Votch Sustainable Vegan Handbags
Votch is a wonderful pioneering brand of vegan leather bags, founded by a woman when she was in hospital with a condition that made her skin fall off. She vowed that when she got better, she would create a leather-free fashion brand that led animals keep their skins.
Like all items at Votch, a portion of profits each month, is donated to various animal welfare non-profits.
The range includes bamboo bio-leather bags either as big totes, small chain purses or elegant rucksacks. In elegant muted colours like black or tan.
Most leather bags are made in the far east, with few animal welfare laws, and the tanning process is also bad for the planet (and can cause cancer to workers). Breeding animals to make meat or leather also causes greenhouse gas emissions.
Quality vegan handbags are made from sustainable materials like microfiber, recycled materials (unlike clothing these are not laundered so don’t release microplastics from washing machines into the sea) or cork (no trees cut down, the bark is simply stripped every nine years or so).
How to clean sustainable vegan handbags
Wipe marks with a damp cloth (to remove oil stains, apply a little baking soda to absorb). Remove ink or make-up stains with a cotton bud dipped in rubbing alcohol. Dry wet handbags in the shade (avoid direct sun or heat)
Where to donate unwanted handbags
Donate unwanted handbags to small charity shops (that don’t test on animals). You can place damaged or frayed handbags in textile banks. The materials are shredded to make insulation and other industrial goods.
