Ethical Bags: Your Big Guide To Sustainable UK Brands
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Looking for a new ethical bag? I’ve got you covered with this handy guide to the sustainable bags available in the UK – from shoulder bags and tote bags to handbags and more.
Wherever you’re going – be it work, school or a fun trip out – a good bag is a non-negotiable item for most of us. But when it comes to carting all of your essentials from place to place – whether you’re a minimalist or an everything but the kitchen sink kind of person (I fall in the middle!) – sometimes we just need an upgrade.
If you’re looking for a new bag, then get sustainability in the bag with my handy guide to some of the best ethical and eco-friendly bag brands available in the UK right now. Whether you’re a tote bag kind of person or more of a shoulder bag person, I’ve got heaps of suggestions for you.
Guide To UK Ethical & Sustainable Bags
To help you find the right bag for you, I’ve found lots of eco-friendly and sustainable bag brands – from vegan-friendly bags to those made of recycled materials. And mindful of budgets, I’ve catered to a range of different price points.
The price range key for this guide is £ = Under £50 | ££ = £50 – 100 | £££ = £100+
Use the quick links below for information about each brand or keep scrolling for the full post:
BEEN London
- Budget: ££ – £££
- Bag Styles: Tote bags, crossbody bags, clutches and pouches
- Vegan-Friendly: Offers some vegan bags
BEEN London is on a mission to make people see waste in a new light. It does so by taking the waste that normally gets binned and then handcrafting it into beautiful ethical bags that you will want to use every day.
As such, its versatile, timeless bags are all entirely made from discarded materials that would otherwise go to landfill. These include recycled leather sourced from tannery offcuts and trimmings, recycled cotton, recycled felt, regenerated nylon, and recycled polyester.
As well as these recycled fabrics, BEEN London also uses vegan leather in some of its collections. These include vegan pineapple leather made from pineapple leaves, and apple skin leather made from apple peels.
Each piece is handcrafted in the UK to keep its carbon footprint as small as possible, whilst preserving local skills and heritage. Plus BEEN London employs clever zero-waste design techniques. It does so by using only square and rectangular panels in its designs, which produce very little to no waste.
BEEN London makes its bags to last. Plus they’re designed to be repairable and all are made to be easily recyclable.
Sign up to the BEEN London mailing list and get 10% off your first order.
Baggu
- Budget: £ – ££
- Bag styles: Tote bags, handbags, shoulder bags, crossbody bags and bum bags
- Vegan-friendly: Yes
US-brand Baggu – available in the UK at Amazon – offers a range of stylish eco-friendly and ethical vegan bags.
Its funky reusable tote bags are made from one continuous piece of recycled nylon material. Meanwhile, the neck of the bag is used to construct the carrying pouch. This approach helps to eliminate waste during the manufacturing process, plus increases the durability of its tote bags.
Durability is key across all of its other ranges of bags, so Baggu prioritises quality, ensuring that its materials and construction hold up over time and age with character.
Recycled fabrics are also key – so recycled heavyweight nylon, recycled cotton and recycled PET plastic make up key components of its bags.
In terms of ethics, Baggu’s bags are ethically made in China in factories that adhere to its code of conduct that covers all International Labour Organisation Fundamental Freedoms principles.
Elvis & Kresse
- Budget: £££
- Bag styles: Tote bags, handbags, shoulder bags, attaché cases, and overnight bags
- Vegan-friendly: Yes
british brand Elvis & Kresse – available at Buy Me Once – ethically makes truly beautiful vegan-friendly bags from a surprising waste material. That material? Decommissioned fire hoses, salvaged from British Fire Brigades, that would otherwise be binned!
The upcycling doesn’t stop there. Each luxury bag is lined with reclaimed fabric – either reclaimed Burberry textiles leftover from manufacturing or reclaimed parachute silk. This reclaimed fabric has minute flaws which make it unusable for parachutes, and would otherwise be binned. Despite the name, parachute silk is vegan-friendly. It’s made from rip-stop nylon and has no animal products in it.
Its stunning ethical bags are all handmade in England, and repairs for life are offered on all Elvis & Kresse products. What we also love is that 50% of profits from Elvis & Kresse’s fire-hose range are donated to The Fire Fighters Charity.
Use the discount code HIGH5 to get £5 off any order over £60 at Buy Me Once.
Mashu
- Budget: ££ – £££
- Bag styles: Tote bags, handbags and shoulder bags
- Vegan-friendly: Yes
Vegan brand Mashu makes sustainable handbags that combine contemporary design with traditional artisan craftsmanship.
Made using vegan, sustainable and recyclable materials, all of its stylish bags are ethically made in Greece. Here Mashu’s network of local artisans and small family-run factories produce the bags using organic, plant-based, recycled, circular and cruelty-free materials.
The materials that Mashu uses include plant-based leather alternatives, such as Piñatex from pineapples, Frumat from apples, and Vegea, a fruit leather alternative derived from grapes. It also uses a bio-based leather known as Bioveg. This is a vegan leather made from a blend of recycled polyester and corn.
Each bag is then lined with organic cotton which has been certified by Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), or with recycled polyester. And for bags with handles, these handles are made from wood from offcuts sourced from a local furniture factory, which would otherwise be binned or burned.
The end result is a super stylish bag that you’ll want to use time and time again.
Sign up to the Mashu mailing list to get 10% off your first order.
Roka
- Budget: £
- Bag styles: Crossbody bags
- Vegan-friendly: Yes
Roka makes sturdy vegan-friendly and ethical crossbody bags that look great with any outfit.
Roka’s crossbody bags are sustainably made from recycled nylon – both inside and outside – that’s sourced from pre-consumer waste. This is where fibres are recycled from unused garments, repurposed material and offcuts.
Recycled nylon has a shiny look with a smooth feel, and is weather-resistant and durable, so these bags can stand up to all that you can throw at them!
Packed full of pockets – including a secure pocket on the front, a pocket on the back and additional pockets on the inside – it’s the perfect bag to organise all of your belongings.
Sandqvist
- Budget: ££ – £££
- Bag styles: Tote bags, handbags, shoulder bags, backpacks, weekend bags, laptop bags, crossbody bags and bum bags
- Vegan-friendly: Offers a large collection of vegan bags, but some are made from leather.
Dedicated to creating functional bags that last, Swedish brand Sandqvist is well worth checking out. It makes everyday bags and backpacks from high-quality sustainable and recycled materials. This includes organic cotton, recycled polyester and recycled nylon.
All of its bags are designed to be repairable. Plus Sandqvist takes steps to ensure it uses chemicals and water responsibly, to avoid harm to the environment.
In terms of ethics, Sandqvist is a member of the Fair Wear Foundation. This means the brand adheres to the Fair Wear Code of Labour Practices. This code includes principles like safe working conditions, reasonable working hours, fair wages, and a prohibition on child or forced labour.
Whilst Sandqvist ships its products from Sweden, Sandqvist says that for shoppers in the UK all taxes and duties are included in the price, and you do not need to pay any extra fees. Delivery is just £5 through UPS, so shipping is not excessive. If you’d prefer to shop from a UK-based retailer try WildBounds or Liberty – both carry a good Sandqvist selection.
More Sustainable Bag Options
If you’re more of a backpack person, then do also check out my handy guide to ethical backpacks. I’ve got heaps of suggestions there for carrying your belongings sustainably. And if you want to go down the crafty route, here’s a handy tutorial to make your own tote bag from upcycled materials.
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Thank you for this comprehensive guide! It’s so inspiring to see so many ethical brands in the UK focusing on sustainability.
My pleasure Penny, so glad I could help you out!
What a fantastic guide! I’ve been looking to switch to more sustainable options, and this list of ethical bag brands is just what I needed. I especially love the emphasis on UK brands. It’s great to support local businesses while being eco-friendly. Can’t wait to try some of these out!
My pleasure Tara, so glad I could help you out!