Austin-based bag brand Zink sent me a free bag to try–isn’t it adorbs? I took it to the farmers market and all the Carroll Gardens market-goers were SO jeals. They’re always jeals tbh. Sigh, it’s hard being a vegan fashion plate.
This bag comes from the handmade, sustainable, fair-trade jute collection but everything on the Zink site is vegan. Besides being hella cute and useful, Zink’s jute bags are made in partnership with a really cool organization that teaches women in South Asia how to weave jute and also helps them to run their own micro business.
More info on the collection:
At ZINK, we believe that quality of life is a human right. That’s why we have partnered with an NGO (non-government organization) in South Asia to ensure that every bag in our Jute Collection is made responsibly. Dedicated to a just and poverty-free world, our partner promotes local leadership and entrepreneurship among women artisans to establish a sustainable economy and nourish a self-reliant and gender-balanced society.
Zink’s partner organization offers their artisans:
-Micro loans
-Human rights promotion
-Safe and healthy working environments
-Working facility has sufficient light, air, safety equipment, masks for use when needed, security, and a day care center.
-Leadership training
-Women leadership forums
-Gender and business training
-Product development and skill training
-Mother and child healthcare assistance
-Strengthening of personal skills
-Shelter in order to support any of the women who had to leave a violent situation
-Free psychological and legal support if needed
-Free literacy lessons
And for the jute farmers:
-Fair prices for crops
-Transparent and clear pricing
-Small business and management training
-Education on technical knowledge and harvesting of jute
-High quality seeds
-4,000 farmers and families benefit from this partnership
-Business improvement and expansion course for existing small and micro entrepreneurs.
Gotta love all that! It’s so nice when we can find animal-friendly products that are also so human-friendly.
Zink also sells these cute 100{ae720e0b436026f867bfa0c31185c2252a138f27e85f5f152ec5acc1c10a8cc9} cotton “plant cashmere” scarves. I think I need this one:
Yup, def need it. Bring it on, winter!