Every baby step toward living an eco-friendly [1] lifestyle counts — thankfully, many footwear brands are paving the way to a cleaner future with algae foam insoles, recycled plastic knits, organic cotton shoelaces and more. Start on the right foot but upping your steps and bettering the environment with the help of our favourite sustainable sneakers.
Tread by Everlane The Trainer
Tread by Everlane is on a mission to make the world's lowest-impact long-lasting kicks. The brand is well on its way with The Trainer [3] ($98) shoe. The upper part of the sneaker is made of full-grain leather from the gold-certified tannery, Saigon TanTec, while the sole consists of natural and recycled rubber that's 94.2 percent free of virgin plastic.
Flamingos' Life Roland V.2
Every shoe purchase from Flamingos' Life is associated with a specific environmental and social project — the Roland V.2 [4] ($110), for example, benefits Waste Free Oceans, a foundation that's mission is to clean marine plastic and transform it into innovative products. Every pair of Roland V.2s are made of two recycled bottles that meet a Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certification audited by Control Union.
Saola Semnoz II Clear Sky
Made up of recycled EVA (a soft, springy foam used for cushioning) outsoles and PET (the plastic used to make water bottles) knit uppers, you can feel good about rocking these shoes while looking good, too. Each pair of Saola shoes, like the Semnoz II Clear Sky [5] ($100), contains between four and five recycled PET bottles. The insoles are even made from Bloom Foam (a foam made from harmful algae that grow in lakes and rivers due to rising temperatures and polluted waters) and renewable cork. To top it all off, the shoelaces are created with organic cotton grown from natural composts that requires half as much water as traditional cotton made from chemical fertilizers.
Allbirds Women's Wool Runners
Since Allbirds makes their Women's Wool Runners [6] ($95) from merino sheep's wool, it has paired with leading organisations, such as ZQ Merino, to ensure the wool is held to high standards of farming, land management, and animal welfare. One recycled bottle goes into the making of every pair of laces, Allbirds uses castor bean oil to increase the natural content in its insoles (and reduces their carbon output), and its packageing is made from 90 percent recycled cardboard, too.
Adidas Ultraboost 20 SB Shoes
Adidas created a material called Primeblue, featuring Parley Ocean Plastic — a polyester made from recycled waste collected from beaches and coastal communities before it reaches the ocean. This material is used throughout the Ultraboost 20 SB Shoes [7] ($180) knitted upper, which adapts to the changing shape of your foot as you run, with double-stitched areas for extra support.
Soludos Ashore Sneaker
Each Ashore Sneaker [8] ($129) is crafted from ocean-bound plastics — four post-consumer recycled plastic bottles, to be exact. And like icing on the cake, 10 percent of the purchase price will be donated to 5Gyres, a nonprofit organisation that focuses on reducing plastic pollution. Thanks to the partnership, every shoe sold guarantees that 100 pieces of plastic will be cleaned up from shorelines around the world.
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