Conscious Curation: Carry Your Eco-Cred in These Sustainable Bags
- Words by Peppermint
above RADICAL YES
Whether you see it as the final touch to the perfect outfit or a functional sack for your crap, sustainable bags are a surefire way to show off your status as a conscious consumer.
To help you carry your belongings – and your eco-cred – in style, we’ve put together this list of cool carry-alls. Which one of these is your bag, baby?
SANS BEAST // READER SATCHEL
Tame your accessory game with this luxe, cruelty-free crossbody bag, made from certified recycled materials – including factory floor waste and plastic bottles.
$229 sansbeast.com
A_C // MONICA PENCIL CLUTCH
Short for Ahimsa Collective – ahimsa is the ancient Indian principle of nonviolence – the brand boasts an innovative approach to materials and was the first in Australia to utilise cactus leather in its Desserto collection.
$209 ac-official.com
FJÄLLRÄVEN // SAMLAREN KÅNKEN 2C
Made from leftover fabric from Fjällräven’s mills and factories, the limited edition Samlaren Kånken is perfect for the conscious backpacker, with a spacious main compartment and a handy seat pad inside pocket.
MIMMI TERRA // TOTE
Show off your market bounty in style: the recycled polyethylene totes from Mimmi Terra come in a variety of cute colourways. Each bag is hand-woven in a signature weave for a tight-knit tote that is durable, lightweight and water-resistant
THAMON // INGRID BAG
Leaf it to nature! Made from fallen teak leaves and recycled PU trim, this vegan beauty is hand-dyed and sealed with resin for durability and water resistance.
£85 thamon.co
BY THE SEA // KEIRA CORK HANDBAG
Practical and pretty, this cute satchel is made from flexible, lightweight cork leather and discarded ethylene-vinyl acetate. Pop it on and go!
$249.95 bytheseaco.com
READ MORE – Shine On With These Green Glam Essentials
BRIE LEON // TIE KNOT MINI BAG
Recycled materials – including post and pre-consumer PU waste and cotton canvas – are pulled together in this delightfully soft and compact design.
$189 brieleon.com
IKUNTJI ARTISTS // WATIYA TJUTA CLUTCH
This ethically produced leather clutch is embroidered with the distinctive artwork of Mitjili Napurrula, depicting the Watiya Tjuta tree in her father’s Tjukurrpa (dreaming) in Ilyingaungau Country (Gibson Desert).
$47 ikuntji.com.au
RADICAL YES // TRUE NORTH CLUTCH
Stay the course wearing this rich bronze clutch made from recycled nylon.
$149 radicalyes.com.au
THE BASKET ROOM // BLUE CHECK & FLOWER BUCKET BAG
Bloom through your grocery run with this hand-woven and embroidered sisal beauty.
$225 thebasketroom.com
SIMÉTRIE // M CRESCENT MOON BAG
A minimalist pouch for all your sundries made using Australian, vegetable-tanned kangaroo leather.
$349 simetrie.com.au
THE LOYAL WORKSHOP // ROSA TOTE
Made by women who’ve survived slavery, this WFTO-certified, vegetable-tanned leather tote contains an important detail: the name and signature of the woman who made it.
$465 theloyalworkshop.com
BY AMBER AND ROSE // CROSSBODY BAG
Ethically made in India, these roomy sustainable bags use factory off-cut leather, ensuring each one is unique and a little wild!
£44.95 byamberandrose.etsy.com
KARMME // SOPHIA CLUTCH
Made in Australia using Italian leather, this buttery clutch is lined with cotton hand-dyed in indigo.
$140 karmme.com.au
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Look, I don’t want to make anyone panic but IT’S DECEMBER!!! If you’re planning to give homemade gifts, you’re going to have to act fast. …
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🌻 The Paddington 🌻
This is a much-loved staple, created for Issue 50 in 2021. We love seeing the #PeppermintPaddingtonTop continually popping up in our feeds!
How stunning is our model Elon MelaninGoddessEfon – she told us it was one of the first times she had been asked to come to a shoot with her natural hair. 🌻
We worked with South African patternmaker Sarah Steenkamp of @FrenchNavyNow_ to create this wardrobe essential – the perfect puff-sleeve blouse. Raglan sleeves make it the ultimate beginner sew, plus the gorgeous back buttons let you add your own personal twist.
Pattern via the link in bio! 🪡
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Fabric: @Spoonflower
Model: MelaninGoddessEfon
“In the 1940’s, Norwegians made and wore red pointed hats with a tassel as a form of visual protest against Nazi occupation of their country. Within two years, the Nazis made these protest hats illegal and punishable by law to wear, make, or distribute. As purveyors of traditional craft, we felt it appropriate to revisit this design.”
Crafters have often been at the heart of many protest movements, often serving as a powerful means of political expression. @NeedleAndSkein, a yarn store in Minnesota, are helping to mobilise the craftivists of the world with a ‘Melt The Ice’ knitting pattern created by @Yarn_Cult (with a crochet pattern too), as a way of peaceful protest.
The proceeds from the $5 pattern will go to local immigrant aid organisations – or you can donate without buying the pattern.
Raise those needles, folks – art and craft can change the world. 🧶
Link in bio for the pattern.
Images: @Gather_Fiber @NeedleAndSkein @a2ina2 @KyraGiggles Sandi.204 @WhatTracyMakes AllieKnitsAway Auntabwi2
#MeltTheIce #Craftivism #Knitting #CraftForChange
TWO WEEKS TO GO! 🤩
"The most important shift is moving from volume-led buying to value-led curation – choosing fewer, better products with strong ethics, considered production and meaningful stories. Retailers have real influence here: what you buy signals what you stand for. At Life Instyle, this means using the event to discover and invest in small-scale, planet-considerate brands that align with your values and your customer’s conscience. Consumers don’t need more things; they need better things, and retailers play a key role in selecting, contextualising, and championing why those products matter."
Only two more weeks until @Life_Instyle – Australia`s leading boutique retail trade show. If you own a store, don`t miss this event! Connect with designers, source exquisite – and mindful – products, and see firsthand why this is Australia’s go-to trade show for creatives and retailers alike. And it`s free! ✨️
Life Instyle – Sydney/Eora Country
14-17 February 2026
ICC, Darling Harbour
Photos: @Samsette
#LifeInstyle #SustainableShopping #SustainableShop #RetailTradeEvent
Calling all sewists! 📞
Have you made the Peppermint Waratah Wrap Dress yet? Call *1800 I NEED THIS NOW to get making!
This gorgeous green number was modelled (and made) by the fabulous Lisa of @Tricky.Pockets 🙌🏼
If you need a nudge, @ePrintOnline are offering Peppermint sewists a huge 🌟 30% off ALL A0 printing 🌟 when you purchase the Special Release Waratah Wrap Dress pattern – how generous is that?!
Head to the link in bio now 📞
*Not a real number in case that wasn`t clear 😂
#PeppermintWaratahWrapDress #PeppermintPatterns #SewingPattern #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
8 Things to Know About January 26 - from @ClothingTheGaps:
Before you celebrate, take the time to learn the truth. January 26 is not a day of unity it’s a Day of Mourning and Survival for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
It marks the beginning of invasion, dispossession, and ongoing colonial violence. It’s time for truth-telling, not whitewashed history.
Stand in solidarity. Learn. Reflect. Act.
✊🏽 Blog written by Yorta Yorta woman Taneshia Atkinson.
🔗 Link in bio of @ClothingTheGaps to read the full blog
#ChangeTheDate #InvasionDay #SurvivalDay #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe #ClothingTheGaps
As the world careens towards AI seeping into our feeds, finds and even friend-zones, it`s becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
We just wanted to say that here at Peppermint, we are choosing to not print or publish AI-generated art, photos, words, videos or content.
Merriam-Webster’s human editors chose `slop` as the 2025 Word of the Year – they define it as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.” The problem is, as AI increases in quality, it`s becoming more and more difficult to ascertain what`s real and what`s not.
Let`s be clear here, AI absolutely has its place in science, in climate modelling, in medical breakthroughs, in many places... but not in replacing the work of artists, writers and creatives.
Can we guarantee that everything we publish is AI-free? Honestly, not really. We know we are not using it to create content, but we are also relying on the artists, makers and contributors we work with, as well as our advertisers, to supply imagery, artwork or words created by humans. AI features are also creeping into programs and apps too, making it difficult to navigate. But we will do our best to avoid it and make a stand for the artists and creatives who have had their work stolen and used to train AI machines, and those who are now losing work as they are replaced by this energy-sapping, environment-destroying magic wand.
Could using it help our productivity and bottom line? Sure. And as a small business in a difficult landscape, that`s a hard one to turn down. We know other publishers who use AI to write stories, create recipes, produce photo shoots... but this one is important to us.
`Touch grass` was also a Merriam-Webster Word of the Year. We`ll happily stick with that as a theme, thanks very much. 🌿
