Corkor (beautiful vegan wallets from Portugal)

Corkor is a premium brand in Portugal, which uses locally stripped cork to make a number of vegan leather items, from belts to bags. Its wallets are created by a family company using artisan methods, to make items to last for life. Sold in gift packaging with optional engraving.

Most people have a wallet or coin purse. But previous brands tended to be made from leather or plastic. 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.

Plastic is made from oil, and this contributes to the climate crisis and pollution, and also doesn’t biodegrade at end of use, ending up on landfills for hundreds or thousands of years.

You can donate unwanted wallets and purses 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. 

These wallets all have card slots, bill compartments, slip pockets and coin pockets. Many have RFID-blocking technology, to protect you from theft.