What happens to your vegan bag after you’re done with it?

Danielle Koenen, Global Director Marketing & Communications at Royal Smit & Zoon, is a leather lover and a bag enthusiast. When looking at covetable bags, in magazines, on social media and in (online) shops, it struck her that ‘vegan leather’ is a term often used. As an industry insider, Danielle knows what this actually means. But many consumers don’t. Therefore, she wrote an insightful piece about vegan leather bags and their ‘legacy’ after they go out of style.

In fact, most ‘vegan’ bags will outlive you. And your children. And theirs. They break down into microplastics that pollute our soil, our water, and eventually, our bodies.

Real leather, by contrast, is biodegradable. When tanned using safe, innovative processes like Zeology, it becomes part of a circular system. A system where materials nourish the earth, instead of poisoning it. A Zeology-tanned leather bag can compost naturally within 45 days (under industrial conditions), enriching the soil instead of contaminating it.

So the next time you choose a handbag, a wallet, or a pair of shoes, ask yourself: What happens when I’m done with this?

Sustainability isn’t just about what a product avoids. It’s about what it leaves behind. And when done right, leather leaves behind less. And gives back more.