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Sustainable Vegan Bags

 

Handbags and Purses made from Recycled Materials

LaBante recycles plastic bottles into the polyester used in our bags. In this way, we make our small but earnest contribution into reducing the amount of plastic that ends up in our landfills and oceans. To date, LaBante has stopped millions of plastic bottles from going to landfill.

‘In the UK alone 35.8 Million plastic bottles are discarded each day’

The polyester is made by breaking down single use plastic bottles (PET bottles) into pellets. These are then melted, cooled, and spun into yarn. By using recycled fabrics instead of brand new ones, we reduce the amount of water consumed in production by 50%.

Polyester is also an incredibly durable fabric, capable of standing up to the daily wear and tear of using your bag. This means your purchase will last your longer while still looking great and be more sustainable than more fragile products as a result.

In making the exterior of our bags, LaBante uses vegetable-based Polyurethane (PU), which is made with a by-product of plant oils and reduces many of the chemical hazards associated with making PU. This type of PU is also more biodegradable than pure PU, and far safer to produce and wear than other types of plastics.
 
Improving Our Sustainability
We are currently transitioning to even more environmentally-friendly vegan leathers. Our upcoming handbags and shoe collection is made entirely from apple leather, which is made from discarded apple cores.
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Why We Don't Use Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

PVC has long been the most popular vegan leather option for accessories and clothing, but LaBante is firmly committed to excluding it from our production line.

PVC is non-degradable and has a much higher toxicity level—both in production and wear—as compared to other plastics such as Polyurethane. It has been called the "single most environmentally damaging type of plastic" by Greenpeace, and takes thousands of years to break down in landfills.

 

Materials for Accessories and Dust Covers

We pack every LaBante purchase with dust covers made from recycled fabric scraps and organic cotton. We additionally protect your purchase with fully-recyclable tissue paper and paper swing tags. 

LaBante London’s range of sunglasses are made from 100% recycled wood and are packaged in bamboo. The cardboard boxes we use are also environmentally friendly and fully recyclable. 

Please click here to find instructions on how and where to recycle these various materials within the UK.

 

Ecological Consciousness

In product manufacturing, we try to create a circular use of items. We reuse the maximum amount of our own waste as possible, pushing our own boundaries of sustainability and aim for as little waste output as possible. We regularly evaluate our production lines to identify flaws or possible avenues of greater material reuse.