There has been a sudden increase in emerging sustainable Shoe Brands around the world today. Consumers of fashion have started to understand the importance of making a thoughtful approach to what we buy and what we wear.
You will be shocked to know that more than 23 billion pairs of sneakers are produced, and 300 million pairs are discarded, hence known as one of the wasteful items in retail.
Most of this footwear has rubber, virgin plastic, and petroleum that produces Carbon Dioxide in large quantities.
With increasing awareness about ethical fashion, there are sustainable shoe brands that are contributing to making your wardrobes eco-friendly too.
Check out the Sustainable Fashion Influencers who promote the same.
Sportswear retail expert Matt Powell says that “Sustainability is an important theme in retail, so much so that younger consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable products” which is true.
10 Best Sustainable Shoe Brands to Try on Budget
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Here is the list of the best 10 sustainable shoe brands for you to create your eco-friendly closet!
1. Sperry
As an attempt to save water, Sperry calls this collection a Seacycled collection that helps reduce plastic pollution as it recycled plastic waste recovered from the sea. A pair of Sperry recycled shoes are built from 5 recycled plastic bottles. Claiming to reach a goal where they can reduce up to 1mm gallons of water, Sperry sells shoes for Men, Women, and kids that are also affordable.
2. Allbirds
Boasting crafting a revolutionary wool fabric to design footwear, Allbirds focuses on making comfortable shoes designed with the purpose of simple design and full functionality. They have reimagined shoe packaging using post-consumer recycled cardboard that serves as a shoebox, shopping bag, and mailer.
3. Nothing New
Aiming to positively impact our industry and community, Nothing New believes in producing good-looking products that do well in the environment. They invest in programs that work to minimize carbon footprint, the materials used are 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, which has high tensile strength, and beautiful colors, and have Ecostep Insoles as base materials.
4. Adidas x Parley
Adidas and Parley have teamed up to reduce plastic waste and transform them into high-performance products. Their series of #runfortheoceans motivates people to have shops sustainably introduced to clean our planet as they call Parley Ocean Plastic.
5. Langbrett
A group of surfers that solely works to make sustainable clothes and footwear made under fair conditions with ethical practices. They use Organic cotton as their core material, knits from merino wool, 100% closed-loop GDR, without chemical additives, and handmade longboards made of wood from regional forests. They have a variety of fashion and footwear to check out.
6. Carisma
Cariuma has one of the most comfortable sneakers 100% winterproofed with recycled and vegan raw materials. Their forest restoration program in Brazil has an alarming number of endangered birds and animals as they claim that 2 plants are planted on one purchased sneakers.
7. MOVMT
Also called as ‘People Movement’, which aims to reduce plastic waste, the brand focuses on fashion and footwear collections. Their footwear is made from vegan knit, recycled plastics, and organic cotton as core material. In addition, they also support emerging sustainable designers to help them grow.
8. NORM
A Belgian Sneaker brand that sets its boundaries in 3 terms, Sustainability, transparency, and modern values. A belief that better fashion starts with sustainability. It follows a low-impact production and has a comprehensive recycling program called Circle. You can return the products if you don’t like them after you’ve worn them.
9. Saola
Saola makes sustainable and comfortable footwear entirely recycled. The raw materials include recycling PET like plastic bottles and food packaging. The Insoles are made with Algae foam which is algae and mixed with EVA making an ideal sole construction. The addition, the other materials include vegan leather and recycled plastic.
10. Astral
Astral aims to put nature first. Founded in 2002, it aims to become as sustainable as possible by quitting PVC foam and replacing it with recycled polyester. Perfect for athletes and hikers as they’re known for comfort and durability. The brand mostly works on footwear and life jackets.
Is Shoe Rubber Eco-Friendly?
The rubber used in shoe soles is eco-friendly and natural. If this rubber is recycled from old tires, it even adds to waste reduction. The other materials include cork, organic cotton, bamboo, and pineapple leather. Most of the time, what’s made sure is the rubber is just either recycled or natural.
Benefits of wearing Eco-friendly shoes
The whole concept of Recycled footwear is to avoid an excessive production of fast fashion, as shoes have a huge contribution to polluting the environment. These are a few benefits of wearing Eco-friendly shoes and why you should switch to sustainable footwear fashion as well.
- Waste reduction in landfills
- Increased durability
- Affordable and comfortable
- Better human and environmental health
- As much variety as in existing shoe brands
Best Eco-friendly materials used for shoes
Some of the eco-friendly materials used by sustainable shoe brands are organic cotton, bamboo, cork, and recycled plastic which is a sustainable solution to leather, suede, and plastics. They also have introduced the concept of circular fashion which is more ethical.
Is Recycled Plastic safe to wear?
Yes, Recycled plastic is safe to wear as it reduces carbon footprint and works towards sustainability. These recycled shoes are made from PET, abbreviated as polyethylene terephthalate which is the core material for shoes. The reason why you should opt for recycled plastic:
- These materials can be recycled multiple times.
- The Plastic waste gets reduced.
With rising awareness about ethical consumption by customers, there are many emerging brands that are contributing to nature. You can trust these brands for sustainability, style, and comfort.
Stepping into Sustainability doesn’t include Fashion solely as we know and we’ve spoken about Footwear. You can also check our favorite recommendation of Recycled Canvas Bags if you’re looking to ass ethical accessories as well.
