FAQs

FAQ

Q: How long does it take to ship?

A: Your vegan leather bags will be shipped out, at the latest, on the first business day after 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 vegan bags made in the US?

A: Some of our vegan leather bags are made in the US, some are US brands that are created overseas. Some are sustainably made in Europe. These innovative brands, bring you truly unique, eco-friendly vegan handbags that are a phenomenal value for extremely high quality. 

Q: What if I don't like my sustainable vegan bag?

A: I am so happy to be able to say that the chances of this are really low! But if, for any reason, you really, truly do not like your sustainable vegan bag, we have a 30 day return policy. Please reach out to returns@greenveganbags.com for instructions. 

Q: Do you carry any animal leather or purchase from brands that carry any animal leather?

A: No and no. All of the bags are vegan and I do look to me sure that I am not supporting or promoting any vegan bags that are sold by any creator that also creates leather products (or fur, or wool, or anything made from animals). I make every attempt to only provide vegan bags that are created with the same mission that we have here at Green Vegan Bags. If I found out that a company had started creating any leather or animal products, I would no longer carry their products, even the vegan ones.

Q: What about sustainable leather?

A: There is no such thing. Animal agriculture is the biggest contributor to the climate crisis. Purchasing animal products keeps the industry going and adds to the climate, ocean, and biodiveristy crisis. To learn more, visit the nonprofit Collective Fashion Justice to learn about greenwashing in the leather industry and Plant Based Treaty to get informative links and information regarding animal agriculture and the climate crisis. 

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

A: The problem is not the look or feel of leather. This is the same premise that companies like Beyond Meat or Impossible have with their vegan burgers and sausages. We want to give people plenty of vegan handbag options when shopping and promote clean, nontoxic vegan leather bags because we shouldn’t have to sacrifice animals or the environment to have quality fashion. However, if you want a cruelty free handbag that does not look like animal leather, you will fall in love with our Cork Collection. 

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 bag options that have a similar look and durability as animal leather. Conversely, there may be people out there settling for cheap, plastic alternatives and not realizing that they can get high quality, long lasting, vegan handbags at a reasonable price, many that are even designer dupes. It’s an opportunity to show people that there are amazing, sustainable vegan bags out there. If you want a vegan handbag that is more obvious that it is not leather, you will love our Cork Collection. Make sure to check it out!

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:  Appleskin leather production emits considerably less carbon dioxide. Every 2 lbs of apple waste used saves about 12 lbs of emissions compared to standard, newly created 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 cruelty of slaughtering animals.

Pinatex: Pinatex is made from the fibers of pineapple leaves and 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 and even more is saved compared to traditional leather. It also does not use the highly toxic process of tanning leather or slaughtering animals.

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

A: The cork trees from Portugal 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 many 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 leather 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 leather bags until they touch them and see how amazing the high quality of the material is.

Q: Are all of the bags handmade?

A: Not all of the vegan bags are handmade, though many of them are. The ones that are not handmade are produced in a zero to low emissions process. All of the sustainable vegan handbags that we carry are ethically created with fair labor.

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, this affects the time frame. There are some handbag designs or colors that may not be produced again as well, since fashion is always rotating. If you have any questions, please reach out to me at info@greenveganbags.com and I will be happy to help.