Interview + Giveaway with Beth Springer!

If you haven’t already, please enter to win a gorgeous vegetable-tanned leather tote by eco-friendly handbag designer, Beth Springer. And below, learn a little more about Beth, how her company is environmentally friendly, and what she does to “create a little less waste.”

Can you explain a little exactly HOW your bags/business practices are eco-friendly?
My ethos: Do no harm. I am big believer in environmental sustainability, so my bags are made with nature in mind. Because I want to tread lightly on the earth, I employ the principles of reduce, reuse, recycle to every aspect of my business. The goal is to get as close to zero waste as possible. To that end, Beth Springer Handbags:
- uses no extraneous hardware. Metal feet are absent on the bottom of my bags because 1) those little metal feet use our precious natural resources, require a highly toxic process to coat, and do not biodegrade 2) feet are redundant on my bags because the leather I use can sustain long years of use without wearing through.
- uses all remnants. I endeavor to use the entire hide. You can find note cards, ribbon cuffs, and one of a kind purses at my studio in Venice- all made with waste materials. Come on by!
- uses no filler- most leather bags today use a thinner leather to save money, and then back that leather with vinyl. It is a hidden environmental disaster. Most Beth Springer bags “stand on their own”.
- uses organic linings – adding 100% organic hemp/cotton linings to several styles starting with the Spring 2008 collection. Check out my /Ecovertible /the trim is reclaimed leather – that means the leather has been saved from the land fill and made into something beautiful for your pleasure. Ecovertible is also lined with organic hemp linen.
- works with vegetable dyed leathers. Vegetable dying uses plants to color the leather. Very earth friendly. All our leather is by-product as well, and the suede is organic pig.
- are produced 100% in America. That reduces the carbon foot print of production and delivery to you!
- uses tags that are made from recycled paper, attached with organic hemp cord and printed with soy ink. My company uses CFL lighting, and goes carless one business day each week. Our paper is all 100% post consumer. I ship in reused boxes whenever possible, so the boxes are ugly but the world remains beautiful. Please recycle or reuse them. I do! (I reuse stuffing and packing too)
Why is it important to you to make your company & bags as environmentally friendly as possible?

The planet we live on is so beautiful and there is only one of it! I want to be a source of additional beauty and added enjoyment in this world, but not at the expense of this world or its creatures.
What challenges have you faced in this endeavor?

There are many less vegetable tanned leathers than those tanned with chrome, so I have fewer materials to work with than traditional designers.
What bag are you carrying today?

I am carrying the Market Tote in natural (the giveaway bag!). Inside I have Snatch for my make-up, and a Lashed (new item) for my wallet. Tonight when I go out I will carry a Slim in Medici

Market Bag: $715
What are your best sellers? Which are your personal favorite bags in your collection?

The best selling large pieces include styles Copra, Soft-T, Market Tote. The small pieces include Clam Shell, Wrist Slip, Snatch.

Snatch: $114

Clamshell: $145
For the giveaway, I asked each entrant to tell me something they’d do to “create a little more love and a little less waste in the world.” I was inspired by your desire to do this through the design & creation of your handbags, but what else do you do to create a little more love and a little less waste?

I like this question! I have really tried to create ‘a little less waste’ on a daily basis. Of course I recycle everything and I compost. I reuse food containers instead of buying saran wrap or new containers. I use handkerchiefs instead of Kleenex…2 days a week are ‘car free’; I don’t buy trash bags… 5 minute showers…unplug unused appliances…CDF lighting…Some day, I would really love to own a ‘green’ home…Until then, I will just keep doing what I can.