Our journey

How it started

CarterBags.com was founded by Charlotte Carter, created to combat an age-old issue women have been facing for decades: finding a stylish work bag which is practical and functional but doesn’t compromise on style or sustainability.

While working as a Business Development Manager, Charlotte became frustrated with the lack of choice for women in the work bag department.

When she could find a laptop bag she liked, it was in excess of £300, the alternative was a bulky, lack lustre laptop bag, designed by men for men, sold from the men’s department.

Charlotte set about building a team of experts to help her create what CarterBags.com is today. You can read about our design, ethics and sustainability below.

Design

First and foremost, design is at the heart of everything we do. Our aim is to create exclusive ladies’ laptop bags which tick every box! Design is led by Founder, Charlotte Carter and British Designer, Rebecca Stevenson.

We work with female focus groups, customers and our fab female designers to create bespoke designs which meet the needs and wants of women everywhere. Designed by working women for working women.

Manufacturing

Our women’s work bags are manufactured responsibly, ethically, and every factory we partner with is committed to the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI).

The BSCI aims to improve working conditions for factory workers worldwide, in order to register with the initiative each manufacturer must undergo an external audit and adhere to the code of conduct laid out.

In addition to this, we also carry out 2-3 independent factory visits with production run.

Sustainability

Each of our products is made using as many recycled materials as possible (and not just the lining). Our vegan leathers are made using recycled post-consumer plastic, and our linings are 100% recycled.

In recent years sustainability has become a buzz word with many brands advertising recycled products with as little as 5% recycled content.
We don’t hide a thing. On every product page you will see a material breakdown which describes the materials which have been used and what they are made from.

You can find out more about the different types of vegan leather on the market here.

Charities we love

Women’s rights and female empowerment runs through our veins, so it’s only right that we would partner with brilliant female focused charities which aim to advocate, support and bring about real change for women.

Charities we love to partner with include Smart Works Newcastle and Gingerbread.

Smart Works Newcastle aims to support women back into work through interview coaching and providing them with interview clothing and accessories free of charge. In addition to this, they provide women with a work wardrobe if they are successful in securing their new role. This ensure that upon re-entering the workplace they have access to the clothes they need without the need to use debt or using credit cards to buy appropriate work attire.

Gingerbread Charity is the UKs leading charity in supporting single parents. Their aim is to ensure that all single parent families and their children thrive. Gingerbread stand with and support single parents to overcome

disadvantage, inequality and injustice. With 90 % of all single parents in the UK being women- this is a cause very close to our hearts.
You can see the new Carter & Gingerbread product collaboration here, where £10 from every sale goes to charity.

Our commitment

We are committed to working with factories who are committed to the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI).

We never compromise on using as many recycled materials as possible.

We are committed to producing exclusive designs which reflect the needs and wants of women, without compromising on style.

Our mission is to support charities, and develop products and resources which enable women to access the skills, tools and support they need to thrive