Upcycled Bags & Accessories Made from Waste
Every product from Morph Bags begins as something that would otherwise end up in a landfill. We transform waste materials — from printed polyester banner offcuts to Thai silk remnants — into durable, purposeful bags and accessories, made by skilled hands in Thailand and the United States.
Market Bag
Made from printed polyester offcuts sourced from a banner manufacturer — colorful, durable material that would otherwise go to landfill. Built with eight interior pockets and double-layered for lasting strength. Every one is unique.
Yoga Mat Bag
Crafted from the same vibrant, heavy-duty polyester banner material as our Market Bag. Designed to carry a full yoga mat with ease, and double-layered throughout for durability that lasts for years.
Waste Is Our Resource
We don’t order materials from suppliers. Instead, we seek out resources that would otherwise become waste — partnering with manufacturers and businesses to give durable materials a second life. Here are some of the sources we work with.
Banner Offcuts
Leftover polyester from a banner manufacturer — heavy-duty, vibrantly printed, and destined for landfill. We use it for our Market Bags, Yoga Mat Bags, Large Totes, and more.
Thai Silk Remnants
Offcuts from a Thai bag manufacturer. We use lighter silk for our manufactured Thai Silk Pouches, and heavier silk for our handmade pieces — each product built with two layers for quality and durability.
Neoprene Diving Suit Offcuts
The same high-performance material used to protect divers now protects your sunglasses. We source neoprene offcuts to make our Sunglass Cases.
And More in Development
We’re currently prototyping products using decommissioned fire hoses, burlap coffee bags from local roasters, vinyl billboards, and vinyl packaging from coffee and pet food brands. Watch this space.
Made by Skilled Hands
Every Morph Bags product is made by people who care about what they’re creating. Our handmade and manufactured lines are each produced by a distinct community of makers — connected by shared values around quality, sustainability, and opportunity.
Handmade in Thailand
Our handmade products are sewn by informal seamstresses in Thailand, in the same country where we source our waste materials. This keeps our handmade supply chain local to its source — reducing transport, supporting skilled workers, and keeping production close to the community.
Handmade in the United States
Some of our handmade products are sewn by refugee seamstresses in the United States, trained and supported by our partner Forai in St. Louis. Forai works with refugees to build economic independence through skilled craftsmanship — and every handmade Morph Bags product they produce is a step toward that goal.
We are proud to partner with Second Chance Bangkok, whose work supports vulnerable communities in Thailand, and with Forai in St. Louis, Mo, whose mission to empower refugees through dignified work aligns directly with ours.
Manufactured to High Standards
Our manufactured products are made by a values-aligned family business in Thailand. They treat their workers well, maintain rigorous quality standards, and are committed to the same circular economy principles that underpin everything we do at Morph Bags.
About Morph
Sourcing waste materials to create durable, upcycled products is our core activity. That said, we also take part in a variety of other efforts. This includes delivering educational programs for schools, community groups, and other organizations. We also support the implementation of programs that our related to our work.
These diverse efforts support our unifying purpose: bringing circular economy principles to life.
We work to make resource cycling happen, and we help others do the same.
What We Do
Morph creates upcycled products designed to extend the life of durable materials and reduce waste. We also educate, advocate, and partner to help create a more circular economy.
How We Do it
Unconventional Sourcing
Our process begins with unconventional sourcing. We don’t order materials from suppliers. Instead, we seek out resources that would otherwise become waste. We partner with organizations to find resources that are still useful, but are underutilized or going to waste. By treating waste as a resource, we help support a circular economy, which reduces demand for virgin inputs. Seeking such possibilities is at the core of what we do.
Imaginative Design
Designing with waste materials requires a different approach from the norm. We don’t start out by deciding what we’d like to make and how we’d like to make it. Instead, we start out thinking about possibilities for a resource. What kinds of properties do they hold and what sorts of needs can they serve? From there, the process looks familiar. We still prototype, test, and iterate, but the fundamental purpose and assumptions underpinning the effort are different. Morph exists to help drive the circular transition. That’s why we say we’re Carried By Purpose.
Upcycled Products
Morph makes things out of waste, but we don’t normally work with recycled resources. We just use things as they are. That’s an important distinction. It means that we don’t use the energy and other resources that are part of the recycling process. We get things like off cuts and other leftover resources and make useful things with them as they are.
Upcoming Events
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Green Drinks
CircularSTL and earthday365 co-host an interactive quarterly meetup aimed at building community and supporting efforts to develop a circular economy in St. Louis.
Location:
TBD
Free to Attend
Green Living Festival (Hosted by the EarthWays Center)
Location:
Missouri Botanical Garden
4344 Shaw Blvd,
St. Louis, MO 63110
The Green Living Festival is a FREE event—included with general Garden admission. On Saturdays, St. Louis City and County residents get FREE admission until noon.
