Ethics & Sustainability

A bag that makes you look and feel good.

Finally a natural, high-quality alternative to leather. Now you don’t need to compromise on your beliefs to look and feel beautiful – wear it with pride, it’s a 100% vegan. Our products will help you stand out for all the right reasons as they are vegan, local, handmade and ecologically conscious products. It’s all around goodness!

PETA–Approved vegan
Our products are 100% animal free: no fur, wool, exotic skin or other animal-derived materials were used in production. Shop a selection of premium vegan briefcases, cases, and clutches, cross body bags, messenger bags, passport cases, sleeves, satchel bags, tote bags and men and women wallets at an affordable price.

SUSTAINABILITY

A smaller environmental footprint
Industries are heavily dependent upon natural resources – and fashion is certainly no exception. While there are serious environmental impacts associated with the processing of some fabrics and materials, cork has a substantially smaller environmental footprint.
"Whoever cares about his grandchildren plants a cork oak tree."
Portuguese proverb

One of the most renewable and eco-friendly resources on the planet
Every time a cork oak tree is harvested, it absorbs more CO2 to aid the bark’s regeneration process. So, regularly harvested cork oak trees store three to five times more CO2 than those left unharvested. Since only the bark is removed to obtain the cork, the tree goes on living and helping us clean our air. Some cork trees can live for up to 300 years, meaning a single tree can supply cork for many generations.

Supporting cork is supporting nature
The financial viability of cork and its growers helps provide long-term protection for a unique and fragile ecosystem – one of the world’s highest levels of forest biodiversity, which constitutes a habitat for rare and even endangered species, like the Iberian lynx.

Produced locally
Unlike most retailers, Corkor owns its workshop. All our products are done under direct and strict supervision – we know exactly the what, who, where, why and how of each of our products.

Socially conscious
We believe that when gifted artisans have the right working conditions and fair salaries, their best work shines through. That’s why we insist everyone should be rewarded justly for their contribution.

Corkcycling
Cork is a fantastic material, truly a gift that keeps on giving. If you want to be part of the “cork cycle”, start recycling your cork stoppers.

Why should I recycle my cork stoppers?
As with any other material, protecting the environment is the best reason to do it.
Since the bark of the cork oak tree stores CO2 particles, the cork stopper has a variable amount of this gas stored in it. If it decomposes or gets incinerated, they release that CO2, thus contributing to global warming. Recycling makes it possible to extend CO2 retention. Actually, for each ton of cork about 1.07 tones of CO2 are retained. Once recycled, that CO2 is retained forever.

Where to recycle cork stoppers?
If you want to keep CO2 off of our atmosphere, join one of the following cork collection programs:

Portugal: www.greencork.org
France: www.ecobouchon.com
Italy: www.amorimcorkitalia.com/it/etico
USA and Canada: www.recork.org

Or start your own collection point
Corks can also be dropped off to a wide network of collection points including hotels, bottle shops, restaurants, retail outlets and banks, so keep looking. If you don’t have any collection point near you, why not start your own at your business, restaurant, café, wine bar or even at your house? See the Where to recycle cork stoppers section above for more information.