The shoe industry is a source of enormous waste with more than 24 billion pairs of shoes manufactured annually. Given the low quality of most of these shoes, the vast majority end up in landfills. Worse yet, it can take 1,000 years for many shoes to decompose because they’re made of plastics. And, it’s difficult to shred and recycle shoes because they are constructed of so many different materials, including metals. In short, overproduction of poorly made shoes is creating a huge waste problem that is detrimental to the environment.
While it would be great if we could reuse the shoes already in circulation, the reality is that used shoes aren’t always appealing to consumers, especially if their quality is lacking or they’ve already received substantial wear. Thankfully, a number of shoe brands are taking on the challenge of manufacturing shoes that are built to last and sustainable for the planet. Here are some of the most eco-friendly shoe brands worth checking out.
Allbirds
San Francisco based Allbirds takes sustainability and ethical practices seriously. The company is already 100% carbon neutral but is working to cut its footprint to zero by 2030. Instead of using newly-made synthetic materials that take hundred of years to decompose, Allbirds mainly uses materials derived from wool, trees, sugar, and recycled plastic bottles and nylon to construct its shoes. The company is also refreshingly transparent in its sustainable practices with detailed information on its website and a goal to use 75% sustainably sourced materials by 2025. And, Allbirds supports regenerative agriculture in the farming of its wool, helping to restore soil and CO2 balance to the planet.
Everlane
Everlane is another company working to bring transparency to sustainable and ethical fashion production. It uses recycled plastic bottles to make many of its shoes and is working towards using no new plastic in the construction of its products — with a goal of getting virgin plastic use down to zero. The company is 90% of the way to accomplishing this goal, which is impressive given that the goal was set just three years ago in 2018.
Everlane also uses 100% organic cotton, which cuts back on water usage and eliminates chemicals from both its products and the environment. It also uses recycled wool and cashmere and sources its leather from animals that aren’t raised exclusively for their hides. And, the leather is tanned in a more environmentally conscious process than most. In addition to its environmental initiatives, Everlane is committed to ethical factory practices and transparency. The cost of each step of production is listed for each product, as well as a detailed description of the materials used — giving consumers a clear window into what they’re buying.
Rothy’s
Based in San Francisco, Rothy’s owns it own factory in China so it can ensure ethical and sustainable production practices. It uses thread created from recycled bottles and marine plastics and has kept more than 100 tons of plastics out of waterways so far. Rothy’s minimizes production waste with its careful manufacturing, reducing the amount of materials thrown out by 30%. The high attention given to the design also makes the shoes machine washable and durable — emphasizing the importance of slow fashion that lasts years instead of a single season.
