18-07-2025
These businesses target naive environmentalists, and I got tricked
I used to be a bags lady. Not just under my eyes but on both arms.
A handbag for my wallet and keys; tote bag for gym clothes; laptop bag with dog-chewed shoulder strap; lunch bag; and a plastic bag to wrap my lunchbox in case it leaked in the lunch bag. Plus some dog poo bags in each, just in case.
I lived life like this, a walking coat stand, because I didn't know any other way.
Until I started to see Mary Poppins all over the place. Corporate women with smooth bobs and big, black totes; mums with giant baby bags shoved in the bottom of prams; younger types with bold print duffels and keep cups.
There were big bag girls everywhere, and I wanted to become one.
I'm looking for something sustainable but work appropriate. I consider leather but as a vegetarian, would prefer something without animal products. I go to second-hand marketplace app Depop.
Search "vegan bag" and there's a handful of options in Australia. I don't order from overseas because it seems to defeat the purpose of trying to reduce my environmental impact.
Exchange a few messages back-and-forth to find a bag that will fit my giant work laptop, pay $20, and my bag is on the way.
For the animal welfare-conscious shopper, faux leather seems like the sensible option.
Leah Giblin, author of How to Keep Your Clothes Forever, gently disagrees.
"I would say that in terms of faux leather, the environmental impacts can sometimes be quite bad," she says.
"Usually, faux leather is lots of different types of plastic."
That includes petrochemicals and plastic containing forever chemicals to keep it soft and pliable.
The Guardian reports that even faux leather made of mushrooms, bananas or other random things is usually coated in polyurethane, a type of plastic.
So vegan leather is a scam, and I am a sucker.
"That product, being made out of plastic, will last hundreds of years. That's a big responsibility in terms of owning something," Leah says.
"You've got to think about what will happen to it after you're finished with it and you'll be passing it down to your children and grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren because that's how long it will last."
The big bag is great, but I can't imagine owning it beyond a few years, let alone giving it to my great-great-grandchildren.
And while plastic does not use animal products, forever chemicals have been found in the blood of more than 600 animals. I may have saved a cow just to kill some dolphins and panda bears instead.
Giblin likes to buy leather products because they tend to last a very long time with a little bit of upkeep.
But she is not vegetarian or vegan, and her priority as a consumer is environmental sustainability rather than animal welfare.
The Leather and Hide Council of America insists "hides are a by-product of the dairy and meat industries, not a driver", and using leather does not mean more cattle are reared.
PETA and Animal Australia disagree, calling it a co-product of the meat industry.
Giblin says, "It's a pretty muddy area".
"In some ways, you can see it as a waste product being used, but it's really hard to say what comes first, is it chicken or egg? Is it for the leather or is it for the meat?
MORE LIFESTYLE:
"A lot of places don't have the same kind of legislation around animal cruelty or animal treatment, and they don't have the same legislation in terms of the pollution that can enter the environment from the tanning process.
"Use what you have already," Giblin says.
"The second-most sustainable thing you can do is walk down to your local second-hand shop and buy it there so that you're not causing any emissions."
How to Keep Clothes Forever has a checklist to consider before buying an item of clothing or accessory.
There may be no ethical way to shop, consume, or exist, but there are better and worse choices.
Looking down that checklist ... yes, I probably needed the bag; it has a classic design, works with items I already own, and was second-hand.
In the scheme of things, not the worst purchase.
As for those shoes I need? I might just try making them myself*.
*not really
This article was originally published on Substack.
I used to be a bags lady. Not just under my eyes but on both arms.
A handbag for my wallet and keys; tote bag for gym clothes; laptop bag with dog-chewed shoulder strap; lunch bag; and a plastic bag to wrap my lunchbox in case it leaked in the lunch bag. Plus some dog poo bags in each, just in case.
I lived life like this, a walking coat stand, because I didn't know any other way.
Until I started to see Mary Poppins all over the place. Corporate women with smooth bobs and big, black totes; mums with giant baby bags shoved in the bottom of prams; younger types with bold print duffels and keep cups.
There were big bag girls everywhere, and I wanted to become one.
I'm looking for something sustainable but work appropriate. I consider leather but as a vegetarian, would prefer something without animal products. I go to second-hand marketplace app Depop.
Search "vegan bag" and there's a handful of options in Australia. I don't order from overseas because it seems to defeat the purpose of trying to reduce my environmental impact.
Exchange a few messages back-and-forth to find a bag that will fit my giant work laptop, pay $20, and my bag is on the way.
For the animal welfare-conscious shopper, faux leather seems like the sensible option.
Leah Giblin, author of How to Keep Your Clothes Forever, gently disagrees.
"I would say that in terms of faux leather, the environmental impacts can sometimes be quite bad," she says.
"Usually, faux leather is lots of different types of plastic."
That includes petrochemicals and plastic containing forever chemicals to keep it soft and pliable.
The Guardian reports that even faux leather made of mushrooms, bananas or other random things is usually coated in polyurethane, a type of plastic.
So vegan leather is a scam, and I am a sucker.
"That product, being made out of plastic, will last hundreds of years. That's a big responsibility in terms of owning something," Leah says.
"You've got to think about what will happen to it after you're finished with it and you'll be passing it down to your children and grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren because that's how long it will last."
The big bag is great, but I can't imagine owning it beyond a few years, let alone giving it to my great-great-grandchildren.
And while plastic does not use animal products, forever chemicals have been found in the blood of more than 600 animals. I may have saved a cow just to kill some dolphins and panda bears instead.
Giblin likes to buy leather products because they tend to last a very long time with a little bit of upkeep.
But she is not vegetarian or vegan, and her priority as a consumer is environmental sustainability rather than animal welfare.
The Leather and Hide Council of America insists "hides are a by-product of the dairy and meat industries, not a driver", and using leather does not mean more cattle are reared.
PETA and Animal Australia disagree, calling it a co-product of the meat industry.
Giblin says, "It's a pretty muddy area".
"In some ways, you can see it as a waste product being used, but it's really hard to say what comes first, is it chicken or egg? Is it for the leather or is it for the meat?
MORE LIFESTYLE:
"A lot of places don't have the same kind of legislation around animal cruelty or animal treatment, and they don't have the same legislation in terms of the pollution that can enter the environment from the tanning process.
"Use what you have already," Giblin says.
"The second-most sustainable thing you can do is walk down to your local second-hand shop and buy it there so that you're not causing any emissions."
How to Keep Clothes Forever has a checklist to consider before buying an item of clothing or accessory.
There may be no ethical way to shop, consume, or exist, but there are better and worse choices.
Looking down that checklist ... yes, I probably needed the bag; it has a classic design, works with items I already own, and was second-hand.
In the scheme of things, not the worst purchase.
As for those shoes I need? I might just try making them myself*.
*not really
This article was originally published on Substack.
I used to be a bags lady. Not just under my eyes but on both arms.
A handbag for my wallet and keys; tote bag for gym clothes; laptop bag with dog-chewed shoulder strap; lunch bag; and a plastic bag to wrap my lunchbox in case it leaked in the lunch bag. Plus some dog poo bags in each, just in case.
I lived life like this, a walking coat stand, because I didn't know any other way.
Until I started to see Mary Poppins all over the place. Corporate women with smooth bobs and big, black totes; mums with giant baby bags shoved in the bottom of prams; younger types with bold print duffels and keep cups.
There were big bag girls everywhere, and I wanted to become one.
I'm looking for something sustainable but work appropriate. I consider leather but as a vegetarian, would prefer something without animal products. I go to second-hand marketplace app Depop.
Search "vegan bag" and there's a handful of options in Australia. I don't order from overseas because it seems to defeat the purpose of trying to reduce my environmental impact.
Exchange a few messages back-and-forth to find a bag that will fit my giant work laptop, pay $20, and my bag is on the way.
For the animal welfare-conscious shopper, faux leather seems like the sensible option.
Leah Giblin, author of How to Keep Your Clothes Forever, gently disagrees.
"I would say that in terms of faux leather, the environmental impacts can sometimes be quite bad," she says.
"Usually, faux leather is lots of different types of plastic."
That includes petrochemicals and plastic containing forever chemicals to keep it soft and pliable.
The Guardian reports that even faux leather made of mushrooms, bananas or other random things is usually coated in polyurethane, a type of plastic.
So vegan leather is a scam, and I am a sucker.
"That product, being made out of plastic, will last hundreds of years. That's a big responsibility in terms of owning something," Leah says.
"You've got to think about what will happen to it after you're finished with it and you'll be passing it down to your children and grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren because that's how long it will last."
The big bag is great, but I can't imagine owning it beyond a few years, let alone giving it to my great-great-grandchildren.
And while plastic does not use animal products, forever chemicals have been found in the blood of more than 600 animals. I may have saved a cow just to kill some dolphins and panda bears instead.
Giblin likes to buy leather products because they tend to last a very long time with a little bit of upkeep.
But she is not vegetarian or vegan, and her priority as a consumer is environmental sustainability rather than animal welfare.
The Leather and Hide Council of America insists "hides are a by-product of the dairy and meat industries, not a driver", and using leather does not mean more cattle are reared.
PETA and Animal Australia disagree, calling it a co-product of the meat industry.
Giblin says, "It's a pretty muddy area".
"In some ways, you can see it as a waste product being used, but it's really hard to say what comes first, is it chicken or egg? Is it for the leather or is it for the meat?
MORE LIFESTYLE:
"A lot of places don't have the same kind of legislation around animal cruelty or animal treatment, and they don't have the same legislation in terms of the pollution that can enter the environment from the tanning process.
"Use what you have already," Giblin says.
"The second-most sustainable thing you can do is walk down to your local second-hand shop and buy it there so that you're not causing any emissions."
How to Keep Clothes Forever has a checklist to consider before buying an item of clothing or accessory.
There may be no ethical way to shop, consume, or exist, but there are better and worse choices.
Looking down that checklist ... yes, I probably needed the bag; it has a classic design, works with items I already own, and was second-hand.
In the scheme of things, not the worst purchase.
As for those shoes I need? I might just try making them myself*.
*not really
This article was originally published on Substack.
I used to be a bags lady. Not just under my eyes but on both arms.
A handbag for my wallet and keys; tote bag for gym clothes; laptop bag with dog-chewed shoulder strap; lunch bag; and a plastic bag to wrap my lunchbox in case it leaked in the lunch bag. Plus some dog poo bags in each, just in case.
I lived life like this, a walking coat stand, because I didn't know any other way.
Until I started to see Mary Poppins all over the place. Corporate women with smooth bobs and big, black totes; mums with giant baby bags shoved in the bottom of prams; younger types with bold print duffels and keep cups.
There were big bag girls everywhere, and I wanted to become one.
I'm looking for something sustainable but work appropriate. I consider leather but as a vegetarian, would prefer something without animal products. I go to second-hand marketplace app Depop.
Search "vegan bag" and there's a handful of options in Australia. I don't order from overseas because it seems to defeat the purpose of trying to reduce my environmental impact.
Exchange a few messages back-and-forth to find a bag that will fit my giant work laptop, pay $20, and my bag is on the way.
For the animal welfare-conscious shopper, faux leather seems like the sensible option.
Leah Giblin, author of How to Keep Your Clothes Forever, gently disagrees.
"I would say that in terms of faux leather, the environmental impacts can sometimes be quite bad," she says.
"Usually, faux leather is lots of different types of plastic."
That includes petrochemicals and plastic containing forever chemicals to keep it soft and pliable.
The Guardian reports that even faux leather made of mushrooms, bananas or other random things is usually coated in polyurethane, a type of plastic.
So vegan leather is a scam, and I am a sucker.
"That product, being made out of plastic, will last hundreds of years. That's a big responsibility in terms of owning something," Leah says.
"You've got to think about what will happen to it after you're finished with it and you'll be passing it down to your children and grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren because that's how long it will last."
The big bag is great, but I can't imagine owning it beyond a few years, let alone giving it to my great-great-grandchildren.
And while plastic does not use animal products, forever chemicals have been found in the blood of more than 600 animals. I may have saved a cow just to kill some dolphins and panda bears instead.
Giblin likes to buy leather products because they tend to last a very long time with a little bit of upkeep.
But she is not vegetarian or vegan, and her priority as a consumer is environmental sustainability rather than animal welfare.
The Leather and Hide Council of America insists "hides are a by-product of the dairy and meat industries, not a driver", and using leather does not mean more cattle are reared.
PETA and Animal Australia disagree, calling it a co-product of the meat industry.
Giblin says, "It's a pretty muddy area".
"In some ways, you can see it as a waste product being used, but it's really hard to say what comes first, is it chicken or egg? Is it for the leather or is it for the meat?
MORE LIFESTYLE:
"A lot of places don't have the same kind of legislation around animal cruelty or animal treatment, and they don't have the same legislation in terms of the pollution that can enter the environment from the tanning process.
"Use what you have already," Giblin says.
"The second-most sustainable thing you can do is walk down to your local second-hand shop and buy it there so that you're not causing any emissions."
How to Keep Clothes Forever has a checklist to consider before buying an item of clothing or accessory.
There may be no ethical way to shop, consume, or exist, but there are better and worse choices.
Looking down that checklist ... yes, I probably needed the bag; it has a classic design, works with items I already own, and was second-hand.
In the scheme of things, not the worst purchase.
As for those shoes I need? I might just try making them myself*.
*not really
This article was originally published on Substack.
