UK based bag company- Original Satchel Store has announced it will no longer use animal skins in its designs.

With leather earning a bad rap for animal cruelty, environmental pollution and damage, fashion brands are actively switching to more environmentally friendly options.

The Original Satchel Store is the latest brand to ditch leather for pineapple- a more sustainable option.

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“We have decided not to make our bags from leather ever again,” reads the brand’s official statement.

The bag company states: “Pineapple leaves are a fabulous alternative to leather. They are vegan, environmentally benign, perfect for our product range and, crucially, cruelty free.”

In a statement sent to Vegan Food & Living, brand director Steve Greenhalgh said: “We want to be seen to be working with Nature, not against her and we are delighted to have sourced an all-natural product called Pinatex that we can offer to customers with a clear conscience for us and for them. It feels the right thing to do.

The store confirmed it would ‘employ the same production techniques’ and maintain the brand’s quality.

The company is also happy that with Pinatex, it would help improve the economic status of farmers in developing countries. “Every time you buy one of our bags, you are not only helping the planet, but you are also providing an additional income stream to poor pineapple farmers in the Philippines. Previously, these farmers would discard the leaves from pineapples … Well, now, those leaves are sold to a co-operative which sells them to companies looking for new materials to work with and our bags are made from this material,” it said.

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What do you think of Original Satchel Store’s initiative? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!