Photo courtesy of Flat Bags

While we do need to take bigger steps in saving our planet, the tiny gestures we make count as well.

Here is a list of six eco-friendly bags that every woman traveler will find handy.

1. An everyday handbag for essentials from Flat Bags

Flat Bags are bags made from recycled bike tubes. For Shannon Hames, founder of Snowline Designs and Flat Bags, being a mountain biker meant that she had plenty of old inner bike tubes in her basement.

She says on her website, “in 1996 the first inner tube was cut, instead of patched… and with some old rain pants for material, I made the first Flat Bag.”

This aspen colored flat bag – in beautiful hues of green and gold – has an inside pocket and a one inch wide shoulder strap. The bags can be used to store official documents like passports and travel necessities like toiletries.

Due to their texture, flat bags are sturdy- they will not tear and will be able to withstand extreme weather conditions.

Price: $74

2. Vegan bag made of hemp from Hempmania

This vegan bag (free of all animal products) has three inside compartments and an adjustable shoulder strap. The bags are available in natural hemp color and black.

Price : $24.95

3. Bamboo Bags from BC Bali

BC Bali, wholesale exporters whose business has been verified by NAFED, sells very beautiful bamboo bags made in their factories in Bali and Java.

This beautiful Bamboo handbag is perfect for an evening out. It is only available in green.

Price: $ 3.15

4. Reversible Tote Bag from Roots

Roots’s tote bags are designed for the environmentally conscious. No additional packaging is required for the shipment of this bag. The vinyl outside helps protects the bag while it is being shipped. To use it, one simply needs to turn the bag inside out. The vinyl then becomes an inner lining for the bag.

Price: $5.61

Photo courtesy of Stuffit

5. Laundry Bag from Stuffit

The Stuffit laundry bag is designed specifically for laundry and can be used for short-term travel.

This laundry bag is made from polyester and is machine washable.

Available only in black, this simple yet stylish laundry bag can help reduce dependence and reliance on plastic bags.

Price: $15.95

6. Civvy Street Bags from Marrakech

These Civvy Street bags in their new avatar may look super-stylish, but they were originally used as gas mask bags by the Dutch army.

The bag has been revamped with vintage Scandinavian fabric to make it look attractive. No two bags look the same as attention is paid to individual details. Each bag has an adjustable cotton strap which can be lengthened to wear diagonally.

The bag was designed by Katrina Kaye. According to her husband Andy, who collaborates with her on her endeavors, “The fact that much of our business is made from recycled materials is a reflection of our efforts as individuals to be green. As designers we do feel a responsibility to highlight recycling and perhaps show what’s possible when green sourcing.”

Price : $32.00

Community Connection

For more eco-friendly products, check out 5 Travel Products That Encourage Fair Trade and Improving Your Goodprint.