12 Eco-Friendly And Stylish Sustainable Shoes To Step Into Now
As my grandmother says: Spend money on good shoes and good beds - because if you’re not in one, you’re in the other!
It’s important to have comfortable and practical footwear. But when it comes to finding shoes sustainably and ethically made… barefoot seems like the best option to be honest.
Shoes are one of the most complex products to make. They are made up of several different types of materials (think of the laces, the tips of the laces, the soles, the inner, the bit underfoot, the lining etc.), each with difficult supply chains to trace back, and different ways to recycle.
But: shoes are kinda crucial! Unless you live on a tropical island somewhere.
With this in mind, this is a guide to sustainable shoes. Shoes created by people who are working hard to change the shoe industry for the better. Shoes that are made fairly or with sustainable materials that can be composted or repurposed once you’re finished with them.
These are not perfect sustainable shoe companies - I haven’t found any who are.
You’ll find my own personal review by the ones that I’ve worn myself (some of the shoes have been gifted to me to trial, others I have purchased).
Image by Nectar Photography
Type: Unisex Sneakers/Runners/Loafers/Jandals
Cost: $60 - $255
Main Materials: Merino/Sugarcane/TENCEL
Made in: Korea
Returns: Can return within 30 days, worn shoes donated to people in need
Kate’s Review: The Tree Dashers are great. They are incredibly comfortable, easy to pack when travelling (they squish down) and easy to wash too. I wouldn’t recommend running further than 5km in them, and if you are a regular runner, I don’t think these would be good for you. Walking only.
Image by Nectar Photography
Type: Unisex Boots/Mules/Sandals/Loafers
Cost: $150 - $430
Main Materials: By-product leather/natural rubber
Made in: Mexico
Returns: Can return unworn shoes within 21 days
Kate’s Review: They’re flipping awesome. I ended up gifting my Benito Natural Black shoes (pictured above)to my Mum because she liked them so much. It’s nice to share a wardrobe! I wear the Ximena in black too. I had a problem with sizing, so I’d recommend measuring your foot 3 times to make sure, and sizing down if anything.
Code ETHICALLYKATE is 10% off.
Type: Unisex Sneakers/Loafers
Cost: $130
Main Materials: Organic cotton/natural latex rubber
Made in: Dongguan, China
Returns: Can return unworn shoes within 14 days
Kate’s Review: Move over Converse! Collective Canvas are taking over. They don’t give me any bother on days when I’m out and about, walking from bus stations and hosting events, for up to 14 hours a day. I travelled with them all around the country, and much to my surprise I’ve only had to clean them once too.
Type: Unisex Sneakers/Loafers
Cost: $95 - $140
Main Materials: Recycled materials (plastics)/natural cork
Made in: Hanoi, Vietnam
Returns: Can return unworn shoes within 30 days
Secondhand Footwear
Type: Anything you could ever imagine!
Cost: Could be free, could be $8, could be $1000
Main Materials: Anything that exists in the shoe world, but technically it’s already recycled by you purchasing it secondhand
Made in: Worldwide!
Returns: Don’t return them, pass them on to someone new that will love them.
Type: Unisex Sneakers/Boots
Cost: $55 - $319
Main Materials: Natural rubber/Pinatex/Cork/Linen
Made in: Portugal and Sri Lanka
Returns: Can return unworn shoes within 14 days
Kate’s Review: Po-Zu were my first sustainable shoes. The heels pictured above were bought in 2017; I own two pairs of heels, so these are usually it for all special occasions! The cork soles of their sustainable shoes allow your foot to melt into them and form a base that is incredibly supportive. The natural materials they use are probably why they are my least smelly shoes too.
Type: Unisex Sneakers/Runners/Boots
Cost: $160 - $430
Main Materials: Free range leather/eco canvas
Made in: China
Returns: Can return unworn shoes within 100 days
Kate’s Review: Like everyone says, it took a while for my feet to get used to barefoot shoes. However, after 7 morning walks I didn’t want to take them off. I’ve done upwards of 1,500km in my Vivo Barefoot shoes. They’re great and I appreciate their take back scheme too.
Type: Unisex Sneakers
Cost: $189 - $235
Main Materials: Leather/Canvas
Made in: Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Returns: Can return unworn shoes within 28 days
Type: Unisex Sneakers/Jandals
Cost: $23 - $140
Main Materials: Fair trade organic cotton/hemp/rubber
Made in: Sri Lanka
Returns: Can return unworn shoes within 30 days
Type: Unisex Slides/jandals
Cost: $48 - $65
Main Materials: Recycled tyre rubber
Made in: Bali
Returns: Can return unworn shoes within 30 days
Kate’s review: My dog destroyed my pair of Indosole’s that were gifted to me as a PR gift - and I purchased another pair immediately because they’re the best jandals/thongs (whatever you want to call them) I have ever owned. Sturdier than any others I’ve experienced, the Indosole flip flop has slight arch support and the straps don’t rub in any places on my foot.
Type: Unisex Boots
Cost: $219 - $430
Main Materials: Leather
Made in: Dunedin, NZ
Returns: Unknown
Kate’s review: After my previous boots (worn 400+ times and resoled once) began to look too shabby for work attire, I invested in these and will never regret it. They’re sturdy, easy to clean, and comfortable for 16 hour days on my feet. These sustainable boots are the one pair of shoes I take with me when I travel light.
Type: Unisex Sandals/Boots
Cost: $95 - $229
Main Materials: Leather
Made in: Raglan, NZ
Returns: Case by case
Type: Unisex Gumboots
Cost: $76 - $152
Main Materials: Natural rubber
Made in: China
Returns: Can return unworn shoes within 90 days
Kate’s review: You know those items you get because you like them, and then wear so much you wonder what the heck you wore beforehand? These boots are just like that. They are waterproof and excellent on my bike. I get compliments on them every time I leave the house (maybe because they’re BRIGHT ORANGE) so people feel they need to mention them, hah. I thought they may make my feet sweat too much and get wrinkly after a full day wearing them, but I haven’t found that to be the case.
Georgia’s review: I cannot speak highly enough of these boots. So far I’ve worn them to work (teaching in schools), to university, horse riding, dog walks on the beach, social events, to the markets - the list goes on and on! They are so much more structured and comfortable than I ever expected and are the type of shoe you can wear all day and night very happily. They certainly attract a lot of attention and every time I wear them out I end up telling someone about Merry People. These are one of the best additions to my wardrobe that I’ve ever had.
Sustainable Shoes Q&A
What is a sustainable shoe?
Sustainable footwear is generally hard to find. And even when you do find them, they are arguably sustainable. The reason sustainable shoes are so much harder to find than other sustainable fashion garments is because of the complexity of materials. For example, a sustainable shoe has a sole, often with multiple materials built into it, a heel, an inner sole, an outer, laces, zips, velcro (though I hope not), eyelets… if you look at the shoes you are wearing right now, how many different materials can you see? Sustainable shoes are complicated. Each material has it’s own supply chain and finding a sustainable and ethically made option for every one of those materials is really difficult. Sustainable footwear companies compromise a lot. And that’s okay! The sustainable shoes listed above are much better than mainstream shoe options and the companies are always trying their best to do better.
What are sustainable shoes made of?
Hemp, sustainably sourced rubber, recycled polyester, organic cotton, rice husk. Sustainable shoes are made of a whole mix of things!
But is it sustainable for me to buy sustainable shoes online if they may not fit?
Personally, I find it hard to buy shoes online. I have been burnt before by sizing issues and returns make the carbon footprint of a sustainable shoe add up! Most of the sustainable footwear companies listed above have really robust sizing schemes. If you are between sizes or unsure, they have helpful helplines to contact. Ultimately, sustainable shoe companies do not want to deal with a whole lot of returns, so they do their best to get you the right size from the beginning.