Our fashion priorities are shifting. We are becoming more conscious of how our choices affect the planet and the people living on it. We’ve all been there – buying the trendiest accessories without a second thought about where they came from. But now, we’re all about making choices that really reflect our values. In this blog post, we’ll dive into vegan leather handbags, which are not just beautiful but also ethical. If you’re curious about what goes into a vegan handbag, this guide is for you. It will help you make a thoughtful decision for your next purchase!
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Join us as we explore the spectrum of vegan leather alternatives, dissecting which ones align best with sustainability goals. Durability is often a concern on many people’s minds when choosing their next handbag. We’ll be taking a look at how you can tell if a bag will stand the test of time.
What Is Vegan Leather?
Vegan leather is any material made without animal hides or skins. While it’s often marketed as a more ethical alternative to traditional leather, not all vegan leathers are created equal. Many vegan leather products are made from synthetic materials like polyurethane (PU) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which are plastic-based. Others use innovative plant-based materials made from ingredients like cactus, apple waste, cork, or mycelium (mushroom), though these often still contain some synthetic binders for durability. If you’re shopping for a vegan leather handbag, it’s worth looking beyond the label to understand what the material is actually made from and choose options that align with your priorities.
Are Vegan Leather Handbags Sustainable?
The answer depends on the material. While vegan leather avoids the use of animal products, many options are still made from petroleum-based plastics like PU or PVC, which rely on fossil fuels and can be difficult to recycle. At Sustainably Chic, we generally recommend choosing vegan handbags made with recycled materials or newer plant-based alternatives when possible. We also believe longevity matters; buying a well-made bag you’ll use for years is often a more sustainable choice than replacing lower-quality options frequently.
What types of materials are used for vegan handbags?
There are more sustainable vegan alternatives to leather than ever before. Some are still in development and not widely available, but here are some that you can find on the market today:
- Mirum: made of a blend of FSC certified natural rubber, natural colorants like charcoal, natural fillers like clays, plant-based oils and waxes.
- Cork: made from the bark of cork trees (without the trees being cut down) and is completely biodegradable.
- Mycelium: bio-based and produced from mycelium – the branching, root-like vegetation part of fungi.
- Fruit leather (including orange, mango, pineapple, apple and grape): 45% of all fruits and vegetables grown globally are discarded between the field and the plate. Fruit leather makes use of the waste of these different fruits and creates partly bio-based materials.
- Cactus leather: made up of dried cactus powder backed on woven material.
- Treekind: made from sustainably sourced wood, Treekind is completely free from plastic and recyclable, and estimated to use less than 1% of the water cow skin leather production does.
- Washable paper: FSC trees can be used to create washable paper, a recyclable and biodegradable alternative to leather.
The most commonly used (and less sustainable) alternatives to leather include PVC and PU. These materials are not ideal because, although they impact the environment less than animal-derived materials, they still rely on fossil fuels and do not biodegrade..However, you can choose recycled PU leather and avoid extracting new fossil fuels, which hugely reduces its environmental impact.
Our Top Picks for Vegan Leather Handbags:
1. Svala
Materials: Piñatex® (Pineapple leather), MIRUM®, cork, PU, BioVeg
Price: $195-298
Artisans in LA craft Svala handbags with materials they source from Europe. The brand stands out by offering a diverse selection of vegan leather alternatives for its handbags, integrating innovative materials such as Piñatex®, a sustainable textile made from pineapple leaf fibers, and MIRUM®, a plant-based alternative to synthetic leather. Additionally, Svala incorporates eco-friendly options like cork, which offers renewable properties, and BioVeg, which manufacturers make from recycled polyester derived from plastic bottles and combine with bio polyols to reduce its environmental footprint.
Svala donates 10% of profits to various charities and organizations, including Wild Aid, whose mission is to end the illegal wildlife trade.
2. Baggu
Materials: Recycled Ripstop Nylon, Recycled Polyester, Canvas, Cotton
Price: $30-82
Baggu has truly perfected the art of making everyday bags both functional and fun. Their iconic reusable totes and pouches are designed to last, and I love that their popular shoppers are now made from 100% recycled nylon. Even their cotton canvas bags feature recycled fibers, a great way to give old materials a beautiful new life.
If you’re into dopamine dressing or love a touch of whimsy, Baggu’s bold colors and quirky prints will make your day a little brighter. But they also offer sleek, minimalist designs for those who prefer timeless over trendy. Whether you’re running errands, hitting the beach, or just choosing a smarter, greener way to carry it all, Baggu makes sustainable style feel effortless.
3. The Tote Project
Materials: Organic Cotton
Price: $45
The Tote Project donates 10% of gross profits to Two Wings to support survivors of human trafficking in the United States. This partnership empowers survivors on their path to recovery while helping raise awareness about an issue that deserves far more attention.
The brand is deeply committed to ethical manufacturing and positive social impact. Each tote is handcrafted by skilled artisans in a fair-trade certified factory in India, where safe working conditions and fair wages are the foundation of every design. The Tote Project partners exclusively with producers that prioritize the well-being of women survivors, creating real opportunities for empowerment. Every bag is made from fair-trade certified cotton, combining compassion, sustainability, and purpose in one beautiful, meaningful accessory.
4. Stella McCartney
Materials: VEGEA, Mylo™, MIRUM®, Alter Nappa (PU leather)
Price: $450-2,450
British designer brand, Stella McCartney, is renowned for its luxurious vegan handbags made from innovative leather alternatives such as VEGEA (grape-based leather), Mylo™ (mushroom leather) and MIRUM.
The brand is committed to sustainability and ethical practices throughout its supply chain and is constantly exploring new technologies and processes to improve environmental practices and make sustainable vegan alternatives more accessible.
Stella McCartney’s most famous handbag is the Falabella, but they make crossbody bags, totes, shoulder bags and backpacks.
5. Cotopaxi
Materials: Recycled Polyester & Nylon
Price: $25-95
Cotopaxi is proof that adventure gear can be vibrant, ethical, and completely cruelty-free. Their handbags and totes are made from recycled and repurposed materials that are giving a second life to high-quality nylon and polyester that would otherwise go to waste. Each piece from their signature Del Día Collection is one-of-a-kind, hand-sewn from leftover fabric, meaning no two bags are ever the same.
Beyond design, Cotopaxi leads with purpose. Through the Cotopaxi Foundation, they donate a portion of every purchase to alleviate poverty and empower communities worldwide. Their factories uphold strict fair labor and environmental standards, ensuring people and the planet come first.
6. JanSport
Materials: Recycled Polyester & Nylon
Price: $22-55
JanSport, long known for its durable backpacks, has been quietly evolving into a more sustainable brand. Many of their most popular styles, including the iconic SuperBreak and Right Pack, now feature 100% recycled main body fabrics made from post-consumer waste. By using recycled polyester and nylon, JanSport helps keep plastic bottles out of landfills and reduces reliance on virgin materials.
The brand also works with manufacturing partners that follow strict ethical standards, ensuring safe and responsible working conditions. We love that JanSport promotes repair over replacement through its lifetime warranty program, helping to extend the life of each product and minimize waste. Even their packaging and shipping practices are shifting toward more eco-friendly materials.
7. Freja
Materials: ultrafiber (recycled microfiber + water-based PU coating)
Price: $198-398
Freja New York creates minimalist, vegan handbags thoughtfully designed for modern women. Each bag is made in small batches using cruelty-free, water-resistant vegan leather & recycled linings. The brand emphasizes craftsmanship, transparency & timelessness over trends.
Designed to go from work to weekend, Freja’s bags are made for real life. Their slow fashion ethos is simple: elegant, useful, and always animal-free.
8. Matt & Nat
Materials: recycled windshield glass resin, recycled plastic bottles, AppleSkin™
Price: $70-340
Matt & Nat (short for “Material & Nature”) has been a leader in vegan accessories for decades. Their handbags are crafted from recycled materials, including reclaimed windshield resin (PVB), and are lined with fabric made from recycled plastic bottles.
Some Matt & Nat collections still use synthetic materials like PU, but the brand continues to move forward with more innovative, eco-friendly materials like AppleSkin™ vegan leather. Their bags are simple & sturdy, making them a favorite for anyone who wants to look good and be kind to animals.
9. Melie Bianco
Materials: PU Vegan Leather, Recycled Vegan Leather
Price: $50-160
Melie Bianco creates high-quality vegan handbags that are actually affordable. Their PETA-approved, cruelty-free bags are made from premium vegan leather and are crafted by artisans who receive fair wages. The brand’s handbags feature classic yet modern designs, so you can upgrade your style and stay true to your values.
Melie Bianco combines style with sustainability by making their bags in small batches to cut down on waste. Their designs feature elegant textures and modern shapes, and the brand is dedicated to making luxury that’s both thoughtful and within reach.
10. Lambert
Materials: PU Leather
Price: $96-165
Lambert makes vegan fashion look simple and cool. Their handbags and travel gear are designed in Montreal and sold all over the U.S. They use high-quality vegan leather that’s tough, water-resistant, and totally cruelty-free. Every bag is built for real life, blending style and usefulness so you never have to pick between looking good and doing good.
Lambert also ensures ethical production practices, making their clean, contemporary aesthetic a smart choice for conscious consumers who value both practicality and compassion.
Why Should You Shop Vegan Handbags?
There are a number of reasons why more people are choosing a vegan alternative when shopping for handbags now. The main reason is usually surrounding ethics and how people feel about using animals for fashion. More people are becoming aware of the realities of animal agriculture. Those same animals are suffering for fashion too. Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, or simply an animal lover, you may feel that using an animal’s skin, wool, or fur doesn’t align with your ethics. For this reason, you’ll be opting for animal-free materials when you shop. There is also an ethical factor in regards to the humans who have to work with animal leather. The chemicals used in tanning animal leather are extremely toxic, and tannery workers suffer from high rates of cancer due to their exposure to these known carcinogens.
Another big reason people are increasingly switching to vegan leather handbags is for environmental reasons. While not all vegan leather alternatives are 100% sustainable themselves, we do know more about the true impact of using animal leather and how they compare against synthetic alternatives. A recent study by Collective Fashion Justice found that making cow skin leather is nearly seven times more climate impactful than synthetic leather by the square meter. The damage caused by animal leather on the environment includes toxic chemicals used for the tanning process, polluting waterways with factory wastewater, carbon emissions, plus excessive land and water use. We must absolutely consider all the environmental impacts of animal agriculture before producing the material, as we cannot ignore this in the process.
By choosing vegan handbags, we can actively reduce our environmental impact and reduce the number of animals killed for fashion.
Are Vegan Leather Handbags Durable?
Many people worry about how long vegan leather goods will last. They think these items might not hold up or could peel because vegan leather is often thinner than animal leather. However, when you look at vintage shops, you can find animal leather jackets and bags that have also peeled or cracked. This happens because animal leather needs a lot of care to stay soft, and not everyone is willing to put in that effort.
How well you care for a product, especially with handbags, fundamentally determines its durability. You have the power to control the wear and tear by ensuring proper storage and minimizing exposure to damage. Not all materials are equal; the quality of the vegan alternative you use to make the bag plays a significant role. Follow the care instructions for your vegan handbag to ensure its longevity.
Final Thoughts
The best vegan leather handbag is one you’ll enjoy carrying for years to come. By choosing higher-quality materials, supporting transparent brands, and shopping with longevity in mind, you can build a collection that’s kinder to animals and more thoughtful for the planet ♡
Love this comprehensive guide! Though I think we might’ve slipped under your radar 😊
R&E – Made To Love is bringing plastic-free corn leather bags with an artist co-creation platform – customers can design their bags with emerging artists, making each piece truly one-of-a-kind. It’s sustainable luxury meets self-expression!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/re-madetolove/conscious-luxury-bags
@re_made2love