To find the best hemp shoes for your tootsies, we exhaled our way through things like materials, manufacturing, sourcing, and general green practices, paying close attention to BIPOC and female owned businesses and those highly rated by us.
Hemp is a blazin’ textile for sustainable style that’s more durable than cotton and more compact in its footprint for water, energy, and pesticides during cultivation.
Hemp is also lightweight, breathable, and comfortable to wear year-round, not to mention its inherent microbial properties. Because, ”I love foot-odor,” said no one ever. So hemp is ideal for footwear, in other words.
In addition to the criteria we’ve used historically for our guides, our new Brand Rating System takes it further by looking at 22 different sustainability related criteria, such as their climate impact and water use. For a full breakdown of this new system, take a look at our in-depth explainer. And look out for rated brands on the list below as these are the hemp shoe brands who have gone the extra mile on transparency.
If you’re curious to learn more about hemp, have a read of our guide to hemp fabric.
Our Top Picks For Hemp Shoe Brands
For breathable, waterproof hemp shoes that are seriously durable 8000Kicks offers stylish sneakers for work, rest, and play, (trust us we’ve worn ours non-stop for over 2 years) featuring uppers that are a whopping 95% hemp. 8000Kicks has been comprehensively rated and reviewed by us – find the full rating here.
We’re obsessed with Astral’s hemp winter boot, which shows that hemp is the perfect all-around all-season material since these shoes keep our feet warm and dry in inclement weather (i.e., Wyoming winter tested).
Index: Hemp Sneakers & Shoes
- 8000Kicks Jump to section
- Astral Designs Jump to section
- Rackle Shoes Jump to section
- Vibram Jump to section
- RISORSE FUTURE Jump to section
- Sanuk Jump to section
- Wildling Jump to section
8000Kicks
Compostable
All or some products are compostable, either in an industrial facility or at homeEthical 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 materialsRepairs 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 products8000Kicks has been rated by Sustainable Jungle. Find the full rating here.
Weed’s “sober cousin” hemp has been used since 8000 BC for all kinds of textiles, but it wasn’t until 8000Kicks stepped up that waterproof hemp shoes became popularized. Started by Bernardo and his grandmother, Otilia, their range of hemp shoes include sneakers, ankle boots, and slips-ons.
8000Kicks uses Bloom soles, partially made of harmful invasive algal blooms that would otherwise destroy waterways.
My Personal Review of 8000Kicks’ Explorer V2:
I’ve worn the Explorer V2 Allblack for 3 years now ad naseum. I’ve taken them on 5-mile runs, short hikes, and everyday errands. They’re arguably the most durable pair of shoes sneakers I’ve ever owned. The soles are starting to wear down but the uppers are still completely intact. They’re a bit on the wide side, (I have narrow feet). I’d say a bit larger than true to size. I didn’t think the waterproofing was going to be a feature I’d appreciate but it is actually really helpful, especially in my wet climate, no rain boots needed.
Review by Lyall Mabin, SJ’s Co-founder
My Personal Review of 8000Kicks’ Explorer V2:
“I’ve been wearing the Explorer V2 for women for around 18 months now, and I’m definitely a fan. Their waterproof capability is fantastic, making them my go-to for walks with my dog, playing in the garden with my son, and running errands—even when it’s raining! They pair well with my everyday casual outfits and are super practical. The sizing runs a bit large for me (I typically wear an 8, but I’m in between sizes), which makes the back of the shoe a bit stiff, so I wouldn’t use them for running. However, they excel in other activities. I admire the creativity that Bernardo and his team have brought to these shoes. They’ve been breaking new ground, and I can’t wait to see their future innovations.”
Review by Joy McConnochie, SJ’s Co-founder
Astral Designs
Price Range: $95–$175
Seattle and NC-based Astral is pioneering wilderness performance products. The brand uses hemp for uppers for a number of their footwear options. The Hemp Donner 2.0 shoe or the HaleStorm Boot, for example, both use 77% hemp and 23% recycled polyester.
Further sustainability features include bluesign® certification and carefully selected suppliers and manufacturers aligned with the brand’s values.
My Personal Review of Astral’s HaleStorm Boot:
“These modern duck boots strike a balance of sustainable style and functionality that transition easily from trail to town, with the WeatherGuard on them shielding the bottom of the hemp-upper boot from rain or slush while remaining durable and comfortable from the first wear. I’ve only been testing them in rainy weather so far, but I live in Wyoming, where winters are HARSH, so I can’t wait to don these in three feet of snow on the ground.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
Rackle Shoes
Price Range: $89
Rackle make hemp trainers with soles made from patented foam that accelerates biodegradation and is certified by Intertek Sustainability. Weighing in at just six ounces, these they are as lightweight as they are elegant.
The 100% hemp one-piece uppers are lined with OCS and GOTS-certified organic cotton, while laces are made from hemp and 100% recycled materials. Insoles also have a proprietary design to encourage all-day comfort and healthy blood flow.
Shoes are offered in one unique style, called the Alex, in a variety of different colorways. Each pair features their signature hemp upper and laces, proprietary arch design, and a three-density foam sole treated with organic additives to expedite biodegradability up to 50 times faster.
Vibram
Price Range: $85–$125
Vibe with Vibram’s iconic minimalist FiveFingers foot gloves, which also embrace sustainable hemp models. The CVT LB is a light, grippy FiveFinger model with a hemp upper, making it one of the best shoes made from hemp for barefoot fans. If you’re not a five-toe fan, the Vibram One Quarter is a slip-on shoe made with hemp.
Both combine hemp uppers with Vibram’s famous minimalist outsole technology and its manufacturing facilities come with an ISO-9001, 14001, and 45001 stamp of approval, plus REACH Compliance and bluesign® system partner certification to ensure ethical and eco-friendly production.
RISORSE FUTURE
Price Range: $88-$266
Italian vegan footwear brand RISORSE FUTURE merges Italian design with cruelty-free culture. They offer men’s and women’s hemp sneakers in a variety of styles including skate shoes, tennis shoes, ballet flats, boots, and slip-ons.
Everything is also dyed with REACH-certified dyes and is Vegan Society certified. All products are PETA-approved, and it’s received the highest VVV rating from animal right’s group LAV (Lega Anti Vivisezione).
While Microfiber is used in some models, it’s REACH-certified as free of hazardous substances and the brand prioritizes the use of innovative, vegan materials that respect the environment, which aside from hemp include organic cotton, corn bio leather, and natural latex.
Sanuk
Price Range: $32-$75
San Diego-based Sanuk offers a variety of sustainable men’s shoes and women’s shoes, which include hemp sneakers, sandals, and slip-ons, like the award-winning Sidewalk Surfer. With collapsible heels, super comfy hemp cotton blend uppers, cotton lining, and cushiony Soft Top Foam midsoles, “Natural comfort has been legalized in America.”
Some pairs feature a 100% hemp upper while others blend hemp with responsibly sourced cotton, TENCEL, linen, jute, or virgin polyester. Footbeds, midsoles, and outsoles commonly use BLOOM™ foam made with repurposed algae, alongside GRS-certified rPET, recycled or sugar cane EVA foam, and natural rubber.
Wildling
Price Range: $60–$160
Certified B Corp and Germany-based Wildling was started by Anna and Ran, who wished to see a better shoe—and future—for their children.
As a result, they’ve created a shoe as close to being barefoot in nature as possible, with ultrathin-soled hemp shoes that conform to the shape of the foot, handcrafted in Europe with fair working conditions, and with low-impact materials like hemp and recycled rubber.
Every shoe is one of a kind and entirely handmade in Portugal, featuring an organic cotton and hemp blend upper, with lining made of organic cotton, and the removable insole is made from hemp-flax fleece. The thin sole is made from 33% recycled rubber, 15% recycled cork, and 25% silica.
For adults and kids alike, the brand offers hemp slip-ons, hemp boots, hemp sandals, and two styles of hemp trainers.