Ethical tote bags

Our beautiful new tote bags are given for free to all multi-day tour guests and available for purchase to everyone else. Bag them while you can!

“There is an over-consumption of single-use plastic in the major cities and tourist sites of Cambodia, and a lack of knowledge about the consequences for the environment and people’s health. To make it worse, there are not many recycling options or waste management options for plastic. Everything ends up in landfill, the river, the sewer, the ocean or being burned” – Plastic Free Cambodia

To reduce the use of single-use plastic bags in our tours we are delighted to be able to provide these beautiful tote bags for our guests. Lots of thought and love has gone into bringing these bags to you and their social impact goes beyond just reducing plastic, here’s how:

Ethically made – Our cotton tote bags have been made using remnant fabric from the wasteful garment industry, in a safe and ethical workspace. We are proud to partner with Dorsu in Kampot, who have lovingly handmade our bags. By using high-quality remnant fabric, which is usually deemed unusable by brands on a daily basis, we are preventing this ‘waste’ from otherwise reaching landfill.
Locally designed – Our majestic ‘Kala’ design has been designed by the creative and passionate team at Phare Creative Studio. Not only does this graphic hold important cultural links (see below) but has been created by young artists from underprivileged backgrounds at an organisation which provides employment, personal, and career development to young creative Cambodians.
Responsibly printed – Printing has been provided by the Siem Reap Silk Screen Printing Lab, a social enterprise arm of local youth NGO Green Gecko. The Lab aims to alleviate poverty by supporting the local community through creative workshops and long term education and training initiatives.

Our Kala design embodies the Ayana Journeys’ philosophy. Kala, the Eater of Time, is a mythological creature whose beautiful face can be found on temples such as Banteay Srey. The image depicts Kala eating time, and is a reminder that all time in the past has already been eaten, and time in the future will also be eaten, so focus on the present and make the most of today. The idea of challenging yourself to be in the present is something we always encourage our guests to do during their time in Cambodia. We encourage you to not dwell on your past or worry about the future, but focus your energy on maximising your experience in Cambodia today.