With the dramatic increase in people looking for a more sustainable lifestyle, eco friendly shoes have skyrocketed in popularity. These beautiful, environmentally safe alternatives to plastic, rubber and leather based shoes, eco friendly shoes are not only a statement of sustainability, but also fashionable enough for almost any occasion. Here are some of the best eco friendly shoes available on the market.
Adidas Stan Smith Collection
Starting off with one of the most famous names in the footwear industry, the Adidas Stan Smith collection aims to be minimal, versatile and environmentally friendly. Specifically designed to have a lower carbon footprint than your average sneaker, the Stan Smith line is made using at least 50 percent recycled materials.
According to Adidas, even the packaging is more sustainable; when you buy a pair of Stan Smith sneakers, they’re going to be packaged in a box made from almost 100% recycled paper. Adidas is one of the largest companies in world footwear, and with the initiative made to move towards a sustainable future, other well known brands are bound to board the same train.
Tread by Everlane
Everlane is a brand that strives to only follow sustainable and ethical practices throughout their operations from sourcing of materials to the finished product reaching your doorstep. Famous for their high quality fabrics, Everlane has recently dived into the sneakers line by introducing their latest line: Tread.
With the mission to create the world’s most eco friendly shoes, the Tread collection cuts down the use of plastic by 54 percent in their shoes compared to traditional sneakers. In addition, the soles are made from less than 7 percent virgin plastic, and use as much natural or recycled rubber as possible to reduce the amount of rubber ending up in landfills. Everlane is certainly focused on complete sustainability, and their Tread line is a testament to their goal.
Atoms
Starting off as a brand that aimed to create footwear that would be easy to wear, minimalist and hassle free, Atoms was created by a couple in New York who were looking for shoes they could wear everyday without losing any comfort.
Apart from creating some of the most comfortable footwear available in the market, Atoms also takes its environmental responsibility very seriously. The company forbids the use of water while dyeing it’s yarn, and is 100% vegan, barring the use of any animals during the manufacture process. The company also keeps a strict eye on the chemicals being used, making sure none of them produce a byproduct that could potentially harm the environment.
Reebok Ree[Grow] and Ree[Cycle]
Another legendary name in the world of footwear, Reebok’s eco friendly shoes are a part of their sustainability project. The company aims to go fully sustainable by 2030, and therefore has started off proceedings by introducing two different lines of footwear Ree[Grow] and Ree[Cycle].
The Ree[Grow] line is created using at least 50 percent plant based materials, while the Ree[Cycle] line was created to reduce the amount of pollution in the world by recycling and reusing plastic bottles to make polyester thread for producing high quality sneakers.
Today, Reebok is continually adding more sustainable collections to its lineup, and with their sustainable footwear becoming increasingly popular, they are well on their way to achieving complete sustainability by 2030.
Baabuk
Baabuk is a brand that takes a very different approach to shoe manufacturing. In fact, their entire lineup is made from one major ingredient: wool. Baabuk believes that wool is the perfect alternative to polyester. Being a strong, long lasting fabric, Baabuk believes that the shoes made using wool will not only be of the highest quality, but will also last much longer than a traditional shoe, thereby reducing the amount of pollution in landfills.
However, sourcing wool is an important part of the overall process being sustainable; if the wool is not being sourced responsibly and ethically, then it cannot be considered eco friendly. Thankfully, Baabuk has also taken good care of that. Baabuk sources all its wool from only two locations; the Serra da Estrela Natural Park in Portugal, and the local farmers from New Zealand.
Even during the sourcing, the washing process in New Zealand is done using recycled water. The company makes sure the entire procedure is as sustainable as possible, so their products can truly be one of the best eco friendly shoes.