9 Vegan Handbags & Purses With Ethics In Bag
Before heading out, make sure you take your phone, wallet, keys… and vegan handbag!
While we’ve covered eco-friendly handbags before, we’re narrowing the focus here to the most ethical version: vegan bags and purses.
Why?
Because more than a billion animals are killed for their skins every year. We’d like to avoid contributing to that statistic when we dig out our eco-friendly water bottle from our purses.
These brands demonstrate nothing needs to die so we can accessorize. To-die-for is just an expression, after all!
If you’re wondering, does Chanel have any vegan bags? The answer is, no.
When it comes to designer vegan handbags, we aren’t loco for Coco (they claim to offer vegan options, but even then, they aren’t cruelty-free.)
However, there are plenty of vegan handbag brands that offer Chanel-quality products at affordable prices.
Everything we recommend to you on Sustainable Jungle is independently researched and we ask all brands to confirm their claims. To avoid waste, we test products on an as needed basis. This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a small commission. Learn more about why we do this here.
The Best Vegan Leather Handbags You’ll Totes Love
One of our favorites is Carry Courage. It can be hard to know what brands of bags are vegan in the US, but with total supply chain transparency and an emphasis on cork fabric, you don’t have to second guess this one.
Pixie Mood is another one of the best vegan leather bag brands both in the real world and Never Never Land. Their eco-friendly bags are made from mostly recycled materials, which have allowed them to divert over 1 million plastic bottles from landfills.
If you’re all about couture with a cause, Doshi not only makes high quality vegan handbags, but they also donate 5% of profits to charity.
Zip your way to the end of the article to see our purse picking process.
The Full List Of Vegan Leather Purse Brands
- Carry Courage | Visit Store
- Pixie Mood | Visit Store
- Doshi | Visit Store
- Svala | Visit Store
- LaBante | Visit Store
- GUNAS | Visit Store
- Watson and Wolf | Visit Store
- Matt & Nat | Visit Store
- HSF Collective | Visit Store
1. Carry Courage
About Carry Courage
Price Range: $59–$349
After years of feeling burned out and uninspired in her office job, Marisa started Carry Courage as an outlet for her creativity.
Since then Carry Courage has been a pioneer of the slow fashion movement.
The Portland-based brand’s unique maker-based business model allows Carry Courage to produce some of the best vegan handbags made in the USA.
Carry Courage comes in handy (literally) if you’re looking for a stylish new crossbody bag, clutch bag, zipper pouch, cosmetics bag, or even tablet sleeve.
Owning one ourselves, we can’t help but advocate for the ADVOCATE Tote.
We love its combination of fashion and function, with a classy and modern cork exterior and a simple, spacious design. In fact, it’s become our go-to farmer’s market tote, with the perfect amount of space to load up on untold amounts of fresh produce and our favorite sustainable milk alternative.
Carry Courage’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Carry Courage’s best vegan bags feature a sustainably-harvested cork exterior and an organic cotton liner.
Cork is an incredibly sustainable leather alternative because it’s harvested by simply shaving the bark, helping the tree absorb five times more CO2 while regrowing it.
The metal hardware is ethically sourced from a US woman-owned company.
Sans hardware, these PETA-approved vegan handbags are entirely biodegradable, naturally antimicrobial, and water-resistant. We’ve tested cleaning them and can confirm warm water and non-toxic dish soap is enough to wipe off spots and stains.
A small handful of other bags feature PU vegan leather.
The only non-vegan bags are their NORBOO line, which feature Tibetan handcrafted native sheep wool and cotton.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Each vegan crossbody purse, tote, and wallet is handmade in their Portland, Oregon studio.
Because Carry Courage is in charge of their entire supply chain, they control fair labor prices, prices, studio safety, and more.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
They produce in small quantities to ensure optimal quality and minimal waste.
Inclusivity:
Carry Courage is a woman-owned company and part of the Female Founder Collective.
2. Pixie Mood
About Pixie Mood
Price Range: $36–$160
Pixie Mood puts us in the mood for sustainable spending—but not too much, considering they’re some of the most affordable vegan handbags.
A herd of vegan backpack purses, totes, bucket bags, and more are hanging around for your visit.
We couldn’t say no-la when given the opportunity to test their Nyla Backpack Large. It’s a vegan laptop bag and backpack that converts into a crossbody messenger bag by a simple change of strap orientation.
Beyond that, there are pockets and compartments for just about everything, and a highly water and stain-resistant exterior means we’ve turned this into our daily work bag without fear of wear-and-tear from the daily grind—which will likely wear us down before the bag!
Pixie Mood’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Recycled vegan leather, cork, rPET bottle lining, and vegan wool are material forerunners in these PETA-approved vegan purses.
European REACH compliant hardware is also used, and all materials meet California Prop 65 standards.
Supply chain & labor practices:
As one of the best vegan brands for purses, they have nothing to hide.
They visit their manufacturers yearly to ensure business standards are met. These include prohibitions on forced and child labor, and fair wages.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Leather-less and cruelty-free since inception, they are constantly taking steps towards greater sustainability, like getting rid of PVC and switching to bio-poly bags.
The climate positive brand offsets carbon emissions via Terrapass. Carbon-neutral orders are shipped with biodegradable corn based packaging.
As of this year, they have recycled over 1.4 million plastic bottles.
Community & charitable giving:
Pixie Mood is a proud member of 1% For The Planet and partners with organizations like One Tree Planet and Humane Society.
3. Doshi
About Doshi
Price Range: $48–$249
BIPOC-owned and family-operated Doshi started as a way to offer products to people seeking an all-vegan lifestyle.
Their cruelty-free guiding ethos leads them to create some of the best vegan leather bags—and any other accessories you might need, including backpacks, totes, camera bags, portfolio bags, business bags, wallets, weekender bags and men’s vegan belts.
While it’s not a purse, per se, we own one of their Continental Kraft Paper Wallets, and more often than not, we find ourselves just reaching for that when heading out to run errands.
Its spacious clutch design easily fits a cell phone and the removable wrist strap turns it into a vegan purse wallet with a simple clip.
Doshi’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Doshi’s vegan leather options include microfiber polyurethane, kraft paper, cork, and Piñatex.
Some styles use Tyvek, a polyethylene-based fiber that doesn’t leach harmful chemicals as it breaks down.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Representatives from the California-based company regularly visit the factories that manufacture their goods. They make a conscious effort to ensure that worker well-being and environmental practices are prioritized.
Their supply chain is fully audited using BSCI criteria.
Community & charitable giving:
Doshi donates 5% of revenue to charities that support animals (like Mercy For Animals), people, and our planet.
They regularly participate in Vegfests to connect with their customers face-to-face.
4. Svala
About Svala
Price Range: $130–$298
The Icelandic name Svala translates to swallow: a bird that symbolizes love, loyalty, and freedom.
After searching far and wide for sustainably produced, animal-friendly accessories, Owner Helga decided to create her very own vegan purse brand filled with cruelty-free totes, clutches, shoulder bags, and more, all inspired by the simplicity of Scandinavian designs.
Her luxury vegan handbags include staple, versatile designs, like the Gemma convertible cross-body backpack.
You can choose several classic colors, but we have a soft spot for the shimmer of the Gold Speckled Cork.
Svala’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Along with traditional vegan fabrics like cork, Piñatex, and Italian vegan leather, Svala features some unique offerings, too.
Their zero-plastic MIRUM® collection is made from a certified USDA bio-based mixture of natural materials like rubber, plant oils, and cork. At the end of its life cycle, it can be recycled into new fabric or returned safely to earth.
Supply chain & labor practices:
All products are handcrafted locally in LA, ensuring fair wages and comfortable working conditions.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
They offset their carbon emissions by planting a tree with every order.
Community & charitable giving:
Svala donates a whopping 10% of profits to various organizations, including WildAid.
5. LaBante
About LaBante
Price Range: $130–$450
LaBante was born from a love of fashion, animals, and our planet.
Then and today, they are driven by one main philosophy: Fashion With Respect.
Founder and CEO Vanita Badlani Bagri became a vegetarian after living next door to a butcher’s shop and that commitment carries over into each of LaBante’s vegan purses (UK designed, by the way).
They carry the best vegan tote bags, wallets, crossbody bags, computer bags, backpacks, hobo bags, rucksacks, satchels, and clutches.
We were thrilled to acquire their best-selling Sophie Tote. Not only does its gorgeous black leather-like texture make it the best faux leather bag we’ve seen, but its boxy design makes it so spacious, without much bulk.
We can pack a 32 oz plastic-free water bottle and lunch canister in the middle slot alone, leaving plenty of room for daily essentials and what-ifs.
LaBante’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
These high-end vegan handbags feature recycled polyester interiors and vegan leather exteriors made of vegetable byproducts and polyurethane. They never use PVC.
As a PETA-approved vegan purse brand, they don’t use any animal-based dyes or glues.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Committed to empowering women worldwide, LaBante partners with (almost exclusively) female artisans.
Their manufacturing is based in a Sedex audited and safe factory in Guangzhou, China where workers are paid very high wages and receive maternity leave. T
Carbon commitments & green practices:
LaBante doesn’t just use recycled materials for their vegan crossbody handbags.
They also use recycled paper and fabrics for their dust bags and swing tags, and recycled cardboard boxes.
Community & charitable giving:
10% of the brand’s profits go to charitable causes that rotate every season and support people from all races and backgrounds.
6. GUNAS
About GUNAS
Price Range: $
GUNAS’ heart and soul has always been a voice for animals.
After quitting her corporate job, Sugandh G. Agrawal started her own brand of cruelty-free fashion, all based on the idea that animals are not supposed to be turned into our favorite fashion trends.
Simply put, “we can look and feel good without harming other living beings”.
Now, people around the world can access their vegan designer bags, which come in the form of satchels, crossbody bags, backpacks, totes, and more, in classic and statement-making styles alike.
We like those that incorporate a little bit of bot—like the Cottontail, which features a classic fold over style, but allows for creativity and customization with swappable bows in a rainbow of colors.
Materials:
The vegan friendly handbags from GUNAS are made from synthetic fabrics like nylon, microfiber ultrasuede, and eco-polyurethane.
They do not use any PVC or vinyl.
Where possible, they opt for recycled plastic bottles or upcycled cotton twill lining and recycled metal hardware.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Being a “victim-free” brand means more than being vegan.
They enforce ethical manufacturing standards across their facilities in South Korea (where most bags are made), Italy, and India. They regularly visit these places and pay above-average wages.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
The vegan leather in GUNAS’ vegan tote bags is produced without massive amounts of energy and dangerous toxic chemicals like formaldehyde, chrome, coal-tar derivatives, dyed, and cyanide-based mineral salts.
Community & charitable giving:
They donate a portion of proceeds to animal charities and organizations that support ecological welfare.
7. Watson & Wolfe
About Watson & Wolfe
Price Range: $125–$326
Named after owner Helen’s beloved pooch, Watson & Wolfe aims to drive the evolution of the leather goods industry in a world where fashion is the second-biggest polluter of the planet.
Working at the infamous Aspinal of London for 10 years, Helen gained a love for leather goods and luxury.
Like many others, she believed leather was a by-product of the meat industry—until she started developing her own luxury brand and passed on leather for the best plant-based alternatives.
After testing a number of materials, her high-end vegan bags, belts, and vegan wallets were born, like the Camden Crossbody Clutch, a not-too-big, not-too-small daily go-to bag.
Watson & Wolfe’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Watson & Wolfe bags are made from a smooth, lightly grained synthetic leather from Italy. The material is made from renewable, non-food grade corn, making it 30% more sustainable than other vegan leathers.
The lining in their bags are created from recycled PET plastic from Taiwan.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Their bags are manufactured in small, artisan factories based in Turkey and Portugal, all of which have a fair-trade policy.
Their suppliers harness green energy and have efficient systems for solvent and air exhaust.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
They work with One Tree Planted to offset their carbon footprint via reforestation projects.
All gift boxes are made from recycled materials and cardstock is biodegradable and FSC-certified. Dust bags from larger products are made from OEKO-TEX organic cotton.
Community & charitable giving:
For every order, they donate a tree to projects in Australia and Brazil.
8. Matt & Natt
About Matt & Natt
Price Range: $40–$275
Matt & Natt is an (ironically) killer 100% vegan shoe and accessories brand faux-ever committed to not using animal based materials in their designs.
Following the motto “live beautifully,” most of their designer vegan bags come in black as a base color (a staple for a minimalist’s wardrobe) and also feature unique colors such as frog green, daffodil yellow, and flora pink.
With some of their offers more sustainable and others, our favorite is the GIULIA vegan shoulder bag.
This crescent shaped hobo bag is part of the Studio 901 collection, meaning the luxuriously smooth exterior is made of APPLESKIN™, or leather made of apple industry byproduct.
They also offer some of the best vegan messenger bags and briefcases for men.
Matt & Natt’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Their non-leather bags are made from vegan materials like sustainable nylon, rubber, and biodegradable polyurethane, though they are experimenting with a number of fruit skin leathers.
They are slowly transforming all PVC materials to PVB made of 100% recycled windshield glass resin, starting with their Purity and Dwell collections—which includes vegan luxury handbags as well as sustainable belts and other accessories.
All linings are made with 100% recycled plastic bottles (about 21 per bag).
Supply chain & labor practices:
Factory audits are conducted twice a year by the CEO to ensure proper working conditions, including no child labor, fair wages, and a clean workspace for all workers.
At least one of their factories operates by SA8000 standards.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
They claim to aim “to become fully sustainable by 2023” but don’t outline steps toward this vague end outside fabric improvements.
Community & charitable giving:
With every purchase of the HOPE charity bag, 100% of the profits are donated to selected humanitarian organizations.
9. HSF Collective
About HSF Collective
Price Range: $98–$420
HSF Collective specializes in hands-free vegan luxury bags.
Inspired by the joy of less, their convertible bags are designed to fit just the essentials (like your favorite vegan sunscreen).
For instance, the Half Moon vegan crossbody bag transforms into a belt bag or a wallet.
Whether you’re looking for a vegan fringe purse or a water bottle purse, HSF will have you looking HSF—hospitable, sustainable, and fashionable!
HFS Collective’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
All of the materials used for their vegan leather bags are PETA-certified and fall under four categories: recycled, upcycled, deadstock or low-impact
Their OEKO-TEX certified eco-suede is made from post-industrial recycled polyester and PCR plastic. The fabric is featured in their half moon and fringe belt bags.
Their low impact fabrics include hemp, cork, Piñatex, GOTS certified organic cotton, and polyurethane, with lining made from organic cotton or polyurethane.
Supply chain & labor practices:
All bags are made from a small, family-run factory in L.A. Craftsmen are provided a safe workplace and paid a fair wage.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Their luxury vegan bags are free from organic solvents and environmental toxins.
Community & charitable giving:
2-5% of all profits are donated to organizations supporting women empowerment and environmental protection.
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Why Choose Vegan Leather Handbags And Purses?
While many people assume that leather products are always a byproduct of another industry, this isn’t entirely true.
In fact, one billion animals are estimated to be killed by (and for) the leather industry yearly.
While meat can sometimes be profitable for animal producers, virgin animal leather always is.
While animals typically aren’t slaughtered exclusively to become a wallet or backpack, the potential of profit is the driving force behind it—especially with a growing leather industry.
Hence the inverted comments around “ethical leather”.
Considering that top-quality leather also comes from baby calves, it’s no wonder people are looking for certified vegan purses.
Beyond the ethical horrors of the leather industry, it’s also environmentally damnable.
We all know the cattle industry is responsible for an enormous amount of greenhouse gas emissions, but that aside, leather tanning utilizes up to 250 chemicals like arsenic, cyanide, and chromium.
During the tanning, these chemicals can leach from factories and poison workers. Post-production they’ll pollute any land they end up in at the end of life.
How We Found The Best Vegan Leather Bag Brands
What is a vegan handbag?
One that doesn’t involve materials made from animal products or by-products (obviously).
While material is the main thing we are looking at, there are many other sustainable fashion factors we look for in a vegan leather handbag.
Materials:
Moo, moo, moo-ve over cows. We’re looking for leather that doesn’t come from animals at all.
Vegan leather can be made out of nearly anything under the sun these days. Cork, pineapple leaves (called Piñatex), cactus leather, and more. You name it, and someone is experimenting making non-leather handbags from it.
Others stick to petroleum-based faux leather made from polyurethane (which is more environmentally friendly than other types of plastics).
The only cruelty-free handbags we recommend avoiding altogether are those made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a highly toxic chemical that is dangerous to users, makers, and ecosystems.
Still, anything not associated with loss of life is more sustainable in many respects, but we still think the best vegan bags are non-plastic.
Lastly we look for organic or recycled vegan bag linings, recycled hardware, and sustainable dyes or glues.
- Certifications: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), OEKO-TEX, Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), US Department of Agriculture Biopreferred (USDA Biobased), Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH)
Supply chain & labor practices:
Zip up any ethical concerns with localized supply chains, regular audits, third party manufacturing certifications, respectful work conditions, proof of fair wages, and beyond-wage benefits.
- Certifications: Social Accountability International (SA8000), Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA)
Carbon commitments & green practices:
By producing in small quantities, using circular practices, using carbon reducing techniques (and carbon offset programs for what’s left), and having reusable packaging, these vegan bag brands are supporting a healthy planet.
We also looked for brands that employ initiatives to reduce energy, water, and solvent use.
Inclusivity:
Inclusivity isn’t so much the issue with the bags and purses themselves. However, it’s still something we look for in the brands themselves.
It’s inspiring to see female and BIPOC faces behind most of these brands.
Community & charitable giving:
Many brands are opening up their purses and pulling out their own wallets for local and global communities, donating time, money, and products.
Final Thoughts On Sustainable Vegan Handbags & Purses
The best vegan leather purse is like a trusty sidekick—with you wherever you go, holding (sort of) everything you might need.
Superheroes pick their sidekicks carefully, so why shouldn’t we?
While non-vegan purses have the same utility, lugging around something made out of a dead animal is a bit more villainous.
Fortunately, by supporting one of these vegan bag brands, you can still be the hero.
Grab your iPhone, whip out your wallet, and dig around for your organic lipstick—all without thinking about the life that became your boho bag.
Then pass the bag (by which we mean this article) on to the next person so they can consciously carry, too.
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