Most vegan bag brands use PU or PVC (read: plastic) for their “vegan leathers”. But plastics are from fossil fuels — yes, the very thing that’s responsible for driving the climate crisis. Which is definitely not good for any animals (including the human species). But it is not always easy to find brands with vegan bags that are also eco-friendly and ethically made.
Thankfully there are some brands that really are seriously working towards creating more ethical and eco-friendly vegan bags.
While it was no easy feat to find brands that met all of these criteria, I scoured the internet for some amazing handbag companies with ethically made, eco-conscious, and either all-vegan or some vegan bags. Hope you enjoy the curation!
Note that this guide includes partners and affiliates. As always, brands featured on Conscious Life & Style meet high standards for sustainability and are brands we love — that we think you’ll love too!
Our Top Picks for Eco-Friendly Vegan Bags
1. Allégorie
Allégorie uses a variety of plant-based leather alternatives for their chic backpacks, bags, cardholders, and wallets. Using materials sourced from discarded apple peels, would-be wasted mangos, and sustainably sourced cacti leaves, Allégorie is offering us a beautiful vision for the future of sustainable vegan bags.
Materials (all vegan): Mango Leather, Apple Leather, Cactus Leather
Price Range: $ – $$$
Ships from: United States
2. A_C
With the slogan on their homepage “we don’t design for seasons — we design for decades”, you know you’ll find beautiful timeless pieces on the Australian-based vegan bag brand A_C.
The conscious label’s handbags are made from Desserto® Cactus Leather — made from the mature leaves of the Nopal cactus (otherwise known as the Prickly Pear cactus) or Sileather — a vegan leather made from silicone that’s free of PU or PVC.
Materials (all vegan): Desserto® Cactus Leather and Sileather
Price Range: $$ – $$$
Ships from: Australia
3. Thalie
Another brand using cactus leather from the Mexican company Desserto® is the handbag company Thalie. This variety of cactus grows locally in Mexico and of course — since it is a cactus! — requires very minimal water. The backing of Desserto® is made from recycled polyester and recycled cotton. This is a big improvement over a lot of vegan leathers that still use polyurethane (virgin plastic fabric) for their backings. The result is a smooth high-quality finish that closely resembles real leather.
Material: Desserto®
Price Range: $$$
Ships from: United Kingdom
4. Lo & Sons
For versatile, functional sustainable vegan bags, Lo & Sons has you covered. Their recycled poly collection features backpacks and tote bags with plenty of useful features like suitcase handle sleeves, cleverly placed pockets & zippers, comfortable straps, and adjustable compartments.
The factory producing these eco-friendly backpacks and totes has a WRAP (Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production) Certification and is audited by the Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit
Materials (vegan options): Recycled Polyester, Organic Canvas
Price Range: $$
Ships from: United States
Check Out Lo & Son’s Recycled Bags
5. Village Thrive
Village Thrive partners with artisans in Bali, Indonesia to create modern handwoven accessories and home decor in small batches using traditional time-honored techniques. Their pieces are ethically made by artisans earning fair wages and working in safe conditions.
Their vegan handbag selection includes rattan tote bags and clutches, perfect for beach days (or for manifesting sunny summer days).
Material: Rattan
Price Range: $
Ships from: United States
6. Tiradia Cork
Tiradia’s eco-friendly vegan bags and other accessories are all made responsibly in Portugal from cork that’s also sourced from Portugal. The great thing about cork is that it doesn’t require cutting down any plants or trees — it’s harvested by stripping the bark away by hand. More cork can be stripped away about every decade throughout the cork tree’s 150-year life, making it a renewable, sustainable material choice.
Material: Cork
Price Range: $ – $$
Ships from: United States
7. Svala
Luxury vegan brand Svala specializes in all-vegan, responsibly-made goods. The most sustainable choices from this brand are their cork and Pinatex handbags. The ethical bags are also lined with a fabric made from recycled plastic bottles and come with a dust bag made from organic cotton. All pieces are made ethically in Los Angeles by artisans earning fair wages and working in comfortable conditions.
Materials (all vegan): Cork and Piñatex (avoid their PU products)
Price Range: $$ – $$$
Ships from: United States
8. Luxtra
Using AppleSkin™ for their ultra-chic vegan leather bucket bags, saddle bags, belt bags, pouches, wallets, and cosmetic cases, Luxtra makes eco-friendly handbags look oh so chic.
This leather alternative is made from 50% apple leather, which consists of apple peels leftover from the apple juice industry. The other half is made from PU, which isn’t ideal. But I do hope that the vegan leather innovations will continue to improve!
Materials: Apple Leather
Price Range: $$$
Ships from: United Kingdom
Check out Luxtra @ Immaculate Vegan
Sustainable Bags Made From Recycled Leather
The following brands aren’t using vegan materials, but are not producing any new leather to make their products. They source leather scraps and repurpose them into chic recycled leather bags.
9. HYER GOODS
Ethically made using leftover leather fabric only (including from luxury brands), HYER GOODS is making recycled bags look ultra luxe. These vegan-friendly bags are not made with newly produced leather. The brand reports that about 12-15% of leather is wasted during the production process — and they’re on a mission to rescue that material and transform it into functional, fashionable accessories.
Materials: Pre-Consumer Recycled Leather, Recycled Wool
Price Range: $$$
Based in: United States
10. BEEN London
Another brand using repurposed materials like recycled leather, regenerated nylon, and recycled cotton is BEEN London. The brand also designs using zero waste practices, by cutting in square and rectangular panels.
Plus not only are their designs timeless and trend-proof, but BEEN London offers repairs for their bags and ensures that every part of their bags are recyclable once they’re beyond repair. That’s the kind of circular mindset we like to see!
Materials: Recycled Leather
Price Range: $$$
Based in: United Kingdom
More Eco Fashion Guides:
Ethical Shoe Brands: Eco, Vegan and Fair Footwear
