(Photo: Courtesy of PRNewsFoto/Unifi, Inc.)

Everyone knows I am a big fan of Lauren Conrad, and it has been wonderful to see her different projects emerge since The Hills ended. She has once again impressed me, an Environmental Policy major no less, with her most recent project – XO(eco) by Blue Avocado.

As written by the company in a press release:

Created by celebrity-fashion-designer Lauren Conrad, the XO(eco) product portfolio includes nearly 20 food-on-the-go, travel and cosmetic storage accessories made from recycled plastic bottle fabric powered by REPREVE® fibers and designed entirely to reduce waste and conserve natural resources. Lauren designed each product and print to echo her style and needs, while addressing the values of a younger generation seeking more environmentally-friendly options and looking to go eco chic. The entire XO (eco) collection is now available on Amazon.com at: http://www.amazon.com/XOECO.

I really love the subtle patterns on these items – the birds are super sweet, even if not really in my style, so it is smart that they integrated the birds more subtly in other products within the line. I really love how smart the black/cream stripe pieces look – they don’t look “granola earthy” now do they?

The XO(eco)shopper is great since it zips up into wallet size…

…and then becomes a full size shopping bag! Also, it comes from SEVEN recycled plastic bottles. Isn’t that incredible? Only $24.96.

Here is more information from their Amazon.com website:

(xo)eco is the love child of style and sustainability designed by Lauren Conrad and BlueAvocado. Recognizing that marine debris is a major threat to oceans and ocean wildlife, Lauren Conrad was inspired to create a collection that helps cut down on plastic and ocean waste and can promote a healthier and greener lifestyle. Lauren Conrad became an equity stakeholder in the women-owned lifestyle brand, BlueAvocado in late 2011. Lauren joined forces with the BlueAvocado team to develop a new collection featuring beauty, food-on-the-go and travel accessories that blended doing and looking good into a cohesive eco-collection that could empower women of all ages on their own green journeys and help raise awareness and ultimate positive impact. 1% of all profits from the collection will be donated to a variety of organizations focusing on ocean clean-up and recovery efforts. Each xo(eco) product features REPREVE fibers made from recycled materials, including post-consumer plastic bottles and will include an impact label which includes a carbon footprint, bottles upcyled, and disposables avoided as related to the product to raise awareness at an individual level as well as track the collective impact of the collection.

I also love the Brush box – I still have my ancient Vera Bradley cosmetics case and need to upgrade! – and this looks cute while being a little bit more mature looking! Only $19.99.

Want to know what kind of genuine impact buying from Blue Avocado makes? Find out more, here. Also, please be aware that 5 of the main members of the team at Blue Avocado (located in Austin, TX) are women, and three of those women helped found the company!

Some of my questions about the brand were answered on their main website:

Are the bags machine washable?
They are made from polyester made from recycled materials and are machine washable with cold water and hang dry. Our products are made from 50% recycled REPREVE polyester fibers which are traceable, transparent and certifiably sustainable using post consumer (PET bottles).

What has been your impact to date?
Products help avoid 46 MM disposables from entering the waste stream
Upcycled 805,000 plastic bottles through our Repreve fabric
Invest in over 150 women micro-entrepreneurs from Nicaragua to Ghana

Hear more from Lauren Conrad herself, below!

Let me know what you think if you have any of these bags!