This season's must-have bag isn't some couture fantasy, crafted from seasoned yak hide with diamond cluster detailing. It's not even one of those soppy man bags aimed at make-believe metrosexuals. It's a shopping bag. Do not adjust your screen. We said it's a shopping bag.

But it's not just any old shopping bag. It's a Cambodian Recycled Rice Bag and it says more about its owner than a million overpriced 'look at me' bags could possibly dream of. Because as well as being eco-friendly, reusable, reversible and eye-catching, Cambodian Recycled Rice Bags have a fair trade edge.

Unlike many mass produced accessories, these funky shopping bags have not been cobbled together in some disreputable sweat shop; they have been skillfully crafted in Cambodia by an organization providing shelter, education and employment to vulnerable women.

By getting hold of a Recycled Rice Bag you'll be helping to empower people to work their way out of poverty without having to listen to sanctimonious sermons from Bono and Sting. You won't even have to grow a beard, hug any trees or tie-dye your sandals. Good, eh?

What's more you'll be doing your bit to save the planet. Plastic bags have become an inevitable part of modern life and most of us don't even re-use them; we throw 'em under the sink to create carrier bag collections with Yeti-sized carbon footprints. Each one takes around 100 years to rot away in a landfill site. That's why you should use the same bags for every shopping trip.






If all this doesn't tweak your conscience, consider this: Cambodian Recycled Rice Bags look infinitely more attractive than the flimsy supermarket bags you see flapping about in trees. And thanks to their recycled fibers they're considerably stronger and therefore incredibly practical. Ethical shopping? It's in the bag!