GROUNDTRUTH

ASK Scandinavia

Finland

ASK Scandinavia is a premium accessories label based in Helsinki. It designs bags and accessories, including totes, shoulder bags, travel bags and baby changing bags, with a clean, sculptural Nordic look meant to outlast seasonal trends. The brand started from a need for more sustainably made changing bags that it could not find on the market. Production takes place in Europe with trusted partners. The brand says all its materials are cruelty-free, traceable and certified, and its founder has used materials such as ECONYL and MIRUM in accessories. Each product has a digital ID, described as blockchain-powered, that verifies origin and authenticity, shows material composition and care information, and makes resale easier. The brand won Recycle the Runway by Global Fashion Agenda. Good On You rates ASK Scandinavia Great overall. It scores the brand Good for planet and people and Great for animals, noting that the whole range is vegan. It also notes that most of the supply chain is traced, that more than half of final production is SMETA audited, and that some workers in final production are paid living wages.

Théla

Greece

Théla is a small Greek brand that makes bags and accessories, including totes, crossbodies, clutches, pouches and backpacks. The products are designed for both men and women. Every bag starts as discarded plastic, such as carry bags, food wrappers and packaging film. This plastic is sorted by hand, cleaned, cut into strips and then woven on traditional looms in India that have been used for generations. The brand says it uses no virgin materials and no industrial processing, and its whole range is vegan. Founder Diti also works in sustainability education, running workshops on reuse and writing curriculums for schools. Good On You rates Théla Great overall. It gives the brand Great for planet and animals and Good for people. Its reasons include the use of upcycled materials, circular principles built into each stage of the product life cycle, no plastic packaging and partnerships with women artisans. Good On You also notes there is no evidence of living wages in the supply chain.

Ucon Acrobatics

Germany

Ucon Acrobatics is a Berlin brand that designs minimalist backpacks, belt bags, weekenders and other bags for city life. Its product lines include the Air, Moss and Lotus Infinity series. The brand makes many of its products from textile waste, which is turned back into fibre and yarn through mechanical or chemical recycling. Its products are designed with few components, as mono-material as possible and with PFAS-free coatings, so they can be recycled at the end of their life. Some backpacks are made of up to 96% recycled textiles by weight. The company is a certified B Corp, works with PETA and funds the planting of a tree for every order. Good On You rates Ucon Acrobatics Great overall. It scores the brand Great for planet and animals and It's a Start for people. Good On You credits the brand's circular design, dope dyeing and recyclable packaging, and lists it as vegan through PETA. It also says there is no evidence of living wages across most of the supply chain.

Lefrik

Spain

Lefrik is a Madrid-based label making backpacks, bags, travel goods and accessories for people who move around cities every day. The company started in Madrid in 2012 and focuses on light, practical designs with clean lines. Most of its fabrics come from recycled plastic bottles, and they are water-resistant. Lefrik says its products are fully vegan and cruelty free, and PETA lists the brand as vegan. Each item has a five-year warranty, which supports longer use. Good On You rates Lefrik Good overall. It scores Good for planet, citing a high share of recycled and lower-impact materials and long-lasting products, but it found no evidence that the brand reduces packaging. The people score is It's a Start: final production is SMETA-audited and the code of conduct covers ILO principles, but there is no evidence of living wages. The animal score is Great.

ID.EIGHT

Italy

ID.EIGHT is an Italian sneaker brand. Its gender-neutral designs draw on 1990s styles and come in three main models, Hana, Uriduri and Maru, whose names come from Korean words. The founders, a designer from Seoul and a sustainability-focused marketer, raised money for the first production run through a Kickstarter campaign. The sneakers are made in Portugal from recycled materials and partly plant-based biomaterials such as Uppeal, BioVeg and Vegea. The brand uses no animal-derived materials. Good On You rates ID.EIGHT Good overall. It scores Great for animals because the whole range is vegan, and Good for planet, citing recycled materials, recycled packaging, a recycling offer for customers and action on transport emissions. It is rated Not Good Enough for people because Good On You found no evidence of supplier audits, a Code of Conduct or living wages.