Photo: Background pattern of wine bottles corks via Shutterstock

If you are involved in the creative community, you will have noticed the slowly-but-surely growing preponderance of cork as a material used in design. Just in the past few months, my boyfriend bought a cork iPhone case, I was coveting a beautiful cork totebag I saw at Brooklyn Flea, and just a week ago, in consideration of replacing my (very old and crummy) vinyl kitchen flooring from the 80′s, I came across cork as an eco-friendly option. I had seen cork floors used in commercial applications, but hadn’t thought about it before for my own home. Cork is everywhere, and, as I’ve quickly figured out – for good reason!

Read the rest of Amazing Natural Packaging: Cork, a Sustainable Classic

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Post tags: bags, benefits of cork, cork, cork floors, cork in building, cork in design, cork material. cork textile, cork oak, cork properties, flooring, green packaging, packaging, packaging the future, portugal, sustainable cork, Sustainable Materials, uses for cork, wine

There are few bags that manage to forgo the manufacturing process of sewing, but Strand Design has created a range of bags that does just that. Believing that their products need to adhere to a sustainable lifecycle — by allowing for easy and affordable local assembly, and even easier disassembly — they realized they only had to do one simple thing: fold instead of sew! Their straightforward construction approach has since given way to a new line of carryalls they’ve dubbed Tree Theory Bags. The eye-catching bags are not only stunningly simple, but best of all, able to stand the test of time!

Read the rest of Tree Theory Bags: Origami-Style Carryalls That Minimize Waste

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Post tags: bags, billboards, billboards bags, chicago, eco design, eco-fashion, green accessories, green design, green fashion, green leather bags, green materials, green products, Lifecycle, manufacturing, messenger bags, recycled material, Seatbelt Bags, seatbelts, strand design, sustainable design, sustainable lifecycle, tree theory bags

A lot of you have asked us to cover simple, practical, sustainable pieces in addition to our couture eco-fashion coverage and we think that makes a lot of sense. But there’s no reason that utilitarian has to mean dowdy. Case in point, these slick and super durable Killspencer bags made from recycled military truck tarps and coated cotton canvas. Our very own Mike Chino brought them to our attention, and we love the fact that each bag is handmade in LA, features top-caliber hardware, and can withstand the beating that our modern lives are sure to put them through.

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Post tags: bags, green design, killspencer, luggage, men's fashion, military truck tarps, Recycled Materials, spencer nikosey, sustainable design

If there is one thing that we love about Stella McCartney, it is the fact that she seems to be able to do it all, without falling prey to ridiculous excess or manufacturing short cuts. Stella seems to have the Midas touch for concocting pieces that are totally covetable while also operating with a mature instinct about what constitutes good fashion, personal style, and balanced living. We were super excited to hear about her recent collaboration with LeSportsac for the Spring 2008 launch of cute shoulder bags and totes made of eco-friendly recycled polyester. Who better to bring on board for sporty accessories design, than a lifelong vegetarian who lives, loves, and breathes original sustainable style?

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Post tags: bags, eco-fashion, Hobo bag, LeSportsac, stekka McCartney

We brought Baumm’s colorful recycled billboard bags to Inhabitat earlier this year after Emily discovered them in Buenos Aires. These one-of-a-kind accessories have once again grabbed our attention with an exciting launch of a new series available direct from District Cotton in NYC.

Read the rest of Baumm’s Recycled Billboard Bags at District Cotton

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Post tags: 'Baumm, accessories, apparel, bags, billboard, Buenos Aires, District Cotton, New York City, Organic, Recycle, recycled, upcycle