Bags of Change currently has over 60 shops offering fabulous discounts on ethical shopping and more joining regularly. Click here to see shops and discounts. And people love the bags. Bags for Change have two beautiful designs in the range. The original bag is made from organic cotton and hemp with perfect coconut shell buttons – it’s funky and sturdy and will last a lifetime before harmlessly biodegrading. The newest bag is very chic, fairly-traded and made from sustainably tapped rubber produced by a cooperative in the Amazon. It makes a fabulous ethical alternative to leather.
BAGS OF CHANGE ETHICS
Bags of Change takes into consideration the ecological and social impact of all areas of the business. They continually strive to improve their impact on the planet and to ensure a fair deal for those involved in the production of their bags. And of course they do all the usual small but important things such as re-using and recycling everything they possibly can and using ecological products in their office.
THE ETHICS BEHIND THE BAGS
TREETAP RUBBER BAGS
These beautiful leather-look bags are made from fairly-traded wild Amazon rubber helping to create sustainable alternatives for the economic development of the Amazon. Workers are paid four times more than the regular market price for the wild rubber used.
The production of Treetap® would be impossible without the indigenous “Seringeros” (rubber tappers) and Indians that live deep in the Amazon Rainforest. Treetap® helps to valorize their lives and their traditional cultures and supports the preservation and sustainable use of the biodiversity of their lands.
HEMP-ORGANIC COTTON BAGS
These bags are a hemp-cotton mix; the cotton is organic and Control Union certified, the environmentally-friendly hemp is grown on small family farms and the buttons are made from coconut shell. All the processing of the bag is low impact and the fabric, dyes and prints are fully biodegradable. The textile mill is ISO9001:2000.
The factory used for sewing specialises in sustainable and organic manufacturing. The workers are all over 19 years old and receive full training, proper safety equipment and an above average wage. They also get paid sick leave and maternity leave. The bags are sea freighted to the UK to minimise their carbon footprint.