Vegan Accessories: A Guide to Cruelty Free Bags, Belts & Wallets

Trying to live a cruelty-free life can sometimes be tricky, especially with so many products on the market that don’t list all of the materials that they are made from. It is particularly frustrating when it comes to accessories, where leather products seem to be the default - in most instances with tags saying ‘real leather’ used to indicate the quality of an item.

Yet what if your want a bag, belt or wallet that is of high quality, but not made from animal skin? What choices do you have available?

The Issue with Leather

If you want to live a life away from cruelty to animals, then naturally you will want to buy vegan leather alternatives. After all, so many animals every year are killed just to make leather for belts and high-end accessories - it’s not just a by-product of the meat industry, like many believe.

Lots of animals are bred purely for their leather, making the leather industry just as bad as the fur industry in this case. Nowadays, much of the public is against wearing real fur, so why isn’t the reaction to leather the same?

Environmental Impact

The environmental impact of leather production can’t go unmentioned. Not only are the cattle bred for leather adding to the emission of climate damaging gases, but the process of curing and tanning leather for use in accessories is also dangerous for our planet.

Real leather is very expensive to produce. The tanning process is the only way to turn it from animal hide, to a product that is usable. This uses a series of harsh chemicals, including one called chromium which has a potentially devastating impact on the environment.

Tanning leather also uses up gallons of water in this process, as well as in making the runoff from the chromium safe enough to be released. It is so toxic that it has to be specially processed, using up even more energy and clean water.

The Alternatives

What exactly are the alternatives when it comes to leather? It’s been around for so long simply because there hasn’t been a material like it. Yet if you look hard enough, companies such as our own have started to produce accessories that are 100% cruelty free, including the glue which previously was always made from animal parts!

There are lots of alternative materials out there that are perfect for creating everything from cruelty free belts to vegan wallets.

1. Vegan Leather

Vegan leather is improving every year, and it has now reached the stage where it is essentially unrecognisable from the real thing - good news for animals everywhere! You’re no longer stuck with cheap and peeling PVC but vegan leather of the highest quality that is strong, durable, and perfect for ladies’ purses and bags, as well as vegan men’s accessories like wallets.

2. Hemp

Hemp is another wonderful natural material that can be used to make the most amazing cruelty free accessories. It’s a traditional material that has been used for years to make rope. Now it is used to make canvas bags and even shoes in a sustainable and renewable way. Hemp is something of a wonder plant, and requires no pesticides to keep it healthy, further cutting down on its environmental impact.

3. Recycled Material

If you can buy your vegan wallets made of recycled material, then you should. Not only can you find ones that are made from cruelty free material, they are also wonderful for the environment because you are re-using material that would otherwise have either ended up in landfill or incinerated. A fantastic new addition to our footwear range here at ethicalWARES are these vegan recycled slippers - which are made entirely from recycled plastic bottles and organic cotton!

What Vegan Accessories Can I Buy?

There is a whole range of options available for you if you want your accessories to be vegan. Here’s a rundown of some of the top products that ethicalWARES produces.

· Cruelty Free Wallets and Purses

Animal and eco-friendly wallets are just one of the popular items that ethicalWARES understands there is a need for in today’s market. Brightly coloured and inexpensive, we sell beautiful wallets made of a range of ethical materials including bamboo – a sustainable material that has seen a surge of interest in recent years.

· Vegan Bags

Do you dream of a cruelty free version of the school satchels that never go out of fashion? If so, look no further, ethicalWARES has you covered. Available in both black and purple, this satchel makes all of your vegan leather dreams come true.

· Eco-Friendly Belts

One of the most difficult items to purchase when buying cruelty free is a belt. While you don’t want it to be made of leather, you also want it to be high quality. Luckily, help is at hand with our beautiful range of vegan leather belts.

At ethicalWARES, we pride ourselves on providing only the best in cruelty free accessories. So, whether it’s for yourself or for a gift, you can’t go wrong with our range of vegan wallets, bags and belts!