Just when I thought I'd seen sustainable handbags made from every material imaginable, Blauvent by Carmesine's come along to surprise me. The Spanish label makes tote bags, wallets, belts, and other fashion accessories from the retired wings of paragliders.

The green brand claims its products ...

The three shopper bags Vivienne Westwood released through her Ethical Fashion Africa Project in January sold out quickly, so I'm thrilled to see she's expanding the line. The new purses are also created in conjunction with the International Trade Center, ...

Worn Again has turned the old uniforms of Eurostar train managers into carry bags for the transport company's senior staffers. The innovative recycling program has saved the discarded uniforms from landfill, and provided accessories for 250 employees.

Each unisex bag is made from ...

Designers like Stella McCartney and Matt & Nat can always be counted on for eco-friendly handbags, but generally green-conscious fashion fans have to wade through the offerings on shopping websites to find the ones which meet our ethical standards. New online retailer LovingEco looks to make things ...

North Carolina artist Tripp Gregson has created a work bag which will stand out in any office with this Recycled Street Sign Briefcase.

Just as its name suggests, this briefcase has been carefully crafted from old traffic signs destined for landfill. The signs give the ...

Millions of women head to yoga class every week, desperately hoping the activity will help them feel more connected to the planet and bring a little inner peace. So it doesn't make a lot of sense to tote your mat inside an over-priced ...

Matt & Nat continue to try to convince us that vegan leather doesn't have to be unfashionable.

Shape-wise, I think the designing duo has succeeded. The folded main body and the slight envelope styling of that curvy front flap lend themselves to a purse that is quite fashion forward ...

Old fire hoses are enjoying a new lease on life thanks to eco-friendly accessories company, Feuerwear. The label uses the hoses to create durable and green bags, wallets, and belts.

You can't help thinking about the life these materials have lived, and the people they might have helped save, ...

With spring's unpredictable showers, stepping out with a bag made of paper doesn't sound like a good idea. Or does it? New York fashion label Paper No 9 encourages us to think about paper a little differently with its range of sustainable, cruelty-free handbags.

At ...

Proud Mary is the latest company empowering women in need around the globe through the creation of eco-friendly accessories and homewares.

From its base in Charlestown, South Carolina, Proud Mary employs artisans in Guatemala and South Africa. The women working at local weaving cooperatives and ...

A new eco-label is preparing to enter the American market. Ecoalf hails from Spain, and after conquering Europe has the United States firmly in its sights.

Ecoalf shows its commitment to the planet by using only 100% recycled and recyclable materials to create its apparel and accessories. These innovative ...

If you missed out the first time you'll be happy to know Katharine Hamnett is continuing to encourage us to protect our planet with the relaunch of her Save the Sea bag.

The slogan tote has been re-released, along with ...

Philadelphia is putting its city banners to good use through a unique program which transforms the advertising into unusual, green totes.

Banners have adorned the streets of Philadelphia for decades. Once taken off display, these colorful flags typically find themselves banished ...

Eco-label Pansy Maiden has expanded its handbag collection with a range of bags made from vegan ultrasuede. This unique material mimics soft calfskin suede but it's 100% cruelty-free.

The vegan material substitutes animal products for 80% recycled plastic bottles. I hear it's ...

We all want to keep our shiny portable technology safe and dry, so what better way to do it than wrap it up in a wetsuit? A range of laptop and iPad cases made from recycled wetsuit neoprene is available from the Uncommon Goods website.

Each case ...

There are so many eco-friendly handbag designers around that it seems they're no longer the exceptions to the rule. But few are as environmentally conscious as Fibre Arts Design, a Californian label which has recently become a certified green company through the Green Business ...

Just when I believe I've seen green accessories made from every possible material a designer comes along to surprise me. These cute iPad carry cases are actually made from repurposed mosquito nets!

Now the netting won't provide much protection for your tablet, especially if you're caught ...

Payless ShoeSource is helping to rebuild the forests of Brazil through sales of a new reusable shopping bag.

In July the budget accessories chain will release a brand new limited edition shopper decorated with a gray/yellow leaf print pattern. So often reusable shoppers claim to be green as ...

Yves Saint Laurent has enlisted Africans artisans to give its famous Muse Two bag a green makeover.

The women from the Gafreh Association, a cooperative in Burkina Faso, West Africa handmade each bag entirely from sustainable fabrics. Can ...

Cute Japanese style is channeled all the way through this wood and fabric purse.

There is something about this organic silver purse that puts me in mind of a Japanese pagoda. Perhaps it is the little wooden handle at the top. Maybe, however, it is the floral blossom print, or the ...

Marni is turning trash into treasure in its quirky new capsule collection. The Italian fashion house has released a tote bag, hat, and bib necklace embellished with recycled plastic rosettes. The small eco-conscious collection is part of Runway to Green, an initiative which ...

Some of our favorite handbag brands, including Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Stella McCartney, and Balenciaga, are about to get a whole lot greener. Their parent company PPR Group recently launched a multi-tiered sustainability initiative for all its global brands.

PPR Group will spend around €10 million ...

Matt & Nat has unveiled a brand new collection of ikat handbags to raise money for charity.

Ikat is a traditionally loomed fabric in keeping with the label's famous eco-friendly approach to design. There are four different styles to choose from and ...

GUNAS look to shatter our expectations of eco-friendly bags with its latest line of vegan purses.

These chic accessories are a far cry from the hippie-dippie hemp purses sold at local craft markets. They're made from cruelty-free Greenguard and LEED certified manmade fabrics that could easily pass ...

Latico is the latest handbag label to go green. The American brand is preparing to launch the Amazonia collection, a range of handbags made from reclaimed chicken leather.

The bags are made from unwanted skins sourced from poultry farms. It sounds a bit macabre to create a ...

Ju-Ju-Be has expanded its Legacy collection, a green handbag line made from eco-friendly Earth Leather. Amongst the new accessories are the Be Rich wallet, the Mighty Be tote, and the Be Major wristlet.

We've seen plenty of vegan leathers before, but Ju-Ju-Be's Earth leather is ...

Two's Company saves soda can tabs from landfill with this eco-friendly Pop Top Zippered Clutch.

This is a really clever and quirky purse, which shuns traditional materials for a more eco-smart alternative. The pop tops are crocheted together using nylon thread to create a ...

Timo offers a more colorful and eco-conscious alternative to your classic leather wallet with its range of coin purses.

Timo wallets are made from recycled paper laminate and strengthened with post-consumer vinyl for extra reinforcement. I was skeptical about the usability of a paper-based wallet, but Timo assures ...

Heavy Eco is helping to improve the futures of Eastern European crims with its eco-friendly range of accessories.

Prisoners in Eastern European jails make all Heavy Eco accessories from recycled billboard banners. The program gives the creators vital skills, which elevates their self esteem in the short ...

Make Love Not Trash specializes in making purses that are eco-friendly, and the camo-khaki color of this cross-body kind of fits with the theme!

As for the design, as implied by the color, it is focused on practicality. It is spacious, with a big lined interior, and a useful long shoulder ...

Rebecca Taylor is doing her bit for animals in need with the release of a new limited edition eco-tote.

The hand-painted image of two dolphins decorates the tote's eco-friendly canvas body. It's disappointing though that Rebecca Taylor has opted for leather handles. Clearly she cares ...

Snakeskin handbags are lovely, but I'll bet the snakes aren't as enamored with our lust for exotic materials. So we're thrilled to see Freitag offer the scaly good looks of authentic serpentine in this snake-friendly Hind bag.

The Hind is actually made not from real snake ...

Aussie brand Sir Tom has harnessed the eco-friendly powers of hemp for its green accessories line

There are pure hemp and hemp blend clutches in the range, that designer Anne Waters named after a street in her Bondi Beach neighborhood. Each one is free from THC, so you ...

Shutterbugs can take care of their camera in eco-chic style with this Nahui Ollin wristlet. Or at least, that's what the Mexican designer would have us believe.

Because the truth is, unless you have one of those high-tech but basic cameras this little purse just won't ...

Dame Vivienne Westwood is putting her design weight behind a good cause with her new limited edition handbag collection for the Ethical Fashion Africa Project.

There are three bags in the range, each made from recycled materials. ...

H&M is showing us its eco-friendly side with a new limited edition collection made from the remnants of its recent line with Lanvin.

Fashionistas may spot remains of Alber Elbaz zebra-print trench coat or rose embellished dress in the mix, but don't mistake this for ...

All too often iPad cases are masculine and downright boring. Reveal has recognized that girls love the Apple gadgets too, and has created the Techxy Mobile Accessories Collection, a new line of iPad sleeves designed for these discerning fashionistas.

The Seattle based label has created ...

Eco-friendly accessories don't have to look like the handmade hemp purses that hippies sell at your local markets. Kayu creates stunning handbags with real green credentials.

I'm enamored with the Betty Black Lip clutch pictured, which is made using black lip shells, a byproduct ...

Eco-friendly label Itzy Ritzy has released a limited edition collection of World Hunger Relief Snack Happened Snack Bags. The range helps to support Yum! Brands' World Hunger Relief Campaign, as each set sold helps feed 40 students through school feeding programs.

Each pack features ...

Israeli based innovators Designgroup has created a unique eco-friendly wallet made of wood.

The design of this Wood Wallet is very intriguing. Your credit card doubles a lid, keeping the notes and coins you've stashed in the small carved chamber safe. A recycled bike inner tube ...

Inspirational apparel brand Quote Couture is taking its uplifting verses to tote bags.

The label's new accessory collection features brightly colored canvas bags emblazoned with inspiring quotations.
"One of my personal favorites for 2011 is 'Fortune favors the bold,' by Virgil," gushed Quote Couture's founder, Chamsi Filali. "It's about ...

Hayden-Harnett goes back to basics with this eco-friendly Green is Good tote.

This simple bag is a world away from the fashion-forward leather accessories we're used to seeing from the brand. In fact, it'd be boring if not for that clever green slogan, which ...

Massachusetts based label Zaum is going green with its new eco-friendly purse collections.

Felt, and organic varieties of cotton, canvas, and twill are all used to create the striking bags which range from the small Eco Lola clutches and Eco_i iPhone pouches to larger Eco Avia messenger ...

You'd never guess that the chic bags from Passchal started their lives as tractor tire inner tubes. Today these scrap pieces of rubber form the sorts of accessories adored by celebs like Taylor Lautner and 90210 star Annalynne McCord.
"You would not think this is an inner-tube material," said ...

Many fashion labels have jumped on the eco-friendly bandwagon, but it's rare to find green purses that are stylish, as well as sustainable. Aura Que gets the blend right with its natural purses made in Nepal.

Aura Que bags are crafted by Nepalese artisans working under fair ...

This fun newspaper bag can carry your daily essentials, and offer something to read while you're waiting at the bus stop.

You wouldn't expect that a tote made from newspaper would be the smartest thing to carry outdoors, particularly during wild wintery weather. However its creators have thought of everything, ...

Urban Junket has recently added eco-friendly purses to its exhaustive accessories line. The collection is called t.o.t.e, a clever acronym which means To Observe the Earth.

Every t.o.t.e. bag is crafted entirely from organic cotton and colored with azo-free dyes. The interiors are also eco-conscious, ...

Vintage mailbags become contemporary purses under the clever hands of Seattle based artist Jessica Park and her fashion label Ampersand as Apostrophe.

Park works with century-old English postal sacks, preserving their natural weathered beauty but giving it modern handbag silhouettes. I love the ...

When we first met Alicia Silverstone, she was dispensing fashion advice as Cher Horowitz in Clueless. These days she's a fully fledged eco chick using her knowledge of style to save the planet. After her first successful collaboration with green fashion line EcoTools, ...

New York label LAYERxlayer reminds us that bigger isn't always better. By keeping its operations small, design team Patrick and Leah offer the kind of attention to detail that the major labels often miss.

Patrick's background in architecture and Leah's in industrial design combine to create bags and ...