It might not be something you think about, but it is possible to buy eco-friendly footwear. Every aspect of your life and every thing you buy could be damaging to the environment. My aim is to limit my impact on the environment as much as I possibly can (I sometimes fail, but that’s ok, everybody does). It is possible to buy eco-friendly footwear that has less of a carbon footprint, but it isn’t easy.
I’m currently going vegan so there will be plenty of vegan friendly footwear mentioned, however some seemingly vegan shoes might use animal based or potentially toxic glues. I also try to be as plastic free as possible, however shoes made from recycled plastic are more eco-friendly than leather shoes.
There are certain things to take into consideration when thinking about eco-friendly shoes. If you live in a warm climate it’s much easier to find eco-friendly footwear. In colder climates you need more substantial footwear and that can be trickier to find.
Vegan Shoes
There are lots of options for vegan shoes these days, certainly a lot more than even a few years ago. The problem is that vegan leather might not be that eco-friendly, but at least it’s animal friendly. Most vegan leather is made from plastic, which is where the term ‘pleather’ comes from (plastic leather).
What is vegan leather made from?
The two most common types of vegan leather were made from PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or PU (polyurethane). PVC is less easy to find these days as it was discovered how toxic it was and so it’s been largely phased out. Keep an eye on labels though.
“PVC is no friend to the planet. It has been singled out as the most environmentally damaging plastic by Greenpeace. The production of PVC releases dioxins, which are extremely toxic, and disposal of PVC is problematic. PVC poses serious environmental and health risks, so much so that the European Commission carried out several studies and issued a Green Paper on PVC in 2000 to address the complex environmental issues it causes. It is safe to say that PVC should be emphatically avoided when you are buying vegan leather.” – vegaprocity
PU is plastic bonded to cotton and is less toxic than PVC as well as resembling leather more.
“In terms of environmental impact, (PU) does still produce hazardous toxins when manufactured, so it is not perfect. For this reason, manufacturers of PU in the EU and USA operate strictly in accordance with environmental law to keep emissions at a minimum, but these controls are not in place worldwide. Also, as PU is often made using oil-based polymers, the raw material uses fossil fuels, which of course are not exactly the heroes of the hour” – vegaprocity
Buying shoes made of recycled plastic is better than PVC or PU, however these days you can also find shoes made of all kinds of materials. Some are described as vegan leathers however the glues used might not be vegan. Vegan leather these days could be made from plant matter such as pineapple, banana or food waste.
Vegan Trainers
I love these vegan and eco-friendly trainers. The uppers are made from corn, the inner lining from bamboo, the sole made with natural and recycled rubber and there’s a removable insole made with cork.
If you buy them Flamingo’s Life will also plant 5 trees in deforested areas.
Another option are the vegan shoes from Cariuma. Their IBI range are made from self-regenerating bamboo & recycled plastics and the OCA range are made from canvas, rubber and cork, with just a little recycled plastic in the laces.
Plastic Free Footwear
Increasingly these days you can find plastic free shoes made of natural materials. Most of these materials will also be vegan friendly, but again, make sure you check out what glues might have been used, if any.
What is plastic free eco-friendly footwear made from?
Cork
I found an excellent shop within Camden Market that sold cork handbags and shoes and I was extremely impressed with the range they had on offer. I very nearly bought their trainers, but reminded myself of my pledge to only buy what I need and as I have 2 pairs of perfectly good (not vegan) trainers already there’s no point buying a new pair just yet. Throwing things away just because they aren’t eco-friendly and replacing them with an eco-friendly alternative before they’ve come to the end of their life means I’m just spending money to create additional waste (and waste valuable resources).
Canvas
Canvas shoes are probably not a great idea in winter for those of us that live in the Northern hemisphere, but they’re a great option for summer and for warmer countries. When buying canvas footwear make sure you check out what the sole of the shoe is made from. Ideally it will be made from natural rubber. Companies like Biankina don’t use any bonding materials like glue and instead use a vulcanisation process to fuse the rubber sole to the cotton upper.
Rubber
Talking of rubber why not get yourself a pair of natural rubber shoes. Buy yourself a pair of natural rubber wellies for rainy days. A lot of shoes will come with rubber soles, finding completely rubber shoes is difficult though.
Pineapple Leaves (Piñatex®)
These shoes made from Piñatex® are not yet completely eco-friendly as the coating they use is petroleum based. However keep an eye on them (link to the company below) as they’re currently working on a bio-based coating which will make this footwear much more sustainable.
Apples
Ok, so apples might not be entirely accurate, but there’s a new ‘vegan leather’ in town made from apple waste, natural rubber, organic cotton and PU (some recycled). These new vegan shoes are currently part of a kickstarter campaign and should be available in the not too distant future. Appleskin™ is GRS certified and Öko-Tex Standard 100 certified.
Corn
The latest vegan shoes, well sneakers, are made of corn (non-edible variety), with the sole made from recycled rubber and cork. Even the shoelaces are eco-friendly being made from 100% biodegradable cotton. The company, Soludos, appears to sell a variety of shoes, wedges, espadrilles, heels etc as well as sneakers, unfortunately their website is extremely difficult to use and I can’t actually find out what the other shoes are actually made from.
Fungus
One of the latest plant based materials to be used to make vegan friendly footwear is being developed by Adidas. Adidas do have a vegan footwear range already, but they aren’t plastic free. Now though “Adidas is developing a new material, a purely biological leather alternative made from mycelium, and will use it for the very first time in the creation of footwear.” – Plant Based News
Food Waste
What a great way to deal with the amount of food we waste. As far as I can tell it’s not yet possible to buy shoes made from food waste but some students in the Netherlands discovered a way to convert left-over fruit and vegetables (which would otherwise be left to rot) into a durable, leather-like material. So fingers crossed we’ll see some innovative shoe designs in the shops in the not too distant future.
You’ll find that most eco-friendly bags that are available are also made of similar materials as footwear.
Eco-Friendly Footwear Brands
Flamingo’s Life – Shoes made from a biodegradable, bio-based material made from corn waste. Each shoe collection is also associated with an environmental and social project that acts to solve or improve a specific issue.
ALOHAS – Alohas is a Barcelona-based fashion-forward brand that uses sustainable on-demand production to change the way people consume fashion by encouraging responsible shopping worldwide. Monthly on-demand collections are delivered 6 to 8 weeks after purchase. In terms of pricing, the sales cycle becomes reversed: 30% off at launch, 15% off when production begins, and full price once in stock. They are launching some new products with vegan materials.
Cariuma – Not all of their shoes are plastic free, however any plastic that is used is recycled. The only part of this shoe that contains plastic are the laces. Their trainers are made from canvas or knitted bamboo, making them very sustainable and planet friendly!
Sole Rebels – an Ethiopian brand that is eco-friendly and sustainable. They offer a wide range of footwear with many options being vegan. The soles of their shoes are made from old tyres and the main shoe upper is handcrafted. Well worth a look.
Biankina – All vegan, all natural and all made in Europe (great for the carbon footprint of your shoe). They also plant 2 trees for every purchase.
Moddanio – This is the company I found at Camden Market. They actually have 2 stalls there, one with just handbags and the other with shoes and handbags. Their products are sustainable, cruelty free (100% vegan) and have a low carbon footprint. The shoes and handbags are really nice too!
Stella McCartney – The McCartney family are pretty famous for their stance on animal cruelty. Stella McCartneys shoes, like the rest of her stuff, is cruelty free and sustainable. Her range is not vegan (it is vegetarian) or plastic free though and is certainly not in my price range!
Beyond Skin – Vegan, sustainable footwear but very expensive and not plastic free.
Matt and Nat – Vegan, sustainable and affordable footwear, however they are also not plastic free and do use PVC in some of their footwear.
Sampla – Vegan footwear made using apples and other innovative sustainable materials. Minimally designed in Ireland, consciously made in Europe. An indigenous tree planted with each pair made.
Soludos – I’m not going to link to their website as it’s faulty at the moment, but Soludos make vegan corn sneakers made in Italy.
Ananas Anam – Vegan footwear made from pineapple leaves (Piñatex®). The shoes are vegan but are currently not biodegradable because of the coating they use. As soon as they replace the petroleum based coating this is a brand I’d be happy to recommend.
As with everything there are varying degrees to eco-friendly footwear. Just be conscious of what you’re buying and always read the label. I have to say that my personal favourite are cork shoes as they seem to be the most eco-friendly footwear in terms of materials and animal cruelty.
Check out some lovely eco-friendly clothes shops when you next need to replace some of your clothes.
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