The 5 Best Recycled Shoe Brands for Eco-friendly Footwear
What do you look for in shoes? Brand, aesthetic, or comfort? Regardless, it’s important to know the impact of your purchase and the sustainable choices available to you.
We all know that the fashion industry and its fast fashion is bad for the environment but one aspect we don’t think about is footwear.
Footwear accounts for 16% to 32% of the fashion industry’s total pollution and it wreaks havoc on the planet in different ways.
This guide will explore the impact of footwear and feature a list of shoes made from recycled materials.
This post does contain some affiliate links which means The Honest Consumer will receive a commission if you decided to purchase. Our commission is at no additional expense to you!
The Environmental Impact of Shoes
Let’s start by looking at the impacts the footwear industry has on the environment.
Massive Waste Discarding Shoes
Each year in America, 300 million pairs of shoes are thrown away.
Unfortunately, footwear is incredibly difficult to recycle as it’s made with a variety of mixed materials like metals, plastics and leather, many of which are stitched or glued together.
The end result? Almost 90% of the discarded shoes end up in landfill, where they may take over 1,000 years to decompose.
Harmful chemicals are also emitted in the process which contaminates soil and ground water.
Carbon Emissions to Product Footwear
Shoe manufacturing is an energy intensive process that produces large amounts of carbon dioxide which contributes to the already serious effects of climate change.
An MIT lifecycle assessment estimates that producing just one pair of running shoes generates 30 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to keeping a 100-watt light bulb on for a week.
This is a staggering statistic, especially when you consider that there are more than 20 billion pairs of shoes manufactured each year.
But, we can reduce our carbon footprint and let our old shoes become part of a circular economy that prevent virgin plastic from being created.
Ethics of the Footwear Industry
Many shoes on the market are produced by factories in countries like China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Bangladesh where labor laws are rarely enforced.
Workers are exposed to poor working conditions and work long hours for low wages.
Yet many fashion brands continue to evade responsibility for what happens further down their supply chain.
That’s why we love to support ethical or certified fair trade companies who support their workers and the environment.
So, what’s an eco-friendly alternative?
Is there quality footwear that’s good for your feet and the planet? There are more sustainable options.
The shoe industry is slowly yielding to consumer demand for more eco-friendly footwear options that use organic cotton, natural materials, and recycled materials.
There’s a wide range of materials that can be used to construct shoes.
This includes plastic bottles, fishing nets, tires, algae foam, and fibers from discarded fruits and vegetables like apples, mushrooms, and pineapples.
Why are shoes made with recycled materials a more sustainable option?
These are a few reasons why shoes made with recycled materials are a more sustainable option for your feet!
Preserve natural resources: The Earth’s natural resources are dwindling fast and we need to do more to conserve them. Shoes made from recycled materials allow junk items to be used over and over again so that new resources such as water, minerals, coal, oil, gas and timber don’t have to be exploited.
Protects the environment: Raw materials used in shoe manufacturing require extraction through mining, quarrying and logging, which lead to soil degradation, water shortages, biodiversity loss and global warming. The more shoes made from recycled materials we wear, the less we need to disrupt and damage the natural world.
Keep plastic out of the oceans: Plastic pollution and ocean plastic is currently one of our biggest problems. It’s estimated that about eight billion tons of plastic enter our oceans each year which makes up about 80% of ocean debris.
Shoes made from recycled plastic bottles prevent millions of plastic bottles from entering our oceans every year, saving marine mammals which die each year from ingestion or entanglement with floating plastic.
Supports Animal Welfare: Many shoes contain an abundance of leather, as well as certain animal-based glues, especially in the shoe soles. You can buy vegan leather, but that can sometimes be made of less sustainable materials. If you care about animal welfare you’ll be happy to learn that there are shoes made from recycled materials typically don’t have animal products. With this knowledge, you can take pride in the fact that no animals were hurt in the making of your shoes.
5 Eco-friendly Shoe Brands Using Recycled Materials
We’ve put together an amazing list of shoe brands that giving consumers better shoe options with recycled materials. Here’s a list of four of the comfiest, most stylish and most sustainable shoes out there.
Vivaia’s Recycled Shoes for Men & Women
Vivaia is a shoe company that makes men’s and women's shoes using recycled bottles, wool, and rubber.
Each pair contains a foam insole to keep your feet free of moisture and bacteria whilst maintaining long-term cushioning.
If you’re looking for something specific, Vivaia has no shortage of adorable designs.
Their collection comes in different styles, colors and patterns that can complement different outfits and situations whether formal or casual. Talk about an abundance of sustainable footwear!
Vivaia offers eight styles of flats and heels including square and rounded-toe flats, square, round, and pointed-toe heels (less than two inches), thick, chunky heels and thin, stiletto-style heels, among others.
But they don’t stop there. Vivaia also offers sneakers, mules, sandals, loafers and six boot styles that range from ankle boots to over-the-knee.
Cleaning Vivaia shoes will be a breeze as they are machine-washable so you restore them to their original glory whenever necessary. Vivaia shoes range from $96-$160.
Deux Mains Shoes Made from Recycled Tires
Deux Mains is an ethical fashion brand that offers sustainable and affordable slide sandals made from recycled tired and locally sourced leather.
The company was born from the disaster of the 2010 Haiti earthquake as part of a social enterprise meant to provide financial security for artisans in Haiti.
Deux Mains employs female artisans and teaches them how to handmade accessories from responsibly sourced materials like locally sourced leather and repurposed old tires.
The result is a beautiful collection that captures the strength and beauty of the Haitian people.
Their sandals are comfortable and come in 10 different styles including crisscross, slides and flip flops with classic, fringe, hand painted, and gold studded details.
When you choose Deux Mains, you’re ensuring artisans receive a liveable wage, education, and health insurance.
Deux Mains factory is solar powered too! Their shoes range from $55-$100.
NAE'S VEGAN Shoes
Piñatex, cork, AppleSkin, and recycled PET are just some of the sustainable materials that this vegan brand uses.
Making 100% vegan sneakers and sandals, Nae is passionate about keeping its products cruelty-free.
It’s even what their name stands for: No Animal Exploitation.
Also passionate about the environment, their recyclable packaging includes recycled cardboard boxes and recycled kraft wrapping paper.
Manufacturing in Portugal and Spain, Nae is Standard 100 OEKO-TEX® certified, ensuring the absence of toxic chemicals.
Nae's sustainable shoes range from $42-$100.
Indosole’s Flip-Flops Made with Natural & Recycled Materials
Specializing in recycled footwear since 2009, Indosole uses high-quality natural and recycled materials sourced in Indonesia to create their line of eco-friendly flip flops. Indosoles are vegan and cruelty-free.
Made with natural rubber, recycled tires for the soles, and their custom-made ENVRO fiber for the straps, their footwear is durable and waterproof.
This certified B Corp takes old tires that would otherwise contribute to Indonesia’s massive landfill problem and transforms them into attractive shoes while also providing dignified work to many in Indonesia.
They have a large assortment of colors from pastel pink, gray, black or white. Whatever your preference -you’ll find countless sizes, styles and colors to suit your needs.
Indosole’s shoes made from recycled materials range from $20-$70.
Rothy’s Shoes Made from Recycled Water Bottles
If you want lightweight shoes that are as cute as they are eco-conscious, look no further than Rothy’s.
The shoe startup based in San Francisco turns plastic water bottles into stylish and comfortable shoes.
Since its founding, Rothy's has diverted more than 10 million plastic bottles from landfills.
Rothy’s shoes comes in a range of vibrant colors and currently have 13 different styles of women’s shoes and options for men & kids too.
However, the brand is mostly known for its traditional flat ballet shoes which include The Flat, The Point, The Square, The Loafer, The Mary Jane, and The Driver.
Rothy’s most popular colors are black, gray, navy, and white which pretty much goes everything.
You can dress them up or down with anything from jeans, to work clothes, to dresses for a fun night out in the city.
If they get dirty, simply toss them in the washing machine to keep them clean and smell nice.
Rothy’s shoes range from $145-$255.
Hopefully this guide helped you discover some brands using recycled materials for your next sustainable shoe purchase!
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