It has taken a while, but here is my follow-up to a post I wrote about Ecoist bags back in December. Ecoist bags are purses, wallets, etc. made in Mexico using recycled candy wrappers.

At the time of my last post I actually already had a bag on order as a gift, but couldn’t divulge that info for fear the person it was for would read the post. You can read more about her here.

Selecting the perfect bag was tough because there are so many cool looking ones. I opted for a red shiny handbag made from a the wrappers of a Mexican “hot candy” (I think!) that would probably be similar to Hot Tamales. Apparently, I picked a good one because she loved it!

Full disclosure: I had a little help because I actually “caught” them on the site the day before looking at the bag in question!

After placing the order, the bag arrived quickly (less than one week) from the kind folks at Ecoist. Really fast, considering it shipped from Miami to Toronto during the Christmas holiday shopping season.

As promised, there was a little note inside the bag telling the new owner that Ecoist will plant a tree in your name. They do this for each bag purchased. From the Ecoist web site:

We plant a tree for every bag sold. In partnership with American Forests and Trees for the Future, we are committed to planting trees wherever they are needed in the world, in places affected by urbanization, natural disasters, war or industrial development.

The quality of the bag was very impressive. You might not think that something made from re-used candy wrappers would be tough and durable, but it is. The zipper is in nice and tight. The bag just feels good.


Check out the selection at Ecoist One-of-a-Kind Handbags.