The Tote Project turns everyday reusable tote bags into funding for survivor programs, fair trade wages, and long-term anti-trafficking impact.
How many reusable totes are tucked into your trunk right now? Or folded into the back of a kitchen drawer, waiting for the next grocery run? Most of us have more than we realize, and (hopefully) reach for them automatically when we go shopping — a reflex shaped by plastic bag bans and an ever-growing awareness of waste. But few of us stop to ask where those canvas carriers come from, who stitched the seams, or what story travels with us to the market. And, critically, could they be doing even more good?
For Michelle Chavez and Fay Grant, co-founders of The Tote Project, that question is the entire point.
The Los Angeles–based brand, founded in 2014, produces fair trade totes and pouches designed to fund and fuel the fight against human trafficking. According to Polaris, the nonprofit that operates the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline, more than 21,000 trafficking situations were identified in the United States in 2024 alone. Globally, the International Labour Organization estimates that nearly 50 million people are living in situations of modern slavery, including forced labor and forced marriage. In 2024, the U.S. Department of State estimated 27 million people were exploited for labor, services, and commercial sex around the world.
The Tote Project set out to intervene in that reality in a way that feels unexpectedly everyday.
From plastic bag ban to purpose-driven brand
“The idea for the brand began brewing long before the products did,” Grant told me via email. “About fifteen years ago, the first time we spent time together as friends, we discovered we both shared a deep passion for fighting human trafficking. A few years later, when California banned plastic bags, it felt like a pivotal moment. We saw an opportunity to respond to a practical need while also addressing something far bigger. Putting our heads and abilities together, we began to brainstorm ways to realistically build a brand that would make a difference in the fight against human trafficking long term.”
California’s statewide ban on single-use plastic grocery bags went into effect in 2016, creating a new canvas — literally — for brands with something to say.
“Fashion, especially everyday accessories like totes and pouches, felt powerful because they’re visible and functional,” Grant says. “Almost everyone uses totes for one reason or another. A bag becomes a walking billboard for awareness. It starts conversations, it makes ethical choices accessible, and it allows us to support survivors and those at risk through fair trade production and direct programs like art therapy or educational opportunities.”
The company partners with nonprofit organizations supporting survivors and, to date, has raised more than $50,000 to fund career academies and education initiatives for individuals at risk, according to the founders.
“The mission has always stayed central because it came first,” Grant said. “The Tote Project didn’t start as a business idea; it started as a shared passion to help fight human trafficking and support survivors. The business grew out of that purpose, not the other way around, so the mission naturally guides every decision we make. Because of that, profit is never the goal but instead is the tool that allows us to keep going.”
Choosing Fair Trade
Ethical production is more than marketing phrasing for the brand. Chavez says The Tote Project works exclusively with fair trade artisans and certified factories.
“As we built The Tote Project, we chose to work exclusively with fair trade artisans and producers to ensure our products are free from exploitation. Ethical production is central to our mission; we care deeply about who makes our bags and how they are made,” Chavez said.
The brand uses Fairtrade-certified cotton and partners with a Fair Trade certified factory in West Bengal, India. Fairtrade International, one of the world’s leading fair trade certifiers, requires compliance with standards related to labor rights, wages, and working conditions.
“In our case, we use Fair Trade cotton for our tote bags, ensuring that no trafficking or exploitation is involved in producing our fabric. We also partner with a Fair Trade certified factory to manufacture our totes,” Chavez said. “This approach guarantees ethical production, but it also means we pay a fair trade premium — an additional investment that goes directly to factory workers. These workers collectively decide how to use the funds. In one year, our factory in West Bengal, India, used the premium to provide educational scholarships for workers’ children. In another, they distributed grocery gift cards to help families access higher-quality food. This kind of impact simply doesn’t happen when purchasing from fast fashion retailers.”
The pouches are produced in Kolkata, India, through a social enterprise that employs survivors and individuals at risk of trafficking. According to the International Labour Organization, economic vulnerability is one of the primary risk factors for exploitation, a reality Chavez sees firsthand.
“Survivor employment is another area that is complex and often misunderstood,” she said. “We believe that freedom from captivity is only the first step. Survivors also deserve economic freedom. Research shows that many survivors of sex trafficking return to some form of sex work, often out of financial necessity, limited job skills, or social stigma. These challenges are very real in Kolkata, where our pouches are made by survivors and those at risk. The social enterprise we partner with provides job training, fair wages, benefits, and a supportive environment, offering a path forward that helps overcome stigma and barriers to employment.”
Designing for hope, not shock
The subject matter is heavy. The product is not. “We don’t believe that human trafficking awareness has to be dark and dramatic to be impactful. In fact, using fear as a marketing tactic has always felt manipulative and unethical to us. Our goal isn’t to sensationalize human trafficking, but to highlight the hope we’ve gained from working alongside survivors,” Grant said.
The brand’s tagline, Hold On To Hope, appears across designs featuring bright, nature-inspired artwork and phrases about freedom.
“Human trafficking can feel like an overwhelming problem, too big to confront. Yet through the organizations we support, we’ve witnessed individual lives, families, and even entire communities transformed. Former victims are not only free, they are thriving in their freedom,” Grant said. “Seeing this firsthand continues to motivate and inspire us, shaping both our tagline, Hold On To Hope and our designs. Our totes and pouches feature bright, nature-inspired artwork centered on positivity and the everyday moments that bring joy. The freedom phrases woven into our designs are meant to spark curiosity and conversation, not to overwhelm or shock.”
“When someone asks about a phrase on a tote, it opens the door to a deeper story, one that can educate, build empathy, and invite action,” Grant says. The more visible and approachable these conversations become, the more awareness is created, she says. “And awareness is often the first step toward real, lasting change for survivors and those at risk.”
Today, most of The Tote Project’s products are priced under $50, a deliberate choice meant to broaden access.
“We believe ethical fashion should be accessible to everyone, not just a select few. Doing good with your dollars shouldn’t feel exclusive or out of reach. That’s why most of our products are priced under $50, making it possible to shop with purpose without breaking the bank. We want to prove that impact and affordability can go hand in hand,” Chavez said.
Reusable bags have become routine. But occasionally, one carries more than just your groceries. “Are our products starting conversations? Are they helping people better understand human trafficking, fair trade, and ethical production in an accessible way?” Grant asks. “When someone carries one of our totes and it leads to a meaningful, thoughtful exchange — that’s impact,” she says.
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