Our top 5 eco-friendly luggage picks

We are a wasteful society. Looking at plastic bag consumption alone, Americans use around 14,000,000,000 plastic bags per year, which in turn require 12 million barrels of oil to manufacture. According to Waste Management, only 1% of those plastic bags are returned for recycling — the rest end up in landfills or as litter. (Side note: Please use reusable shopping bags.) It's a hard pill to swallow, sure, but the truth is that we have a lot of work to do when it comes to living more eco-conscious lifestyles. While some of the changes needed aren't completely in our control and need to happen at government levels, there are plenty of small edits that we can apply to our personal habits that have the potential to do some good for our Earth.  Read more...More about Travel, Luggage, Eco Friendly, Mashable Shopping, and Carry On IMAGE: Patagonia BEST DUFFEL BAG Patagonia Black Hole Wheeled Duffel Bag Patagonia's duffel roller is perfect for weekend getaways and is ethically made in every step of its design process. Material: 100% postconsumer recycled polyester Dimensions: 21.6 x 14 x 9.5 inches Capactity: 37L Weight: 7 lbs $299 from Patagonia IMAGE: Paravel BEST USE OF MATERIALS Paravel Aviator Feel good rolling through the airport with a Parabel bag not only because it looks great, but also because of its recycled water bottle design. Materials: Recycled polycarbonate shell Dimensions: 22.7 x 14.7 x 9.6 inches Capacity: 53L Weight: 8.5 lbs $275 from Paravel IMAGE: Samsonite BEST BUDGET PICK Samsonite Eco-Nu Expandable Spinner This relatively affordable bag from Samsonite is made from recyclable materials and still manages to be super durable — it has a ton of space, too. Materials: Recyclex, 100% recycled PET plastic Dimensions: 16.25 x 11.25 x 22.75 inches Capacity: 68L Weight: 7 lbs $140 from Samsonite IMAGE: Everlane BEST TOTE Everlane ReNew Transit Weekender This Everlane tote will fit effortlessly into your daily lifestyle and still gets the job done on longer trips — shopping sustainably has never looked so good. Materials: 100% recycled polyester and renewed plastic bottles Dimensions: 14.2 x 7.3 x 19.5 inches Capacity: 27L Weight: 2 lbs $88 from Everlane IMAGE: United By Blue BEST BACKPACK United By Blue Westward Convertible Tote Pack When you purchase this bag, United By Blue will remove a pound of trash from the ocean — plus, the bag is ethically made, high-quality, and looks really cool. Materials: 100% recycled polyester Dimensions: 12.5 x 14.5 x 5 inches Capacity: 10L Weight: 2 lbs $108 from United By Blue IMAGE: by Humankind BEST DOPP KIT by Humankind Dopp Kit If you're a traveler, you need a Dopp kit — by Humankind's version is made from recycled bottles, fights spills, and has plenty of room. Materials: Post-consumer recycled plastic bottles Dimensions: 9.5 x 6 x 4 inches Capacity: 0.2L Weight: 0 lbs $30 from by Humankind