Step Up Your Game: Top Eco-Friendly Sneaker Brands You’ll Love
Step Up Your Game: Top Eco-Friendly Sneaker Brands You’ll Love
Fiona Ralph shares her journey of wearing sneakers until they fall apart and then choosing new ones with the planet and fair trade in mind.
My Sneaker Journey
For eight years, I wore the same pair of worn-out sneakers, even after the heel was partially melted when I (stupidly) dried them by a fire. Clearly, I wasn’t running marathons in them, but I still made them last until they fell apart. Eventually, I got an upgrade from a friend who didn’t need her sneakers anymore. It wasn’t until I heard about Veja that I felt confident about buying a new pair, knowing that my sneakers would be fair trade and produced from sustainable materials.
Veja: A Pioneer in Sustainable Sneakers
The French brand, founded in 2004, is known for its sneakers made with:
- Certified organic cotton
- Wild Amazonian rubber
- Banana oil
- Sugar cane
- Recycled plastic
- Rice and corn waste
While one in three styles is vegan, Veja also uses leather that is chrome-free and from audited tanneries. The shoes are made in Brazil, with employees paid more than the living wage, and materials are sourced directly from producers (mostly in Peru and Brazil) at rates not tied to the market price.
Etiko: Fair Trade and Vegan
Another company that has been producing better sneakers since the mid-2000s is Australian brand Etiko, the first Fair Trade-certified fashion brand in the Southern Hemisphere. Etiko sells vegan shoes, clothing, underwear, and jandals. The sneakers are made in India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan with:
- FSC-certified sustainable latex
- GOTS-certified organic cotton
Founder Nick Savaidis is passionate about using natural materials and says his sneakers have “nothing on them that won’t break down, except for the tips at the end of the shoelaces”. Etiko also has a take-back program that recycles worn-out shoes into outdoor furniture.
Taeger: Slow Fashion Approach
Also based in Australia is Taeger, which encourages a slow approach to fashion. Its unisex, seasonless shoes are designed in the Netherlands and handmade in Portugal from local materials.
Collective Canvas: Transparent and Ethical
Local label Collective Canvas was launched in 2018 by Oscar Anselmi, whose family is behind Merchant 1948 (formerly Overland). The brand uses organic cotton, natural rubber, cork, and castor oil to make unisex sneakers in China in a factory where workers are paid a living wage. The company has a transparent pricing model and donated to Youthline and Lifeline on Black Friday instead of participating in sales.
Allbirds: Carbon-Neutral and Innovative
Allbirds has taken the world by storm with its New Zealand merino wool shoes, which feature recycled-plastic laces and soles made with castor oil. Other natural materials include Tencel (made from wood pulp) and sugar cane. The business is carbon-neutral and lists the individual carbon output of each product on its website. Allbirds is passionate about sharing its sustainable ethos and is currently collaborating with Adidas to create a sports performance shoe with the lowest-ever carbon footprint.
Adidas: Leading the Way in Sustainability
Adidas, which also owns Reebok, is doing better than many other big sneaker brands in regards to sustainability and ethical production. In 2019, the brand introduced Futurecraft Loop, a 100 percent recyclable, closed-loop sneaker that can be returned and made into a new shoe. And in 2020, it launched Clean Classics, a line of vegan and low-waste versions of its Originals shoes, made from recycled polyester, natural and reclaimed rubber, with paper laces.
Mindful Purchasing
As stylish as these sustainable sneakers are, try to purchase your shoes mindfully. Do you really need more than one pair, or a new pair every season? Can your damaged shoes be repaired instead of thrown away? If you have unwanted sneakers that are in good condition, you can donate them to a charity such as Lazy Sneakers, which distributes them to people in need.
