Corkor (Vegan Cork Belts from Portugal)

Corkor is a quality Portuguese brand, which makes use of local cork, to fashion gorgeous belts for men and women, to accompany their other items like bags, wallets and passport holders.

Many people wear belts, whether it’s to hold their jeans up or to finish off a smart look with a suit and tie. But previous brands tended to be made from leather.

Leather is obviously made from animal skin, and is not a by-product of the meat industry. It tends to also be chemically tanned, and often made in countries with poor animal welfare.

You can donate unwanted belts to charity shops (choose smaller ones that don’t test on animals) or textile banks. If items are in good condition they are donated on. But other textiles can be kept out of landfills, as the materials are shredded to make insulation and other goods. 

Cork has a similar texture to leather, and does not require trees to be chopped down. The bark is simply stripped from trees in the Mediterranean every nine years.

Keeping the cork industry alive (in a world of plastic wine corks) is important, as it keeps jobs in the forest, which in turn protects wildlife, so the trees are not replaced by others, to be chopped down for industry.