In a world where traditional footwear is anything but light when it comes to environmental and social footprints, supporting ethical shoe brands doing better for people and planet is the way to go.
For this list of footwear brands we focused on ethical sourcing and manufacturing, responsible materials and broader actions taken to improve communities or the environment.
Our new Brand Rating System takes this much further and includes 22 criteria such as climate action, circularity, and product performance and durability. You can learn more about it here and look out for the rated shoe brands on the list below who are taking transparency to the next level.
We independently research all featured brands and we ask them to confirm their claims. In many cases we personally review recommended products. This post contains affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you buy something. Learn more here.
Our Top Picks For The Best Ethical Shoe Brands
8000Kicks are helping folks ditch synthetic footwear by making the world’s first hemp shoes (that are also some of the most durable we’ve ever worn). 8000Kicks has been comprehensively rated and reviewed by us – find the full rating here.
We’ve covered many miles in Thousand Fell’s super comfortable sneakers and love that we can send them back for recycling when they eventually wear out.
Co-founders of the #LivingWageChallenge, Nisolo’s LWG-certified byproduct leather makes for stylish shoes whose durability we can personally vouch for.
Index: Ethical Footwear Brands
- 8000Kicks Jump to brand
- Allbirds Jump to brand
- Thousand Fell Jump to brand
- Nisolo Jump to brand
- NAE Jump to brand
- Cariuma Jump to brand
- Thesus Jump to brand
8000Kicks
Compostable
All or some products are compostable, either in an industrial facility or at home
Ethical Sourcing
Raw materials have been sourced ethically with people and planet in mind.
Organic
Products are made from organic materials.
Recycled materials
Some or all products are made with recycled materials
Repairs Offered
Product can be easily repaired directly by the brand.
Thoughtful packaging
Product packaging has been designed and created with the end of life outcome in mind and can be easily recycled or composted.
Upcycled
Products have been upcycled from an unusable or undesirable form into new products.
Vegan
This brand does not use any animal products or by-products in their products
OEKO-TEX 100
PETA
8000Kicks has been rated by Sustainable Jungle. Find the full rating here.
8000Kicks is the Portugal-based brand who made the world’s first hemp-based shoe. Today they offer sneakers, running shoes, slip-ons, boots and tennis style shoes in a range of colors for both men and women.
All their products are made with minimum 55% hemp and also include organic cotton, recycled polyester and a small amount of virgin synthetics. Soles are made from Bloom algae, which helps clean waterways impacted by algal blooms.
8000Kicks manufacturing partners are all OEKO-TEX-certified and the brand maintains a strong personal relationship with their factories which they personally audit. They currently have 60% supply chain traceability and disclose wages and benefits for their direct partners on their website.
The brand is PETA-certified as 100% Vegan-friendly and have numerous other ethically focused initiatives in place.
My Personal Review of 8000Kicks’ Explorer V2:
“I’ve been wearing these for 18 months now. I really love the waterproofing. I use them for pretty much most day to day activities, walking the dog, playing in the garden with my son – especially on rainy days, and I love that my feet stay beautifully dry. The casual looks work with a lot of my mom-jeans which is handy. The sizing is a little big for me (usually a size 8 works fine though I am in between sizes) so I wouldn’t use them for running (long walks no problem though), I get blisters easily, but they’re great for other pretty much everything else.”
Review by Joy McConnochie, SJ’s Co-founder
My Personal Review of 8000Kicks’ Explorer V2:
“The Explorer V2 Allblack has been my everyday shoe for three years, and I absolutely love them! They’ve handled everything from daily wear to five-mile runs and hikes over rocky terrain. The soles are starting to show some signs of wear, but the uppers are still in fantastic shape. The fit is roomy yet not too wide, which is ideal for my narrow feet, although I found them to run a bit larger than I expected. The waterproof feature has been a game changer—especially in rainy weather—allowing me to skip the boots for quick errands. Plus, the all-black style is perfect for hiding dirt, which I really appreciate, given how often I wear them!”
Review by Lyall Mabin, SJ’s Co-founder
Allbirds
Allbirds has not been rated.
Price Range: $125–$135
Making some of the most comfortable ethical shoes for women, men, and kids alike, Allbirds has shot to a cult-pop ethical shoe status.
Aside from sneakers and running shoes, they also sell more casual styles and slippers.
Allbird’s Ethical Practices
Material:
Allbirds shoes are made with four materials: wool, tree, sugar, or Trino™.
The wool shoes are made of ZQ Merino ethically sourced wool. Their tree shoes use TENCEL™ lyocell. Combining the two, Trino™ is a soft and breathable fiber that naturally reduces odor.
They maximize the use of recycled content, replacing synthetics with recycled plastic bottle laces, bio-based TPU eyelets, and partial castor bean oil midsoles (with some EVA).
Supply chain & labor practices:
This Certified B Corp ethically sources all merino from New Zealand using stringent animal welfare standards, and the wool is also mulesing-free. It’s spun in Milan, Italy in Europe’s only certified sustainable wool mill. The lyocell is made from FSC-certified eucalyptus sourced from rainfall-fed South African farms.
Shoes are cobbled in a handful of WRAP-certified factories in South Korea, Vietnam, and China.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
In terms of Allbirds sustainability, they went Carbon Neutral in 2019, and purchases offsets for the full gamut of their business operations. They ship using 90% recycled cardboard packaging.
Community & charitable giving:
Allbirds partners with Soles4Souls to donate lightly used or returned shoes to communities in need.
Thousand Fell
Thousand Fell has not been rated.
Price Range: $125–$135
Thousand Fell creates skate-style sneakers that are stain and odor-resistant, with the aloe Vera liner providing sockless freedom and breathable comfort.
Thousand Fell’s Ethical Practices
Materials:
The uppers are vegan bio-leather, made from rPET and corn waste resin. The outsoles are made from sustainably sourced Amazonian rubber and eschew synthetic fillers. The insoles are a bio-foam made from soybean oil, a renewable source.
Thousand Fell has replaced other traditional plastic components in footwear with locally sourced sugar cane, coconut husk, or palm fibers. Even the laces are made from recycled PET.
Supply chain & labor practices:
These ethically-made shoes come from a family-owned factory in Brazil. They source as many local ingredients as possible including food waste component parts.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Customers in NYC receive their order via bike messengers from local micro warehouses. Tissue paper and single-use plastics have been removed from all packaging.
A partnership with Justa Trama, a nonprofit in Brazil, means sneakers arrive in an organic cotton tote bag. To cut down on cardboard, the shoe box doubles as a shipping box and is made using recyclable, FSC-certified cardboard.
Shoes returned to Thousand Fell under their Recycle & Earn scheme are either broken down into their component parts for recycling or composting.
Community & charitable giving:
Thousand Fell is a member of 1% For The Planet, helping to fund projects and nonprofits that give back to the environment.
My Personal Review of Thousand Fells’ Slip-Ons:
“Not only do I love the convenience of just being able to slip these on, but once on, they fit nice and snug without slipping around on the heel as I walk. I’m impressed by how comfortable and cushioned they feel too. I was a little bit hesitant about wearing an all-white shoe, but they’re surprisingly easy to keep clean, thanks to the smoothness of the material. Plus, their minimalist design means I can wear them with just about anything.”
Review by Christopher Ryan, SJ’s Menswear Tester
My Personal Review of Thousand Fells’ Slip-On & Lace-Up:
“After testing these, I can say they tick all my boxes: comfortable, versatile (in both style and performance), durable, and, of course, I feel better wearing them, knowing that when they wear out, I can send them back to be recycled. Both the Slip-Ons and Lace-Ups are super comfortable, with the Lace-Ups offering a little more support than the Slip-Ons, meaning I can cover more miles in them.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
Nisolo
Nisolo has not been rated.
Price Range: $50–$253
Nashville’s Nisolo is all about ethically-made, intentionally designed, and fairly-priced products. That includes belts, bags, and ethical leather shoes for both men and women, in styles like boots, chukkas, sneakers, slip-ons, sandals, mules, and oxfords.
Nisolo’s Ethical Practices
Materials:
The standard combination of byproduct leather and natural rubber is what you’ll find in most of Nisolo’s shoes, sometimes with wooden heel accents. Many of the tanneries they work with are LWG-certified.
Supply chain & labor practices:
This Certified B Corp operates their own Peruvian factory that is third-party audited, employs local artisans, and provides above-fair wages. They also provide other further financial support, such as assistance with home loans. Their workers are supported further with additional training and classes on finance, nutrition, and English.
Outside of Peru, they work with independent artisans in Kenya and factories in Mexico, all of which adhere to a strict Code of Conduct and pay higher than living wages. They co-founded the Lowest Wage Challenge with ABLE to get other brands to challenge the status quo.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
They use carbon offset programs to reduce their emissions.
Community & charitable giving:
Nisolo’s Shoe Reclamation Program sends returned or damaged goods to the organization Soles4Shoes.
My Personal Review of Nisolo’s Ana Heeled Chelsea Boot:
If you want a go-to pair of boots for any occasion, the Ana Heeled Chelsea Boot is my absolute fave! I’ve been rocking these smooth-grain beauties for a year, and they’re super comfy and stable with the chunky wooden heel. They’ve also survived everything I’ve thrown at them. They’re so versatile—perfect for dressing up or just cruising around town. I’d happily live in these.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
NAE
NAE has not been rated.
Price Range: $39–$248
NAE stands for No Animal Exploitation. This Portugal-based and PETA-approved footwear company has a beautiful selection of sandals, slides, wedges, sneakers, boots, and pumps. Despite the cute styles, they are incredibly comfortable and functional.
NAE’s Ethical Practices
Materials:
Piñatex, cork, recycled PET, organic cotton, and vegan leather (a microfiber mix of cotton, polyester and nylon, recycled whenever possible).
These main outer materials are combined with things like OEKO-TEX-certified polyurethane lining, recycled polyester laces, natural cork footbeds, and recycled car tires.
Supply chain & labor practices:
NAE only works with European-certified factories in Portugal that demonstrate respect for their employees.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
NAE uses a carbon-neutral manufacturing process and minimizes their chemical and water consumption.
My Personal Review of NAE’s High-Top Lace-Up Boot:
“I’ve owned a pair of NAE’s High-Top Lace-Up Boots for several years. They were my go-to pair of shoes when I worked in a coffee shop because I could be on my feet all day and not have any aches and pains at the end of a 10-hour shift. Slippy floors were no problem thanks to the super grippy lugged soles, which makes these shoes useful for all sorts of terrain. You can easily dress them up and down, which adds to their versatility, and even after all this time, there are minimal signs of wear and tear, just some piling to the recycled PET upper.”
My Personal Review of NAE’s Molly Boot:
“I recently tried the NAE Vegan Molly Brown shoes, and I’m impressed by their comfort and classic Chelsea design. They do run a bit large, but that’s perfect for a boot style like this, where I want to wear thick, cozy socks. The veg-tan leather feels super high quality, with none of the fake, cheap look that some plastic-based vegan leathers have.”
Reviews by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
Cariuma
Cariuma has not been rated.
Price Range: $85–$159
Cariuma creates casually cool, ethical skate shoes that are a favorite with celebrities, including the iconic Helen Mirren.
They offer classic lace-up sneakers, slip-ons, high tops, low tops, skateboarding shoes, and limited-release collaborations.
Cariuma’s Ethical Practices
Materials:
Cariuma uses organic cotton grown using regenerative methods, rubber harvested through ethical “tapping”, bamboo, sugarcane, cork, and mamona oil (a plant-based and organic alternative to petroleum).
Water-resistant GRS-certified recycled nylon and recycled PET is used in uppers, laces, labels, and thread. Any leather and suede materials used are sourced from LWG Gold-Rated suppliers.
Supply chain & labor practices:
As a Certified B Corp, Cariuma ensures factory workers make a comfortable, living wage and adhere to a manageable work week to ensure a healthy work/life balance.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Shoe boxes double as a shipping box and Cariuma uses 100% recycled and recyclable FSC-certified paper. Any color in the packaging comes from soy-based ink.
Cariuma’s warehouse is a solar-powered, air-conditioned facility, equipped with energy-efficient LED lighting and a cooling tower to prevent and monitor over-consumption.
My Personal Review of Cariuma Catiba Pros:
“I’ve been wearing a pair of Cariuma’s Off White High Top sneakers for about 18 months now. As a 90s nostalgia tragic (back when wearing skate shoes was all the rage), I love the style of these and how they look with almost any outfit. They’re super hard-wearing and very comfortable. A little harder to get on, given they are high tops but that’s partly me being lazy and trying to squeeze in without adjusting the laces. The white does get dirty quickly so for the next pair, I’d op for black… though one can’t beat the style of white high tops, so I don these when I’m in the mood for a bit of flair and fun!”
Review by Joy McConnochie, SJ’s Co-founder
Thesus
Thesus has not been rated.
Price Range: $163–$266
Canadian brand, Thesus is a woman and POC-owned brand that wants us to all #BeOutside.
They’re proud of creating boots for the outdoors, rain, and riding.
Thesus’ Ethical Practices
Materials:
Thesus use of repurposed marine plastic, recycled synthetic wool, recycled rubber, recycled leather (from unlikely sources like car seats), and fairly traded and sustainably sourced rubber (certified by the Fair Rubber Association).
They use eco-friendly vegan glue and recycled plastic laces.
Supply chain & labor practices:
100% of production is in Portugal. They’ve taken some time to connect with the communities in which their factories are located and regularly audit most of their supply chain.
