7 best bags for life and reusable carriers for shopping more sustainably

Size: W 38cm x H 40cm

Made from six plastic bottles that would have otherwise ended up in the ocean, Kind also donates 10 per cent of the profits towards the Just One Ocean charity which raises awareness of plastic pollution, overfishing and habitat destruction. The brand’s mission is to replace some of the one trillion (yes, you read that correctly) single use plastic bags.

Our favourite thing about this bag is not only its great design, but its size. It’s huge and can hold two or three times your usual plastic shopping bag, coming in at around 20kg. The arms are much longer so it can easily be slung over your shoulders, too. It folds down into a little pouch, is waterproof, weighs just 50g and is also 100 per cent recyclable. An absolute game changer for everything from your weekly shop, to carting books and lunch around. We never leave home without it now.

Size: H 42cm x W32cm x H19 cm

Love Rixo’s gorgeous prints, but aren’t willing to spend a few hundred pounds on one of the brand’s dresses? This bag is your super affordable answer to getting in on a bit of the action, but for less than £10.

Bags of Ethics started, as the name suggested, with a reusable bag. Now the offering has spread far and wide to include food, fashion and beauty. You might also recognise the brand thanks to its pack of three reusable face masks which partnered with designer brands Mulberry, Raeburn and Halpern, and were available in shops such as Boots and Sainsbury’s.

And this partnership with Rixo is an extension of that, too. In this range, there’s also the white print bag which we also love, as well as reusable water bottles, mesh drawstring bags for fruit and vegetables, and aprons.

The bag’s print was made with non-toxic inks, and the interior of it is laminated with recyled LDPE, so if something leaks, it shouldn’t soak outside of the bag.

It’s a great size, and we use it to take big bulky things to the office, as well as putting in anything from boots to presents in if we’re travelling. It doesn’t feel the most hardwearing of the ones we tested, but we’ve been using it for a few months and it’s not damaged or weakened.

Size: H 40cm x W 60cm

Instantly recognisable for it’s Rio-inspired designs, thanks to where the brand’s designer is based, these bags are bright, bold, fun and most importantly – so useful. We love the idea behind the brand name, “for those who herd”, ie. parents packing everything for everyone else – and likely are lumbered with carrying it, too. They’re also wipe clean, which is a dream for anyone with kids where spills are often likely.

Made from 100 per cent recycled materials, it’s durable and spacious too . The medium size can fit a lot of food in it, or plenty of things like rugs, jumpers, picnic, beach kit etc. But don’t be worried you’ll lose your keys or phone in this Poppins-style holdall – there’s a decent sized zipper inner pocket for all your valuables.

To carry, there’s two cotton wide strap handles, one to hold in your hand and a longer set to throw over your shoulder too. Super simple and well thought out, we’re obsessed with the cool print. With each purchase of an Eye print bag, the brand funds 1kg of ocean clean up, and when you buy you’ll receive a link to track the progress of it, too.

Size: H 65cm x W 40cm x D 15cm

One of the big names in packaway reusable bags is the aptly named Baggu - the American brand, which came to life in 2007 to fill the space of stylish reusable shoppers. This is the standard size, its best seller, but the brand also includes other sizes such as “big” or “baby”, and even a wine-shaped bag which makes us love Baggu even more. The standard is based on a traditional plastic shopping bag in design, but is made from ripstop nylon, 40 per cent of which is made from recycled materials.

It’s lightweight and durable, and folds away into its own little cute pouch making it slim and easy to slip into small handbags, or trouser and coat pockets, meaning there’s never an excuse not to have one! There’s loads of colourways, but who can resist this one? The only issue we have with it, is sometimes we misplace the pouch as it’s not attached.

Size: W 40cm x H 25cm

Love a laundry bag, but want to make it fashun? This is the brand for you. Making cool shopping totes is Ace & Prince, headed up by former model, Heidi Murray, and stylist Chloe Forde. Think clashing bright stripes made from woven fabric and natural dye.

We love the mini, with its long straps and long zip across the top. It's great for slinging over your shoulder if you're nipping to the shops for a few things, or out shopping for the day. There's also string bags available too, as well as wallets, joggers, scrunchies and cushion covers.

This current style is out of stock, but due to the nature of the brand’s short runs they’re only available for a short amount of time. You can sign up to the newsletter to get alerts on new stock though if you have to have it.

Size: L 55cm x H 48cm x W 28cm

Whether you’re moving, storing your winter knitwear or cushions for your garden furniture, or hiding presents from the kids, these bags are incredibly useful. They fold up into a square about the size of your hand and take up barely any room when not in use. Even when you are using them, they’re fairly easy to store underneath beds, thanks to its flexible material.

The short handles make them easy to carry, just don’t overfill them with heavy things if you’re moving house. We also like the cute print which makes them great for kids’ bedrooms and not worrying about having to hide them. It’s made from recycled plastic bottles and has a long zip across the top, too.

Size: H 40cm x W 40cm x D 15cm

This was given to us as a gift, and it's one of the best sized reusable sturdy shoppers we've used. We mostly use it for packing up things in the car when going on long journeys, or trips away as it just fits so much in it, from food to bottles, or presents. It's nice and tall, with suede short handles so it's easy to carry if you are walking out and about with it. You can fit a surprising amount in it, and we're sure it will last years. This comes as a pack of two, and we're sure you'll find a use for both, or give the other as a gift. It will certainly be used a lot.