The father-daughter duo behind Terra Thread is seeking to change the game in sustainable consumer bags. Their mission is to flip the script and move away from the churn-and-burn industry that is fast fashion and put an emphasis on eco-friendly products that will never need to be replaced.
But there are so many bags with a similar mission statement these days, many of whom are simply using the lowest definition of the phrase possible to meet the standards for being “sustainable” or “green” or “organic.”
So when we were asked to review some of Terra Threads products, I jumped at the chance to dive a little bit more into the ethos of the brand, the quality of their products, and their impact on the environment.
Are Terra Thread Products Truly Sustainable?
In this day and age, this is the sole question that should be on everyone’s mind who is looking to help support a greener future and is looking to invest in companies that walk the walk and talk the talk. Because there are just too many companies greenwashing their reputations.
Luckily, Terra Thread is not one of them and has actually gone to great lengths to ensure that its products leave as little of an imprint on its world as possible.
They have officially been credited by Fairtrade International, Fair Trade USA, and all their products are made in India in Fairtrade-certified factories. They are certified organic by the Global Organics Textiles Standards and even are a Certified B Corporation.
Terra Thread also seeks to actively maintain its reputation as being eco-friendly and their carbon neutral status by consistently reinvesting a portion of its revenue to help offset the carbon impact of the company through the support of renewable energy.
Bravo Terra Thread!
Are Terra Thread Products Any Good?
We were sent a couple of items by Terra Thread to review, so let’s dive a bit deeper into my thoughts on the Earth Backpack, Erdig Laptop Cover, and Semi Mini backpack options.
Earth Backpack
Right off the bat when I opened this backpack, the texture and tactile feel of the quality-fabric that it was made out of was obvious to me. The bulk of the backpack is made with 14-oz fairtrade organic cotton canvas, which can take a serious beating whether you’re actively using it as your primary school bag or on-the-go gym bag.
And opening it up, I was legit shocked at how much stuff I could fit into it. There were two large compartments inside which can house the standard amount of books and a laptop in the other side (perfect for college students and commuters).
My favorite little detail on this backpack was the metal drawstring locks. I don’t think I’ve ever owned a backpack with metal drawstring locks, even my Herschel backpack uses plastic ones, and I never knew I would love this tiny detail as much as I do.
Erdig Laptop Cover
When I was in college, I was far less careful with my personal computers than I should have been and after using the durable laptop cover from Terra Thread for a couple of commutes to the cross-town coffee shop, I was pinching myself for not finding something like this in my youth.
Because laptops are damn expensive and traveling around with them loose in your backpack runs the risk of serious damage to the laptops’ internals and external components.
Plus, making laptops are lowkey terrible for the environment with all the small, mineral-heavy components that it costs to build its chips and internals. So why risk damaging an extra laptop when you can protect it without further polluting the environment?! It’s a win/win/win for all involved.
But in all seriousness, this is a fantastic product that is made of the same material the above-mentioned backpack is and is Made with certified organic and fairtrade cotton, are GOTS certified, and are made in a Fair Trade Certified Factory.
Semi Mini Backpack
While there isn’t much to add to this product that wasn’t mentioned in the backpack section above, I did want to point out and draw attention to the amazing extra little features that can come with a more kid-sized and child-friendly backpack like the semi mini.
Obviously targeted at more school-age kids, the semi mini line of backpacks also comes with some amazingly cute and endearing patterns which are unavailable in the larger backpacks. Animal prints, tiger prints, flower prints, and more make this bag evermore popular with with little ones.
I can speak from personal experience that my four-year-old niece loves her animal-print bag, and she wears it every day whenever it’s time for her older brother to get ready for his first-grade school day.
Who Are Terra Thread Products For?
It goes without saying that Terra Thread’s range of products could be used by almost anyone; especially those looking for bags and accessories that make as minimal of a footprint as possible. But after using these products extensively for a couple of weeks, the easiest recommendations for those who would love these products are as follows:
College Students
This is an easy recommendation as almost all of their products are specifically designed for life on the go; be it heading to the library, when you’re running late for lecture, or simply trying to sneak your own beer into the campus bars (not that this author ever did that…).
But an important lesson that I think many college students could learn about sooner is simply investing in quality gear earlier on in their life. As most college students are on a budget, it can be all too tempting to grab the cheapest and flimsiest backpack on the market just to save a couple of bucks. But they obviously break down in a single semester and over the course of a college tenure, you spend more money replacing the stuff that broke apart than you would have just invested in something quality from the jump.
Well these backpacks, laptop cases, and more are just the exact thing that can hold up to the wear and tear of campus life and are a well-justified investment from freshman year to your final super-senior term.
Hikers
Outdoor lovers are another sect of people who would find great value in the vibe and aesthetic of these packs. Not only are they durable enough and spacious enough to offer a lot of utility and carrying capacity during daytime hikes and treks, but the material is organic and eco-friendly and will not harm the local wildlife if, on a very rare chance, it happens to break off or deteriorate in the wild.
So much outdoor gear these days is made of synthetic nylon and other plastic polymers that are flimsy and rip at the touch of the lightest branch; leaving behind the synthetic material that will stay in the ground and on the trail forever.
But not these, which is why every outdoors lover, hiker, and trail goer could use Terra Thread’s products in their gear collection.
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
