
Thus brand uses a range of eco-friendly materials, for example, recycled & deadstock materials, Pinatex, organic cotton, raffia, and more. All handbags are manufactured locally in Los Angeles.
- Products: belt handbags, crossbodies, & wallets
- Famous for: small bags as well as belt bags
- Conscious Highlights: locally made in LA, sustainable materials, eco-friendly, vegan, gives back
- Shipping: based in the US, ships all over the world
Conclusion
Plastic products have not been around for long. However, it has become one of the critical environmental problems of our times. Single-use plastic products are litter nearly every space possible in this world.
From hot and humid islands in forgotten places of the aquatic world to the insides or animals & humans alike. We name it; plastic products can be found there.
We have to start changing our habits to resolve the issue. Things would get worse day by day if we did not take it on a serious note. Upcoming generations will have to bear the (literal) mess we created.
Eco-friendly purses can make a crucial difference. This guide has convinced you all of their value!
