Corkor (beautiful vegan wallets from Portugal)

Corkor is a premium brand of cork accessories in Portugal, making belts to bags. Its wallets are created by a family company using artisan methods, and sold in gift packaging with optional engraving.

Most people have a wallet or coin purse. But rather than use leather (made from animal skins, often in countries with poor animal welfare laws) or plastic (made from oil, which contributes to pollution and the climate crisis), here are some better brands made from natural kind materials, to last for years.

Donate unwanted wallets and purses to small charity shops (that don’t test on animals). For items that are worn out, ripped or stains, place in local textile banks (the materials are shredded to make insulation and other industrial goods). 

These wallets have a range of features including bill compartments, slip pockets and coin pockets. Many have RFID-blocking technology, to protect you from theft.

Cork is a ‘vegan leather’ that is made by stripping the bark of trees in Spain and Portugal every nine years or so, but the trees are not cut down. Keeping the cork industry alive (in a world of plastic wine corks) is a good way to save these forests from being cut down for development, which in turn protects local wildlife that use the forests for food and shelter.