About us

The story of Turtle Bags

Twenty years ago, scientists were beginning to understand how waste plastic was finding

its way into our oceans, acting as a sponge for chemical pollutants, helping to carry them

into fish and then on to us.

Horrified by this prospect founder and ecologist, Beth Williams, wondered what she could

do to raise awareness around her. How to create less waste, be mindful of our individual

consumption and make small lifestyle changes to hopefully make a big impact? And so

Turtle Bags was born, with a mission to raise awareness of this invisible problem and to

offer alternatives to plastics which are kinder to both people and planet. Behind the

brand Turtle Bags is a real passion for the planet!

As long-term members of the British Association of Fair Trade (BAFTS) Turtle Bags work

closely with supply partners to ensure that products share our environmental values and

that there are fair conditions for those making Turtle Bags.

Our cotton products proudly bear the Fairtrade Cotton Mark and the Global Organic

(GOTS) logos. These two marks demonstrate that the organic production of our cotton

has been carefully monitored by a third party, ensuring a safe working environment and

growth of the crop without the use of chemical pesticides or fertilisers.

We have a long-established partnership with our partner Women’s Empowerment

Programme who make our Jute and Seagrass bags. Their forward-thinking work supports

and touches the lives of many vulnerable women in Bangladesh, offering them support,

training and much more to transform their often difficult lives.

The women in Bangladesh work with Jute and Seagrass. Jute is a super sustainable fibre

requiring no fertiliser or pesticides and relying on natural irrigation. There are not enough

words for how good Seagrass is for the planet, so we will refer you here to the renowned

We are utterly to delighted to have been held up as an example by the UN in their recent

The story of organic cotton from the perspective of the organic cotton farmer, Sukhlal Benal, in Western India