Whether it’s a pair of casual loafers or classic dress shoes, no outfit is ever complete without the right footwear. This is one of the reasons many people consider shoes as their ‘kryptonite’–often purchasing them to elevate their style and confidence while getting the support they need to move around the whole day.
Unfortunately, this shoe obsession is creating a huge environmental problem.
A 2018 report by Quantis, an environmental sustainability consulting company, found that the footwear industry is responsible for 1.4% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. That’s equivalent to 700 million tons of CO2-eq. 60% of that footprint comes from the raw material extraction and manufacturing of shoes.
On closer inspection, an MIT-led lifecycle assessment revealed that a pair of running shoes emits 30 pounds of carbon dioxide. That’s enough to power a 100-watt light bulb for a week.
Add to the emissions is the waste these products become and make when they are discarded. According to a report by BBC, more than 23 billion pairs of shoes are produced each year, a large portion of which are sneakers. During the same period, 300 million pairs were disposed of, contributing to the waste problem we already have trouble dealing with.
Considering the footwear industry’s environmental impacts, the least we can do as consumers is to reduce the number of shoes we buy. If that can’t be done, choosing alternatives like recycled shoes would minimize the pollution these products generate.
In this post, we’ll explore recycled shoes, their benefits over conventional options, and highlight seven brands offering eco-friendly footwear that combines value and sustainability.
Making Sense of Recycled Shoes and Why They’re Better for the Environment
As the name suggests, recycled shoes are made from materials sourced from post-consumer and post-industrial waste, such as plastic bottles, rubber, and textiles. These shoes are some companies’ response to the emission and waste problems associated with conventional footwear.
Since these products are manufactured from materials that would otherwise wind up in landfills, they help reduce waste generated, creating a more circular economy. Likewise, they eliminate the need to extract and process virgin resources, processes that are energy- and carbon-intensive. That means less reliance on fossil fuels and minimal water and energy consumption during manufacturing.
8 Brands Offering Quality, Stylish Recycled Shoes
It’s good to know that many footwear brands are listening to consumers’ calls for more sustainable products. Below, we’ve identified 8 of them that make recycled shoes that will let you style up your ensemble and put your best foot forward wherever you go.
1. Thousand Fell
If you’re looking for everyday sneakers that are ultra-comfy, breathable, vegan, and friendly to the environment, Thousand Fell has your feet covered.
The NYC-based brand has a collection of shoes made from post-consumer materials like plastic bottles, yoga mats, and even food waste. These products are manufactured in a family-owned factory in Brazil that prioritizes sustainability throughout its operation.
Each pair of TF recycled shoes is also recyclable, preventing them from ending up in landfills once they reach the end of their usable life. Customers can send their used but clean pair of kicks to Thousand Fell for recycling or refurbishing in exchange for store credits they can use to get a discount for their next pairs.
Besides making recyclable shoes, Thousand Fell is a member of 1% for the Planet and engages in offsetting initiatives. It also donates refurbished shoes to those in need with the help of its partner Soles4Souls.
2. Allbirds
New Zealand-based Allbirds is known for its minimalist yet comfy shoes. The brand uses mainly natural alternatives in parts of its shoes where it can, such as ethical wool, tree fiber, sugar cane, and castor bean oil. It also uses recycled materials like recycled plastic bottles for the laces of its shoes.
Allbirds’ manufacturing partners are certified by the Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP). This ensures the facilities follow internationally recognized standards for social compliance. The brand is also Carbon Neutral certified and is on track to meeting its goal of halving its carbon emissions by 2025. Additionally, Allbirds created MO.ONSHOT, the very first net-zero carbon shoes, which was unveiled during the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2023.
Like Thousand Fell, Allbirds has partnered with Soles4Souls, donating its gently used pair of shoes to those in need. Also, with the help of circular commerce specialist Trove, Allbirds runs a marketplace called ReRun™, where customers can purchase quality, pre-loved Allbirds shoes.
3. Veja
Often worn by personalities like Emma Watson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Reese Witherspoon, and Kate Middleton, Veja has a growing list of fans–famous and regular folks–and it’s easy to see why.
The French footwear brand is well-known for its stylish and comfortable shoes that are reasonably priced. But what truly makes the brand stand out is its sustainability.
With a mission to keep plastic bottles out of landfills, Veja produces recycled plastic bottle shoes in various styles for different wearers. Its B-mesh fabric is made from 100% recycled polyester derived from plastic bottles, while its Hexamesh fabric is a mix of organic cotton and recycled polyester from plastic bottles.
All of Veja’s shoes are manufactured in Fair Trade factories in Brazil that give employees fair wages and a safe working environment. The B Corp certified shoemaker is also transparent about the carbon footprint of its products, which it publishes on the dedicated page of every pair of shoes it sells. Also, the brand encourages its customers to return their worn pairs in its Paris, Bordeaux, and New York shops for recycling or refurbishing.
4. Rothy’s
Circularity isn’t just a buzzword at Rothy’s; it’s a practice. The brand makes ‘front-of-closet’ shoes from recycled and renewable materials–with uppers made from recycled plastic bottles, threads made from marine-bound plastic, and algae-based foams. Thanks to its efforts, Rothy’s has kept 166 million single-use plastic bottles out of landfills and 600,000 pounds of plastics from marine environments. It also has a take-back program that recycles or upcycles old pairs of shoes.
Rothy’s understands that not all consumers buy shoes for their sustainability. That’s why the brand ensures its products are stylish, well-fitting, comfortable, and can be worn with different outfits. What’s more, each pair is machine-washable, ensuring customers can keep them looking good as new even after long-time use.
Rothy’s owns its factory, giving it complete control of its production process’s social and environmental standards. It’s also the first shoe manufacturer in the world to receive LEED Gold and TRUE Zero Waste Platinum certification.
5. Native
With its Live Lightly™ motto, Native Shoes is all about delivering products and experiences that create a lighter, healthier, and happier world for everyone. One way the Canadian brand does that is by creating shoes that make an impact.
Most of its collections use bio-based materials like Bloom, a natural material from overgrown algae and sugarcane, one of the most renewable resources around. It also uses recycled materials to lighten its carbon footprint and reduce the waste from shoe manufacturing. These include recycled rubber, polyester, and cotton.
All Native Shoes are made in factories in China and Vietnam that follow responsible working practices. The brand also frequently visits these factories to ensure they uphold its standards of ethical working conditions.
Native has set science-based targets approved by SBTi to further bring down its climate impact. One of the main initiatives designed to achieve those targets is The Native Shoes Remix™ Project, a recycling program that takes used Native shoes and repurposes them for different community projects across North America. Through the program, the brand has so far recycled and remixed over 40,000 pairs of shoes and developed 6 playgrounds.
6. Thaely
Thaely is a new entrant in the sustainable footwear domain, having been founded in 2020. The Indian brand is aptly named because it literally means ‘plastic bag’ in Hindi, which is the main material of its recycled shoes.
The uppers of the brand’s products are made from ThaelyTex®, a fabric made to look and feel like leather but made entirely from waste plastic bags. The production process of the material does not use any toxic chemicals, making it safe for users and the environment.
Other materials Thaely uses include rPET or Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate from the waste of PET plastic bottles, recycled rubber from reclaimed scrap materials, and algae-based EVAs. The brand also uses recyclable and plantable paper embedded with basil seeds for the shoe box.
Aside from its recycled vegan shoes, Thaely is also proud of its ethical and compassionate labor practices. It offers fair wages to all its waste management employees and provides them with financial and health-related education. It also implements a five-day workweek as opposed to the seven-day arrangement common in most waste management facilities.
7. Cariuma
If you love classic sneakers but want something vegan and planet-positive, you should definitely check out Cariuma. The brand uses sustainable materials like bamboo, organic cotton, sugarcane EVA, and organic Mamona oil. It also uses plastic from recycled bottles to make the upper, threads, laces, and labels of all its sneakers.
Cariuma works exclusively with like-minded vendors, ensuring that the people making its shoes earn a living wage and work in a safe space. It also traces and audits most of its suppliers, with its main manufacturing partner now a certified WRAP-GOLD facility.
On top of its sustainable materials and manufacturing process, Cariuma operates an ISO14001:2015 certified and LEED Gold Certified warehouse building that gets its power from the sun. It also offers carbon-neutral shipping and is involved in reforestation projects in Brazil to offset its carbon footprint.
Notable Mentions
Aside from the seven brands listed above, there are plenty of other shoemakers that make recycled shoes. Some of them are big-name brands, such as:
- Nike – In recent years, Nike has been increasingly developing recycled materials for its shoes. These include the Nike Flynit, a lightweight fabric made from plastic bottles, and Nike Flyleather, which looks and feels like real leather but is actually made from binding recycled leather fibers with synthetic fibers using a low-impact process.
- Adidas – In 2018 alone, Adidas made more than 5 million pairs of shoes with materials derived from recycled plastic. Since then, the brand has continued to develop shoes with environmentally preferred materials. In 2019, the brand introduced the Futurecraft Loop, a fully recyclable running shoe made from a single material without using any glue or solvent.
- New Balance – With a goal to leave zero carbon footprint by 2050, New Balance uses 50% preferred materials, like recycled polyester and chrome-free leather, in making its shoes. It also launched a footwear resale program called ‘Reconsidered’ to extend the service life of some of its products.
- ASICS – From the 2021 spring and summer season, ASICS has used recycled polyester in over 95% of its performance running shoes. The brand aims to switch to 100% recycled polyester for all its polyester products to make them more sustainable.
Final Thoughts
Given the enormous carbon footprint and waste that the footwear industry generates, the seven brands we mentioned above are doing an excellent job in helping address the problem.
Offering recycled shoes is a step in the right direction toward shunning planet-choking plastic for good. They’re also inspiring other shoemakers to switch their materials to something more sustainable. Likewise, the initiative to take back worn pairs and recycle or repurpose them is driving a circular economy, which is crucial in preventing more waste from winding up in landfills.
If you ever need new kicks or know someone looking for a new pair, you can do your share in helping the environment by buying from these brands or recommending them to the people you know.
