FAQs

FAQ

Q: How long does it take to ship?

A: Your purchase will be shipped out on the first business day after your purchase. So if you purchase on a Monday, it will go out no later than Tuesday. If you purchase on a Saturday, it would go out no later than Monday unless Monday is a holiday. The time that it would take to arrive to you would depend on where you are located and the shipping that you choose at checkout.

Q: Are all of the bags made in the US?

A: Some of them are made in the US and/or are US brands. Some are made in Europe, which has very strict sustainability regulations. Green Vegan Bags is currently the only US retailer of these innovative European brands, bringing you truly unique, eco-friendly options that are a phenomenal value for the high quality. You will be among the first to sport these luxury vegan handbags that are not available anywhere else in the US market.

Q: Why sell bags that look and feel like animal leather if we want to promote veganism?

A: The problem is not the look, feel or quality of leather, in fact, those are the reasons why many people buy leather. This is the same premise that companies like Beyond Meat or Impossible have with their vegan burgers and sausages. To give people plenty of cruelty-free options when shopping and promote clean, nontoxic vegan leather handbags because we shouldn’t have to sacrifice either animals or the environment to have quality fashion.

Q: What if people think I have a leather bag?

A: This is a great opportunity! Some people may be buying leather because they didn’t know that there were high quality, vegan leather options that have a similar look and durability as non-vegan leather. Conversely, there may be people out there settling for cheap, plastic alternatives and not realizing that they can get high quality, long lasting, eco-friendly vegan bags at a reasonable price. It’s an opportunity to show people that there are better out there.

Q: Are Appleskin and Pinatex leather really sustainable?

A: Yes. Both contribute to lower emissions and less toxins in the environment and provide additional income to farming families.

Appleskin: Although the creation of Appleskin is not purely plant based, Appleskin leather production emits considerably less carbon dioxide. Every 2 lbs of apple waste used saves about 12 lbs of emissions compared to standard, non recycled polyurethane vegan leather. The repurposing of the apple waste also keeps 4 million metric tons of apple waste from decomposing and producing methane which is a large contributor to climate change. In addition, it provides much needed additional income to farming families around the world. It also does not use the highly toxic process of tanning leather or harming animals.

Pinatex: Pinatex is made from the fibers of pineapple leaves but is not always purely plant based, depending on whehter the Pinatex is combined with cotton or vegan leather. However, for every 3 ft of Pinatex used, 26 lbs of carbon dioxide emissions are saved compared with traditional vegan leather. It also does not use the highly toxic process of tanning leather or harming animals.

Q: How is cork sustainable if it comes from trees and trees need to be used in production?

A: The cork trees are the only trees that have a bark that regenerates and can be removed without harming the tree. A single cork tree will produce usable bark for hundreds of years. Turning cork into “leather” is a much simpler process than other materials and does not involve any toxic chemicals or pollution. Sheets of cork are mounted onto either cotton or polyester – the bags here are 100% organic cotton - and made into a handbag or other item. Cork is extremely underused in fashion and can be a fantastic replacement for everything from leather handbags to yoga mats. Many people are skeptical of cork material until they touch it and see it themselves but are amazed at the high quality of the material once they do.

Q: Are all of the bags handmade?

A: Not all of the bags are handmade, though some of them are. The ones that are not handmade are small batched in a zero to low emissions process.

Q: A bag that I want is out of stock, when will it be back in?

A: Please sign up on the product page with your email address so that you will receive an email as soon as more arrive. The time frame will depend on the bag itself. Since the bags are handmade and/or small batch or coming from Europe, this affects the time frame. There are some handbag designs or colors that may not be produced again as well, but this is not as common. If you have any questions, please reach out to me at info@greenveganbags.com and I will be happy to help.