Socially & Environmentally Responsible Shoes?

by Dr. Amy Wiesner

You want to do more to be socially and environmentally responsible with your wardrobe, but where to begin? Considering it can take 1,000 years for a standard shoe to degrade, not to mention the toxins from the glue used to make the shoe seeping into the earth...

Begin with your shoes!

There has been a surge in responsible shoe manufacturing. This is fantastic for a couple of reasons--these shoes can be made of recycled, organic, non-toxic and biodegradable materials. Some companies are making sure their shoes are not being made in sweat shops and others are using sustainable resources as well. There are even vegan shoes made without any animal components.

 
The newest shoe that graces this category is OAT Shoes. They are completely biodegradable and are even imbued with flower seeds that will grow once the sneakers are composted! They were created and developed by two men from the Netherlands who used natural ingredients like cork and hemp with biodegradable plastic.

The shoe company Simple has been around since the early 90s and has gotten progressively greener over the years. They use a wide variety of environmentally responsible materials from recycled tires to bamboo and eco-certified leather products. They also have ethical guidelines that they make sure their suppliers and manufacturers adhere to. Even more, last year they introduced a line of biodegradable shoes.

Terra Plana was created by members of the Clark family of shoemakers. They are both socially and environmentally responsible. Their vegan shoes, made of polyurethane, are non-toxic, unlike most other vegan shoes, they say. Terra Plana is also conscious of the working conditions in which their shoes are made and of the carbon footprint of each pair of shoes.  

The company Bourgeois Boheme out of London is also ethically responsible. They work with mostly vegan companies, in healthy work environments that use natural and fair trade materials that have a low impact on the environment. And EcoSandals only uses recycled products and it’s disadvantaged workers are shareholders of the Kenyan company.

With all the choices that are now available, you can go from the gym to the office feeling great about your decreased impact on the environment and look fantastic while doing it!

Image courtesy of Simple Shoe.

Comments

[Roofing Contractor]

Wow, biodegradable shoes! Who'd a thunk it.

[Lebron James Shoes]

I was not aware of Lua until I clicked your link. I am very glad that he did adopt her from a shelter (YAY), but yep he should have to follow the crazy law. LOL, & yes as you said, he should also have the balls to admit to the Yorkie :)