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The Long Winding Road To Sustainability
With the constant discourse around climate change and environmental degradation, sustainability has become a popular buzzword. Many brands nowadays just stamp words like cruelty-free and eco-friendly while doing the bare minimum. The journey toward truly sustainable fashion feels like a long, winding road—one filled with greenwashing, false advertising, confusion, and overwhelm. So, how are we, as a brand, shifting toward a more sustainable way of doing things?
The Problems We Face
The fashion industry is one of the largest polluters in the world. From textile waste and water consumption to the carbon footprint created by fast shipping and mass production, it’s clear that things need to change.
The constant demand for new products has led to a throwaway culture, where people buy more and more, then throw things away when something new comes up, without considering the long-term impact on our planet. As consumers, we are caught in a cycle where we buy, discard, and repeat, leaving the environment to pay the price.
How Ittara Is Making A Difference
At Ittara, we know that achieving 100% sustainability isn’t something that can happen overnight, but every small step counts. Our journey started with making mindful choices about the materials we use in our handbags. Ittara handbags are lined with 100% cotton, making the bags durable and comfortable to use, while also being sustainable.
One of the key materials in our handbags is cork leather—an eco-friendly, renewable material that’s biodegradable. Cork harvesting is done sustainably, meaning it doesn’t harm the environment; in fact, it helps it! Cork is durable, lightweight, and stylish, making it the perfect material to create bags that are not only beautiful but also sustainable.
Quality Over Quantity
Another big change we are incorporating is producing fewer, better handbags. While fast fashion focuses on mass production, we believe in the power of creating fewer, high-quality pieces that are long-lasting and timeless.
At Ittara, we keep our inventory small to ensure that each bag is handcrafted with care and attention to detail. In doing so, we aim to reduce waste and encourage a shift in consumer behavior—buying less but buying better.
We are still on this journey, and we know the road to sustainability is challenging. But every step we take brings us closer to a more sustainable future.
Reducing Waste by Design
Today, businesses often make products that are built to break down, forcing customers to buy new ones. For handbags, one thing we realized early on was that we wanted all our bags to have replaceable straps.
Straps bear the most weight and are usually the first part to fall apart. Perfectly good handbags are often thrown away due to damaged straps. It was a no-brainer for us to include replaceable straps, so they can be swapped out and the bag saved from the landfill.
The Bottom Line
As consumers and as brands, it’s important to realize that it’s not always possible to do everything 100% sustainably. Take small steps, do what we can, and strive to do even better tomorrow.
Explore Ittara's Sustainable and Eco-friendly Cork Tote collection.