Carry Courage is an independently-owned accessories brand that hand-produces zipper pouches, purses, tote bags, and travel accessories in small batches from a home studio in Portland, Oregon. All products are predominantly made with vegan cork leather, a low-impact material whose harvesting promotes greater carbon sequestration from the root tree. As a small business run by an individual founder and an assistant seamstress, impact is inherently reduced, though brand reporting and third party certification are not yet in place. Awarded our overall rating of “Disrupting”, the brand scores in the top 10% of brands in the Bags & Accessories category.

About Carry Courage

Founder and mother of two Marisa Hilarides started Carry Courage with a seed of an idea in early 2018 in central California. By November 2019, the brand relocated to Portland, Oregon and began launching the current version of Carry Courage with a curated collection of cork bags and travel accessories for those looking to reduce their environmental footprint. With a focus on made-to-order high quality products, Carry Courage’s accessories come highly rated by their loyal customer base worldwide.

Product Categories
AccessoriesBagsFashionHomewaresTravelZ'All
Attributes
Circular
All or some products are circular in nature - such that no part of the product needs to end up in landfill at the end of its life
Handcrafted
Products have been made by hand, typically by an artisan or group of artisans.
Locally Made
Products are made local to the brand's headquarters.
Non-toxic
All products are made with ingredients or materials that are currently considered non-toxic
Organic
Products are made from organic materials.
Repairs Offered
Product can be easily repaired directly by the brand.
Thoughtful packaging
Product packaging has been designed and created with the end of life outcome in mind and can be easily recycled or composted.
Vegan
This brand does not use any animal products or by-products in their products
Woman Owned
This brand is owned by a woman or a group of women.
Certifications / Memberships
GOTS PETA
Location

Portland, Oregon

Pricing

$$$$$

Ships from
United States
Ships to
Worldwide

Rating Summary

Nature & Animals

Products are mostly made using sustainable materials—cork exteriors and GOTS certified organic cotton or linen linings. Minimal conventional cotton is used for interchangeable straps on specific products. Minimal dyes are used that are natural and water-based. Water use is not tracked; however, cork and organic cotton are typically low-water use materials. No specific information is provided on forestry practices of the brand’s cork sources in Portugal, but cork material does not typically contribute to deforestation due to harvesting methods that do not kill the tree. No tracking for chemical use is provided, although products have inherently low chemical risk given the organic or natural materials, aside from limited conventional cotton bag straps. Fabric scraps are utilized in smaller products or recycled. Unsold products, while rare, are donated to charity. Clear action is taken to extend product life by offering free lifetime repairs for all products, which are mostly compostable at end-of-life, but no disposal instructions are yet provided to customers. Packaging includes compostable tissue paper and boxes, and recycled plastic poly bags. No clear targets or tracking is available to address climate action or energy usage, although Marisa’s home-based studio utilizes energy efficient lighting and a smart thermostat, and handcrafting production is inherently lower impact. No animal products are used and all products are PETA-approved vegan.

Score for Nature & Animals: 53%. Learn more about our scoring here.

Communities & Wellbeing

Carry Courage is female founded, owned, and operated. Products are all made in the USA by the founder, her assistant and occasionally contracted local sewing assistants. Fair wages are provided per Portland’s metro area minimum wage base and workplace safety includes hands-on training by Marisa and provision of basic first aid supplies. There is no code of conduct or certifications present to cover human rights in the greater supply chain. Although there is little information available about where cork or cotton is sourced, bag hardware is USA sourced from a woman owned small business. Products are inherently safe with limited risk to consumers given use of minimally processed materials and GOTS certification of most cotton. There is a privacy policy in place that specifies customer data is stored through Shopify’s payment processor.

Score for Communities & Wellbeing: 53%. Learn more about our scoring here.

Values & Governance

Carry Courage is an extra-small female-owned business run by Marisa Hilarides. Public statements on sustainability initiatives are mostly regarding material choices without regular reporting, which is limited due to small business size. The brand has no history of greenwashing or irresponsible/destructive marketing. The brand has engaged in occasional giving schemes, like donating 10% of sales to cystic fibrosis research in December 2023. 100% of profits from the Tibet-based NORBOO line go directly to artisan makers of these third-party made products.

Score for Values & Governance: 67%. Learn more about our scoring here.

Product Performance

Reviews on both the Carry Courage website and Etsy shop are overwhelmingly positive. Customers regularly praise products’ design, workmanship, quality, and attention to details. The majority of reviews reflect satisfaction that products are designed to last, and attribute it to the quality of materials and craftsmanship. To ensure product longevity and functionality, Carry Courage offers free lifetime repairs on all products.

Score for Product Performance: 100%. Learn more about our scoring here.

Reviews & Testing From Our Team

Image by Sustainable Jungle (Carry Courage) (sustainable-black-friday)
Advocate Tote

Their Advocate Tote has become one of my favorite bags. In fact, I take it to the farmer’s market every single weekend when in season, since its expansive interior is perfect for packing to the brim with locally grown goodies. Plus, the cork not only looks stylish, it’s easy to wipe clean so I don’t need to worry if I set it down in something dirty.

Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content

Review Summary From Other Customers

Pros

  • There is consistently positive customer feedback and the brand is largely praised for the durability, quality, and design of Carry Courage bags and products.
  • Etsy reviews were all five-stars at the time of writing.

Cons

  • A limited number of reviews mention a need for clarifying product functionalities.

Disrupting

Top 10% of brands

Carry Courage scores 60% overall and at the time of writing is a top rated brand in the Bags & Accessories category. Learn more about our scoring here.