We should be keeping our heels, heads, and standards high. Which is why dressing up with sustainable heels should be the only way to elevate your style—literally!
The footwear industry is no stranger to exploitation, forced labor, and unsafe working conditions. Add in conventional leathers and you get animal cruelty, too.
That’s why we’re making like a pair of 7” heels and curating another list of ethical shoe brands. But this time we’re starting with the top high-heel brands we’ve fallen head over (eco) heels for. And they’re not just using responsible materials but also ethical labor and green business practices.
It’s worth mentioning that our standards are also as high as our heels thanks to our new Brand Rating System that we’ll be rolling out in the coming months to look at every facet of a brand’s business, from climate impact to circularity. See our explainer on our methodology here.
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.
Ethical Heels We Love Wearing
No list of ethically made heels is complete without Nisolo, the brand behind The Lowest Wage Challenge, increasing the shockingly low percentage of workers who receive fair wages. We’ve been wearing the endlessly versatile Ana Heeled Chelsea Boot and can recommend it for both comfort and durability.
Volair puts the flair in sustainable faux leather with flashy yet functional heels made of apple peels and other recycled materials. We’ve sustainably strutted our stuff in two of their models and were impressed with how comfortable they are.
Index: Eco Heels & Pumps
- Nisolo Jump to brand
- Veerah Jump to brand
- Bhava Jump to brand
- Volair Jump to brand
- Matisse Jump to brand
- NAE Jump to brand
- The Root Collective Jump to brand
Nisolo
About Nisolo
Price Range: $170–$240
Nisolo is a Certified B Corp that wants us all to walk a little more sustainably.
In addition to their ethical leather heels, they also make sustainable sandals, boots, flats, mules, oxfords, loafers, and other accessories for both men and women. Between beach days in block heel sandals and boardroom meetings in classy clogs, Nisolo is master of the comfortable and down-to-earth everyday heel—in earthy colors to boot (er, heel).
Nisolo’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Nubuck leather with a rubber heel cap is what you’ll find in Nisolo’s range of women’s shoes. Nubuck is a top-grain calfskin or cowhide leather that is tougher and more resilient, but feels similar to suede. Theirs is sourced strictly as a byproduct of the food industry and they personally visit all partner factories and tanneries, 95% of whom are certified by the Leather Working Group ( LWG).
The heels and midsoles feature real wood.
Supply chain & labor practices:
All sustainable high heel manufacturing takes place in their own Peruvian factory, which is third-party verified for living wages and ethical conditions. This brand is actually behind the Lowest Wage Challenge, which is how they’re encouraging other fashion brands to transparently share their lowest paid wages so that improvements can be made.
Supporting workers more (whether in Peru, Mexico, Kenya, or Nashville, USA), they provide access to training, healthcare, and safe and supportive working environments.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Nisolo is Carbon Neutral and has a Shoe Reclamation Program that allows customers to return their old Nisolo shoes, so some components can be either upcycled, recycled, or donated through Soles4Souls.
My Personal Review of Nisolo’s Heeled Chelsea Boot:
“If you’re looking for all-occasion, all-day footwear, the Ana Heeled Chelsea Boot is a personal favorite of mine. I’ve been wearing a pair of these smooth-grain stylish boots for a year now, and I love not only the all-day wearable comfort and stability of the thick, chunky wooden heel but also how durable they’ve proven to be over extensive wear. The style is super versatile, and I use them both when I need ethical dress shoes and for casual errand running.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
Veerah
About VEERAH
Price Range: $268–$328
“Led by women, for women” VEERAH doesn’t want you to sacrifice style to be sustainable–and with their eco conscious heels, you can get both.
The name of this vegan shoe brand comes from veerabhadrasana, Sanskrit for ‘warrior pose’, and we can all be eco warriors in the brand’s ethical heels, boots, flats, and sandals.
VEERAH’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
VEERAH’s vegan materials are 100% cruelty-free, PETA-approved, and include the following materials: apple leather, polyurethane, bamboo leather, algae foam, resin-coated rubber, and recycled plastic (like the rPET zippers).
Their apple leather is bio-based and made from organic Italian apples that are a byproduct of the apple juice industry. Apple peels are treated with a non-toxic pigment and blended with 50% polyurethane for waterproofing and durability.
Using an algae foam cushion allows VEERAH to assist in cleaning waterways from toxic algal blooms. This replaces 30% of the petroleum typically found in foam. The linings are organic cotton or TENCEL™ lyocell fabric.
Supply chain & labor practices:
The women-led design team spent years looking for manufacturing partners committed to sustainability. Their production is based in Guangdong, China and New Taipei City, Taiwan. Workers are paid above a living wage in accordance with ILO standards.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Instead of buying several pairs of shoes, VEERAH shoes can come with removable accessories that spice up a single pair. The included protective dust bag and reusable storage sack is made entirely from recycled plastic bottles.
Community & charitable giving:
VEERAH’s 1-10-100 battle plan means: 1% of revenue is donated to social impact causes, 10 paid hours are offered for employees to either volunteer or take self-improvement courses, and every 100 customer feedback surveys, a one-year scholarship is given to She’s the First.
My Personal Review of Veerah’s Ankle Boots:
“My personal favorite is the HEDY Ankle Boot, named after female powerhouse, actress, and inventor Hedy Lamarr (FYI: all their models are named after inspiring women throughout history). I got to try these heeled boots and even put them to the test as my sole pair of shoes on a long day of running errands and guess what…I managed to keep them on ALL day! Finding truly wearable heels (at least for me) can be challenging, so I’m really happy to report these cute and classy boots surpassed my comfort standards, too.
PS: these are excellent if you have wider feet like I do.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
Bhava
About Bhava
Price Range: $245–$275
Bhava believes we need to get creative when it comes to finding alternatives to leather.
You won’t find any products of animal-origin in their range of sandals, sustainable flats, heels, and boots. When it comes to sustainable heels, their styles include pumps, mules, loafers, strappy heels, and sandals.
If you’re looking for nude heels, Bhava is all about soft neutrals—like the LOLA Platform Sandal, sure to become your favorite fun and flirty block heels. Bhava “doesn’t produce a single pair of shoes without a thorough NYC test drive for comfort and durability”, which says a lot considering the lack of comfortability in most heels.
Bhava’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Bhava uses solid wood heels, cork insoles, organic cotton linings, and Italian-made vegan leather that is free of PVC, phthalates, chrome, azo-dyes, formaldehyde, and aromatic amines.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Making use of the region’s long history of handmade shoes, Bhava works with artisans in Alicante, Spain. A few are made in India, by the country’s first woman-owned footwear company. Many of their materials are imported from Italy and their cork from neighboring Portugal.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
A relatively localized supply chain, mostly on one continent, helps keep carbon emissions and waste at a minimum.
Volair
About Volair
Price Range: $95–$175
Sustainable heels that “let you dance all night pain-free”? Sounds too good to be true.
Unless you veer your search toward Volair. Among their small but staple range of shoes, ethical heels are the focus, including low heel sandals, heeled boots, and two mid-height heels with different ankle strap designs. Testing two of these affordable heels had us feeling at the height of luxury.
Volair’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Volair’s eco-friendly high heels all feature a bio-based vegan apple leather or corn leather upper combined with heels that are either made of recycled materials or bio-based polymers that replace the traditional ABS material. This polymer is BPI compostable certified and Vincotte OK Compost Industrial/Home certified.
The uppers are also PETA, REACH, and USDA Biobased certified.
Supply chain & labor practices:
All heels are manufactured in Asia, with a manufacturer that aligns with ethical business practices, and they ensure all suppliers have the proper certifications.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Volair encourages a pre-order production model to prevent the waste associated with excess stock. They also use recycled and recyclable packaging and offset their shipping emissions through Carbonfund.org.
My Personal Review of Volair’s Heels:
“First, I tried out the Reverie Sandal, which Volair calls the “perfect combination of style, comfort and poise”—and I can’t help but agree. For such a minimalist heel, I was impressed by how stable they are, attributed to both the chunky, modest-height 2.4” heel and contoured footbed. While it took me a few tries to initially figure out how best to tie the ankle straps, I caught on quickly and appreciate how the long ties can be styled in a variety of ways.
If you want a pair of extra comfortable heels, I recommend the Harley Boots. Featuring a unique but still understated bi-pattern design that’s half faux croc skin and half matte faux leather, these heeled ankle boots are not only incredibly easy to pair with a variety of outfits, but I also found them comfortable enough to walk long distances in, making them a modern essential.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
Matisse
About Matisse
Price Range: $40–$190
Matisse is one of the most popular heel brands in the sustainability sphere, and it’s easy to see why. Their heels meet the needs of modern women—without disrupting the needs of our planet. From beach to street, Matisse provides artisanal, ethically-made mules, boots, flats, sandals, sneakers, and both vegan and leather heels.
The Louie Platform Loafer sure isn’t your grandma’s loafer. They take the class and professionalism of them, and add a little height and a modern twist that goes well with just about any outfit.
Matisse’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Leather, suede, and EVA (a rubber-like plastic polymer) are common materials, combined with rubber outsoles and sometimes wood heels. Whenever possible, recycled leather and textiles are used. They also offer vegan heels made of PETA-certified PU vegan leather, not PVC.
Supply chain & labor practices:
All manufacturing partners are family-owned and operated and are regularly audited to ensure workers are treated fairly.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Their leather tannery partners use technology to minimize watershed waste, but we haven’t received a response yet with more details on how they process their leather.
NAE
Price Range: $120–$155
About NAE
We’ve fallen head over eco heels for the high heels made by NAE (AKA “No Animal Exploitation”).
Their range is absolutely huge, encompassing not just heels, but sandals, sneakers, sustainable boots, flats, and more, for both men and women.
Among their heels, you’ll find staple styles—like these cute and classy peep toe pumps—as well as more unique ones.
NAE’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
A huge range of low-impact materials means a huge range of vegan fabrics, including Piñatex, cork fabric, apple leather, recycled PET (sometimes blended with corn), organic cotton, and traditional PU and PLA vegan leather.
Some materials bear OEKO-TEX certification.
Supply chain & labor practices:
As a Spanish brand, NAE chooses to manufacture locally in Spain and Portugal.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Carbon-neutral manufacturing and reduction in chemical and water use.
The Root Collective
About The Root Collective
Price Range: $178–$278
The Root Collective is a “people company that happens to sell shoes and accessories”. It was founded by Bethany Tran, whose purpose-driven dreams weren’t being satisfied by her job at a Fortune 500 company.
In addition to comfortable ethical heels (in the form of wedges and heeled chukka boots), the brand also sells flats, boots, sandals, and bags. We adore the combination of the classic black leather toe and colorful, hand embroidered floral heel in the Chloe Wedge.
The Root Collective’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
LWG-certified leather and handwoven fabric are combined with a wood and natural rubber outsole.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Social impact is what drives The Root Collective, They exist to support community jobs. Partnering with small, independent Guatemalan workshops, they’re able to support talented artisans with wages 40-500% above the fair trade wage minimum.
The handwoven fabric comes from two women’s cooperatives, and other steps of the manufacturing take place in small batches in other small workshops and factories in Guatemala.
Vegan Leather Heels Vs Ethical Leather Heels
The leather vs vegan leather debate is a tricky one.
For some, the animal welfare concerns make vegan leather the clear winner. For others, the environmental impact and limited durability of synthetic materials is a big no-no.
Fortunately, vegan leather can be the foundation for eco-friendly heels, especially when it’s made from plant-based materials like Pinatex, cork, and apple leather.
And, while it’s still made from fossil fuels, polyurethane (PU) contains significantly fewer chemicals, and isn’t composed of materials that can wreak havoc on our hormone or endocrine system. It’s also far less toxic to soil and water and can even be recycled.
For heels that will be worn for decades to come, natural ethical leather provides the most durable option. It’s best to look for vegetable-dyed or at least chrome-free leather, as it’s free of many of the toxins and heavy metals typically found in leather.
Traceable leather that’s sourced as a byproduct from the food industry is an arguably better option. Recycled leather is clearly the best option!
Some brands could certainly stand to be more transparent on their leather manufacturing, so we’ll be updating this article as we find out more.