13 Ethical Shoe Brands To Put Your Best (Eco) Foot Forward

WHY SHOE COMPANIES & CONSUMERS NEED TO (SUSTAINABLY) STEP UP

So why is it so important to opt for socially responsible sustainable shoes?  

Shoes are something we don’t buy all that often (at least compared to beauty products and food). But consider this:

The sneaker industry alone produces 23 billion pairs every year, over 300 million pairs of which are thrown away in that same time span. Less than 5% of these shoes are recycled, meaning these petroleum-based wearables land up in the…landfill.

The footwear industry alone is responsible for 700 million tons of CO₂ emissions (or about 30 pounds per shoe manufactured). All in all, that’s about 30% of the fashion industry’s total impact.

Leather and (Un)Sustainability

Leather is the worst offender.

We know not every ethical shoe brand on this list is leather-free, but traditionally, leather is pretty UNsustainable and UNethical. It uses an animal byproduct, sometimes killing animals purely for their hides (over 1 billion animals per year).

And regardless of sourcing, the tanning process alone utilizes hundreds of heavy metals and chemicals (like formaldehyde), which puts both the wearer and tannery workers at health risk.

That’s not to say that sustainable leather shoes are impossible. In fact, a few brands on our list show that leather can, in limited scenarios be considered sustainable, provided it is sourced as a byproduct and thus considered cruelty-free (i.e. no animal was killed specifically for its hide).  

Our personal hierarchy of leather sustainability goes like this:

• Upcycled/recycled leather: The materials already exist, so using them prevents further landfill waste;

• Naturally sun dyed leather: No chemicals or natural additives used to process the leather.

• Vegetable-dyed leather: Goes through the whole tanning process sans toxic chemicals. Instead, it relies on things like bark and other plants to preserve and protect the leather. 

• Chrome-free leather: The last and least sustainable. While this still typically involves chemicals, it means fewer heavy metals, though we’d still avoid this.

HOW WE FOUND THE BEST ETHICAL SHOE BRANDS

So, how did we determine which shoe brands were ethical enough to make the cut?

Our sustainable and ethical fashion criteria, of course. If you haven’t already had a peruse, we’ll summarize the four major social and environmental ethical shoe specs that we scrutinize:

Materials:

A garment’s biggest impact comes from material (because it impacts the environment at sourcing, production, and end-of-life levels) so this is a priority. We’ll dive deeper into sustainable shoe materials below.

Supply chain & labor practices:

This refers to the human rights side of the industry. Ethical companies need to provide transparency and traceability of all entities responsible for making their shoes.

This enables us to be sure that artisans are getting paid fairly and are working in safe, ethical environments.  

Because of doubts cast by greenwashing, we look to third-party auditors and certifications, like B-Corp and Fair Trade, among many others.

Green business practices:

Other ways a company takes into account their environmental impact outside of material choice.

This includes purchasing offsets from (hopefully) some of the best carbon offset providers, product recycling programs, low waste shipping, and packaging materials, use renewable and resource conservative production methods, and create lasting designs. 

Charitable endeavors:

A brand doesn’t need to be a non-profit to think about more than bolstering their own bank accounts. We love to see companies that work to make the world a better place by contributing either time or funding to social and environmental causes. 

The Most Sustainable Materials for Shoes

Fabric is the most important consideration because it has the largest bearing on a garment’s impact, as well as the safety of manufacturing and material sourcing conditions.  

For example, organic cotton not only means the shoe is non-toxic and compostable, but also that the cotton growers aren’t exposed to chemical pesticides.

The most sustainable shoes are those that use totally organic materials, like natural rubber soles and uppers/liners made from jute, hemp, or bamboo fabric. This means at the end of life, they are compostable.

After organic materials come recycled synthetics (like recycled PET and Econyl, made from plastic bottles and harvested ocean plastics) and deadstock (made from recycled shoes or post-production leftovers). 

While not biodegradable, they are reducing waste of materials already in existence.

Materials with footwear get complicated because shoes contain so many different components:

• Uppers: This is the big one and where we most get the opportunity to use those organic and recycled synthetic fabrics mentioned above. This is also where we’re seeing so many new fabric innovations, like vegan leather made of apples and fabric woven from discarded pineapple leaves (called Piñatex).

• Liners: Organic cotton is again the best option, but many companies are still using synthetic microfibers for their moisture-wicking abilities.  If that’s the case, try to make sure it’s recycled. 

• Laces: Organic cotton sans plastic tip covers, ideally. OR recycled materials.

• Insoles: The most sustainable options here are cork (which is antimicrobial and very cushioning, thus being super good for your feet) are BLOOM foam made of recycled algae.

• Midsoles: Still the most unsustainable part of many shoes, particularly sneakers and other athletic footwear. Some companies are at least now blending this virgin EVA with recycled EVA. There’s no perfect solution to this one yet, but we are at least making progress.

• Outsoles: For sustainable sole materials for shoes, we need look no further than natural rubber, which is biodegradable, unlike chemical-based imitations. It’s also a renewable resource harvested by harmlessly tapping the natural latex of rubber trees.

We also want to ensure we’re buying non-toxic shoes, or those that are processed without the use of many chemicals. Certifications like those by WRAP and OEKO-Tex 100 are here to help.