Kate Middleton Gifted Apple Leather Handbag For Birthday

Kate Middleton has been gifted a vegan apple leather handbag in honor of her birthday on January 9.

The gift, sent by animal rights charity PETA, follows the launch of the Earthshot Prize, the initiative by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to encourage finding solutions to the climate crisis.

Leather and the climate

According to PETA, the leather industry is a big contributor to climate change, highlighting ‘carbon emissions produced by raising animals to the toxic tanneries that pollute nearby water supplies and expose workers to excessive amounts of chemicals, including arsenic’.

In addition, multiple industry reports have listed leather as the polluting material in the fashion industry.

This is why PETA sent the bag made from a material created out of apple skins, saying the ‘innovative fabric which is created by recycling food waste, has a much lower environmental impact than animal leather’.

‘Kinder to the planet’

“Vegan accessories in materials like apple leather are kinder to the planet and animals,” says PETA Director Elisa Allen.

“PETA hopes the gift will encourage the Duchess make conscious, animal-friendly choices in her wardrobe – and her many admirers to do the same.”