12 Best Brands for sustainable sneakers
Sneakers. Probably the most popular shoes of them all. And it is easy to understand why. Sneakers are comfortable, yet fashionable and come in a ton of different shapes, styles, and colors.
FIND WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR
Especially during the last couple of years, sneakers seem to have become a fashion darling, and more often you see street style influencers and models running around in sneakers rather than stilettos. Sneakers are not just a comfortable add-on to your wardrobe. It is a wardrobe essential.
But would be better than a pair of stylish sneakers? A pair of stylish sustainable sneakers of course. That is what you will find in this guide. There are eco-friendly sneakers, including vegan sneakers for all tastes. You will find all the cool and ethical sneakers brands below.
Alice + Whittles
Location | Canada
Ethics | Made from recycled materials, hand-made, waste reducing.
Price starting point | 160$
Why we love them
Alice + Whittles is born as an idea to make sustainable footwear you can walk that extra mile in. The Canadian brand creates shoes in a minimalistic design made in a highly sustainable way. But these ethical sneakers do not only please the eye and your eco-heart.
They are also ridiculously comfortable to walk in. The ones behind the brand are outdoor people to the bone, and these sustainable are made to walk in, to be practical, and made to be outside. If you are looking for a pair of minimalistic, eco-friendly sneakers from a socially responsible brand that is also super practical then this is your brand.
Shop the sustainable sneakers here
Veja
Location | France
Ethics | Organic materials, transparent, fair trade sourcing
Price starting point | 100$
Why we love them
The eco-friendly French shoe brand seems to have taken the (sustainable fashion) world by storm. Their sneakers are quite popular all around the world, and when you know its brand values and see the design you can easily understand why. The brand believes in complete transparency, uses organic materials and fairtrade sourcing, and traces all of its supply chains.
The brand also monitors health and safety issues at its production sites, and it limits its use of chemicals and water waste. The brand is a sustainable sneakers expert. You will find all sorts of designs in its collections. There is definitely the sneaker for you, no matter if you love the classic white sneakers or want some banging colors.
Shop the sustainable sneakers here
Nisolo
Location | USA
Ethics | Ensures living wages, traces supply chain, uses recycled materials
Price starting point | 130$
Why we love them |
Nisolo wants to push the fashion industry in a more sustainable, where the producer and planet are valued more than the current trend. All its sustainable sneakers are simplistic in their design, beacuse the brand wants to make shoes you can use for years and not just this season.
Nisolo especially cares about the way its ethical sneakers are produced. All producers receive a wage that is beyond fair trade wages, they also receive healthcare and a healthy working environment is ensured. Nisolo creates sneakers that are made with love, and that clearly shows in the sustainable shoes‘ finish and final touch.
Shop the ethical sneakers here
Lanius
Location | Germany
Ethics | Ensures living wage, traces supply chain, uses eco-friendly materials
Price starting point | 149$
Why we love them |
Lanius is built on the vision of making something beautiful that also feels good. Each collection combines sophisticated design with sustainable production and eco-friendly materials. The design is also important at Lanius, beacuse the brand wants to show, that you can love fashion while still making a conscious choice.
The style is modern and experimental. This is not just your classic sneaker. The brand adds a touch of innovative design to the industry and that, combined with the use of beautiful materials and a love for fashion, makes them a must-know sustainable sneakers brand.
Shop the sustainable sneakers here
Will’s Vegan Store
Location | United Kingdom
Ethics | PETA vegan approved, uses eco-friendly materials
Price starting point | 95$
Why we love them |
If what you are looking for is a pair of cool vegan sneakers look no further than Will’s Vegan Store. As the name indicates, this brand design and produce sneakers that are completely vegan. Why? Beacuse it wants to make it easier for people to make a positive choice
But Will’s Vegan Store has not only cut out the use of animal products such as leather. It also aims at minimizing its environmental footprint by using recycled materials such as rubber to cut down on the use of raw materials. It also manufactures locally to minimize emissions and uses carbon-neutral deliveries and plastic-free packaging.
Shop the sustainable sneakers here
Etiko
Location | Etiko
Ethics | High proportion of eco-materials, Fairtrade certificated, Vegan
Price starting point | 90$
Why we love them |
If Etiko sneakers was a student in a class they would be the one always scoring the highest grade in everything. This brand is raising the bar of what it means to be a sustainable sneakers brand, cause to Etiko sustainability is not a choice, it is the only way to do fashion. And they’re all in.
The brand ensures living wages, is fairtrade certificated, uses small producers, uses recycled materials, and minimizes waste, and the list goes on. On top of that, the brand only produces vegan sneakers, cause they do not only care about the planet and the workers – the animals are just as important. So as I said, Etiko is a true A-student when it comes to sustainability.
Shop the ethical sneakers here
Thousand Fell
Location | United States
Ethics | Eco-friendly materials, recycled materials, plastic-free packaging,
Price starting point | 120$
Why we love them |
Have you ever wanted a pair of sneakers made from aloe vera and sugar canes? Well, now is your chance. Thousand Feel is all about circular fashion. The fashion industry has a waste problem, and this sustainable sneakers brand wants to help fix that.
Did you know that 97% of all sneakers sold end up in landfills? Considering there are more than 2.4 billion pairs of shoes sold in the US alone every year, that is a lot of waste. That is Thousand Fall doesn’t want to use new materials for its eco-friendly sneakers. Instead, they recycle materials, and it even recycles its own sneakers. So when your sneakers from Thousand Fell can’t be worn anymore you can send them back and get a bonus.
Shop the sustainable sneakers here
Ecoalf
Location | Spain
Ethics | Uses eco-friendly and recycled materials, limits the use of chemicals and water waste.
Price starting point | 95$
Why we love them |
What is one of the best ways to ensure the future generation? If you ask the man behind Ecoalf cutting down on the use of resources is one of the right answers. That is why he set out to create a truly sustainable brand that made recycled products with the same high quality and design as the best non-recycled ones.
When you look at the design and quality of Ecoalf’s sustainable sneakers I think it’s fair to say he succeeded. The sneakers have a sporty yet fashionable look and can be used both at work and for hiking. The brand uses a high proportion of recycled materials, recycles its packaging, and limits the number of chemicals, water, and wastewater used in production. Talk about cutting down on the use of resources.
Shop the sustainable sneakers here
Allbirds
Location | United States
Ethics | Uses eco-friendly materials, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, limits the use of chemicals and wastewater.
Price starting point | 130$
Why we love them |
If you mix up minimalistic design, eco-friendly fabrics, comfort stir around, and add a bit of sportiness you will end up with a pair of Allbird’s sustainable sneakers. The San Fransisco-based footwear brand is determined to create sneakers that do no harm to the planet.
In fact, the brand wants to do away with how the fashion industry operates. By the use of eco-friendly materials, a shortened supply chain, and a bunch of love for the planet the brand has set out to offer environmentally friendly sneakers you actually want to wear.
Shop the ethical sneakers here
Baabuk
Location | Switzerland
Ethics | Certified B corporation, traces supply chain, recycles wool.
Price starting point | 141$
Why we love them |
Sneakers made from sustainable wool. It might sound pretty impractical to walk around in a pair of sustainable sneakers made from will (especially on rainy days), but Baabuk is an expert at making wool sneakers you want to wear all year round.
By exploring the unfamiliar Baabuk is determined to make your feet as comfortable as possible while making shoes that are many things responsibly made, thoughtfully designed, timeless, and everything else but boring.
Shop the sustainable sneakers here
Cariuma
Location | Brazil
Ethics | Uses eco-friendly materials, has a code of conduct, minimizes wastewater.
Price starting point | 79$
Why we love them |
The Brazilian brand Cariuma believes there is a better way to make sneakers than the classic one. That is why it designs and produces sustainable sneakers that are both comfortable, timeless, and, of course, eco-friendly.
It embraces personal styles over status-quo and finds it more important to make comfortable sneakers you want to wear season after season instead of following trends. beacuse of this, all the shoes have a simplistic silhouette that never goes out of style, and all materials are sourced in a responsible way.
Shop the eco-friendly sneakers here
Flamingo’s Life
Location | Spain
Ethics | Vegan,
Price starting point | 154$
Why we love them |
If this sentence “the fashion was just much cooler back in the days” has ever crossed then your mind you are gonna love Flamingo’s Life. The brand produces sustainable, vegan sneakers in a cool retro design that takes you back to the old ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s.
But you shouldnøt only take Flamingo’s Life for the cool retro design. The brand also cares a great deal about the planet and animals. That is why all its sneakers are vegan, and each of the sneakers collections also has a social project attached to it. This is the brand for you if you are looking for cool vegan sneakers that have an impact on the world.
Shop the vegan sneakers here
Leave a Reply