Kids Shoes

The conventional footwear industry is a dirty business; it produces more than 20 billion pairs of shoes a year. About 300 million pairs of shoes end up in landfills each year, with most taking 30-40 years to decompose because they’re predominantly made up of plastic and polymers.

Conventional Kids Shoes

Avoid conventional kids’ shoes made with toxic dyes, glues, and polluting materials. They are made with toxic and synthetic materials such as nylon, synthetic, or other petroleum-derived materials. 

❌ Conventional shoes, midsoles, and insoles are environmentally harmful and made of petroleum-based foam.

❌ PFAS: they contain toxic PFAS that are not only harmful to you but alos to the environment. They are found especially in waterproof footwear  

​Greenwashing Kids Shoes

Avoid Greenwashing kids shoes made by brands that pretend to be sustainable, eco-friendly, and claim to be made with safer materials when it is not.  They will use misleading marketing claims to convince you to buy their products. 

Many came with vegan leather alternatives, bringing more plastic to the world:

❌ PVC: Most vegan leathers today are made from PVC, made with petroleum. PVC is, for this reason, harmful to the environment. 

❌ PU is another synthetic vegan or faux leather. By definition, PU stands for Polyurethane, a plastic polymer derived from petroleum. Even less than PVC, PU still requires petroleum. 

❌ Chrome Tanned Leather: 90% of the leather is chrome tanned. Chrome tanning is a widely used method in the leather industry, involving the treatment of animal hides with chromium salts, primarily chromium(III) sulfate. Toxic wastewater from tanneries can contaminate local ecosystems.

❌ Toxic dyes: toxic to the workers and the environment.  

Sustainable Kids Shoes

The best kids’ shoes are made with organic, natural, and sustainable materials. Here is the most eco-friendly kids’ shoes on the market, made with renewable resources and also by-products, which is made with plant-based material that would have been wasted. 

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• 🌿 Organic Cotton: made without toxic chemicals and pesticides. It protects the soil and 💦water (71% less water used) and energy⚡️ (62% less energy), while 👩‍🌾protecting farmers who work the crop! ☁️ Biodegradable, vegan, breathable, durable, and anti-mycotic. 

• 🌿 Organic Hemp: Hemp has long fibers, which bring a big edge in durability when making fabrics. For that reason, hemp is in many ways the strongest natural fiber available. According to the Hemp Foundation, hemp can be even stronger than steel.

• 🌳 Cork: one of Portugal’s most treasured sustainable materials. This process is mindful of the trees with a goal of sustainable production every 9 years for a 150-year lifespan. Animal-free and plastic-free, each product is handcrafted in small batches by skilled Portuguese artisans.

Certifications 

• ✅ USDA Certified Biobased: This certification ensures that the brands are reducing their reliance on petroleum, increasing their use of renewable agricultural resources, and contributing to reducing adverse environmental impacts.

• ✅ PETA-approved vegan

• ✅ Recycled materials: 100% of this sneaker’s lining is recycled polyester. It also has a sole made with recycled rubber.

• ✅ ReCORK: Recycled Cork replaces this foam with a totally sustainable alternative that is more comfortable, cushioning, light, durable, and, of course, way safer, sustainable, and eco-friendly.

• ✅ Certified non-toxic leather: tested to be chromium-free; naturally tanned with vegetable tanning. 
• ✅ SMETA certified through Sedex, meaning the factory that produced this item meets rigorous standards for labor rights, health & safety, environmental impact, and ethical business practices. It’s part of our commitment to transparency and responsible sourcing.
• ✅ Sedex-certified factory, which aims to improve working conditions throughout the supply chain
• ✅ Certified non-toxic leather: tested to be chromium-free; naturally tanned with vegetable tanning. 
• ✅ Certified by The Leather Working Group (LWG): the world’s leading environmental certification for leather manufacturing. They conduct intensive audits of leather manufacturers and assess every aspect of their operations. Transparency in the leather supply chain, saving energy, water, worker health and safety, safe chemical practices, and wastewater management. Certified by The Leather Working Group (LWG): transparency in the leather supply chain, saving energy, water, worker health and safety, safe chemical practices, and wastewater management. 

🔎I searched for the best sustainable brands on the market, and so excited to introduce you to these approved shoe brands. On this page, you will find the best organic and sustainable shoes on the market made by responsible brands using the most natural materials available. 

The Best Organic Kids’ Shoe Brands

My number one sustainable shoe brand recommendations are:

• 🌿 Vessi Kids shoes  15% off code: PRETTYORGANICGIRL
• 🌿 Origo    10% off code: PRETTYORGANICGIRL
• 🌿 Stonz Wear   10% off code: PRETTYORGANICGIRL
• 🌿 Rothy’s

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Shop with my links to support my research! 💖