Sustainable Handbags: Best Brands, Buying Guide & Inspiration

Mmh, something’s still missing from your ethical wardrobe and outfits, isn’t it?

Then, let’s find the right sustainable handbags for both your style and ethos.

We’ve clarified what makes a handbag sustainable so that you know exactly what to focus on.

To get you started, we’ll also show you some of our favourite ethical bags brands.

What makes a handbag sustainable?

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all definition, but we’d say that a handbag is sustainable if it was designed and created with the planet in mind, using the kindest materials, and made by workers who are treated well and paid fair wages.

So, the OPPOSITE of the bags you find in your high street fast fashion stores or ultra fast fashion online brands!

What is the most sustainable material for handbags?

Materials make a huge difference in the sustainability of your handbags. So, here are your best options:

• Leather vs vegan leather – This isn’t a simple answer (unless you’re vegan, of course). From an environmental perspective, leather has a terrible footprint, and it isn’t always a by-product of the meat industry. However, it’s extremely durable and naturally biodegradable. So, keeping a leather handbag for years can be considered a fairly sustainable choice, especially if it's vegetable-tanned (chemical tanning creates even more pollution). Vegan leather tends to have a lower carbon footprint and doesn’t obviously involve livestock. Unfortunately, it’s often a plastic-based alternative with a chemical-heavy production process, and it can take centuries to decompose. So, when looking for a cruelty-free handbag, choose the most eco-friendly vegan leather alternatives: PU is slightly better than PVC, fruit- and plant-based leather offers a few environmental benefits since it comes from natural resources (shame about its plastic coating, though), and check out some of the following materials, too
• Cork – While it doesn’t always look like leather, this is one of its most eco-friendly alternatives. It’s renewable, durable, naturally biodegradable, and doesn’t have to involve plastic coating 
• Organic cotton – Despite being natural, traditional cotton is actually one of the worst fabrics for the planet. Certified organic cotton, on the other hand, promotes soil regeneration, doesn’t involve bad chemicals, and uses up to 91% less water
• Recycled materials – By choosing sustainable bags made from recycled plastic bottles or discarded fabrics, you help that original material last longer, reducing waste

The best sustainable bags brands, designers, and scientists are coming up with all kinds of new solutions too, like kombucha-based fabrics and lab-grown leather. They might not be as common right now, but you might see more of them over the next few years.

Using your new handbags sustainably 

Of course, brands should produce clothes and accessories as sustainably as possible.

If we keep buying new ones every other week and discarding them after only using them a couple of times, though… it doesn’t matter how ethically those bags were made: they’ll still have a dreadful impact on the environment.

So, once you’ve found the right sustainable handbag for you, minimise your footprint by:

• Buying less and reusing more – Don’t just swap your fast fashion bag obsession with sustainably made handbags! Consider buying only one or two: something timeless, that matches your style (not temporary trends), and that you can see yourself reusing for years
• Prioritising versatility – Instead of having a different bag for each outfit, try looking for one that goes with lots of your favourites
• Taking care of your sustainable handbags – Look after them to help them last longer

Also, make sure to check out your local vintage stores. You may be surprised by the amazing handbags you can find secondhand for only a fraction of its original price.

5 of our favourite sustainable bags brands 

To help you BAG yourself the perfect one for your style, here’s a roundup of our favourite sustainable handbags brands.

1. Canussa - Versatile vegan handbags

This sustainable bag brand uses both vegan leather and recycled options like plastic bottles.

All their bags are made under fair working conditions by experienced artisans in Spain. 

As for their designs, they’re timeless and versatile, with a good mixture of neutrals and more vibrant colours.

2. Abury - Handbags made by local communities

Abury works with communities around the world, including Tanzania, Brazil and Ivory Coast to create dazzling bags.

Through their foundation, Abury invests 50% of its profits into educational projects in the countries they work with. They have already enabled more than 200,000 hours of education in these countries

3. Noah - Eye-catching vegan bags

While this is a shoe brand first and foremost, it also offers a small but striking range of ethical handbags: the perfect conversation starters!

By the way, they’re all vegan and produced in Italy under fair working conditions.

4. Paguro Upcycle - Best sustainable bags made with recycled materials 

If you’d rather sport a sustainable bag that’s literally one of a kind, look no further.

This brand uses reclaimed and repurposed materials (that would otherwise go to landfills or be incinerated) to create unique, individual products. 

For example, how about a sustainable handbag made with recycled rubber from inner tubes?

Also, Paguro Upcycle’s products are vegan and made ethically through a social enterprise.

5. Quetzal Artisan - Handcrafted bags

Carry more than a bag: help carry a tradition!

These beautiful sustainable handbags are handmade and hand-woven by artisans in North, Central, and South America.

They choose eco-friendly materials like palm leaves and hand-dyed cotton.

6. Théla - Plastic fantastic handbags solving the plastic crisis

Obviously, we couldn't leave out Théla from this list.

They provide a solution for the plastic crisis, by encouraging plastic collection and then using these materials to create colourful bags with.

Find more sustainable handbags on Project Cece

We hope you’ve already found the right sustainable handbag for your eco-conscious wardrobe. Could do with more inspiration?

Don’t worry: you won’t have to keep jumping from one online store to another with dozens of open tabs.

At Project Cece, we brought hundreds of fair trade brands in one place and added filters to simplify your choices. Of course, that includes plenty of sustainable handbags!

So, no more fast fashion bags made in sweatshops with polluting materials. Time to accessorise your ethical outfits with handbags that represent both your style and ethos!