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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.
Avoid conventional 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
Avoid Greenwashing 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 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.
The best organic shoes are made with natural and sustainable materials
✅ Here is the most eco-friendly vegan leather on the market, made with renewable resources and also by-products, that is made with plant-based material that would have been wasted.
🌿 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.
🍍Piñatex (Pineapple leather): made with leaf fiber leather Piñatex®inatex Organic material, made from pineapple leaves that result from the waste of the pineapple harvest. The fibres that are not used in Piñatex are distributed as fertilizer.
🍏 Apple leather: also known as AppleSkin, is a bio-based material made using the leftover pomace and peel from the fruit juice and compote industry. The fabric is created by first taking the recovered apple waste and reducing it to a powder. The apple leather used in our products is made using 50% apple waste mixed with 50% PU, coated onto a cotton/polyester canvas. Ecological, breathable, waterproof, and durable fabric has been a game-changer in the industry. Apple Leather
🌵 Cactus Leather: DESSERTO USDA-certified cactus is grown in an organic farming system in the fertile and mineral-rich region of Zacatecas, Mexico. Cactus naturally regenerate the soil. It takes approximately only 3 leaves of cactus to create one linear meter of Desserto.
🥭 Mango leather: Fruit Leather created by Koen Meerkerk and Hugo de Boon, crafted from natural mangos
🍄 Mushroom leather: Mylo
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.
🔎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 material available.
My number one sustainable shoe brand recommendations are:
Shop with my links to support my research! 💖
15% off code: AFF-FIRST15
15% off code: PRETTYORGANICGIRL
10% off code: PRETTYORGANICGIRL
🌍 This is my number one Organic Kid Shoe Brand choice and recommendation!
ZQRx Regenerative Wool Material: The wool used for Regen Capsule is grown using regenerative farming practices that aim to help reverse climate change through practices that restore and preserve nature.
The New Zealand Merino Company, established ZQRX, a scientific index to help growers continuously improve environmental and human outcomes. They connect us with farms like Temple Peak Station on the South Island of New Zealand, where growers Mark and Amanda Hasselman are regenerating the land for generations to come.
Renewable Materials
Minimizes Odor
Flexibly Conforms To Movements
Easily Slip On And Off
Machine Washable
MATERIAL: Merino Wool, SweetFoam™, FSC® Certified eucalyptus trees
💚Vessi Sustainable Waterproof Shoes.
While conventional waterproof shoes are made with PFAS and other toxic chemicals, Vessi was able to create a waterproof shoes completely sustainable and friendly. Keep water out and feet breathing, snow, slush, and mud too.
Dyma-tex® 100% waterproof technology: Unlike other waterproof materials, our technology is directly integrated into the knit. It's engineered with thousands of nano-sized pores small enough to keep water out while letting sweat and heat escape. No harsh chemicals, coatings, or sprays here!
The waterproofing is built into the shoe's material: not only will the shoes stay waterproof forever, but there is also no use of harmful chemicals or animal by-products.
💚 Stormburst High Top is Vessi's most adventure-ready design combines the comfort of a sneaker with the grip and coverage of an outdoor boot. It is my favorite model.
MATERIAL: Vegan, The midsoles of our shoes are made out of lightweight EVA and outsoles are made of rubber.
🌍 This is my number one Brand choice! The brand's most technical shoe yet, the Tree Dasher reimagines the traditional running shoe with natural materials engineered for serious performance.
Run confidently knowing we logged thousands of miles with 50+ amateur and pro athletes over a year-long testing period.
🍃 They knitted a unique one-piece upper made from FSC® Certified eucalyptus trees for a perfect fit that’s flexible, lightweight, and breathable in every step.
🍃 No need for socks with our breathable, itch-free ZQ Merino wool upper. It’s a natural at keeping those tiny feet cool in the heat and warm in the cold.
🍃The S-curve tread on the SweetFoam™ outsole mimics the anatomical flexibility of the foot to help promote balance in young walkers…and runners.
🍃Smallbirds are built for mud, sweat, and tears. To freshen up, simply toss in your washing machine on the delicate setting, then air dry.
Flexibly Conforms To Your Movements
Made With Merino Wool
🌿 This small slip-on sneaker brings casual comfort
Knit from Rothy’s signature thread (spun from plastic water bottles).
Soft, creamy white upper with a patterned rainbow detail on the toe.
Rainbow insoles, bright white outsoles, and a fun rainbow heel stripe.
Features Rothy’s signature blue halo.
✅ Rothy’s factory is the world’s first shoe manufacturer to receive both LEED Gold and TRUE Zero Waste Platinum certification.
✅ Rothy’s has purchased 1,356,434.34 kilograms of yarn, which is made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles, as certified by the SCS Recycled Content certification.
MATERIAL: 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles, as certified by the SCS Recycled Content certification.
MADE IN: designed in their San Francisco design studio, made in Dongguan, China, where they own and operate their factory.
🌿 Origo Sustainable Shoes for kids: The Easy Hook & Loop in cotton canvas Kids.
100% Vegan classic kid's sneaker, made with black cotton canvas upper and amber sole. Two hook & loop closures make it easy for kids to put on themselves.
Made with Cotton Canvas, vegan, breathable, and sustainable choice.
Introducing Gen 3, the latest iteration of our Origo line. Your everyday sneaker, in classic Burgundy cotton canvas. Lightweight, and easy to wear. Gen 3 offers an enhanced and roomier fit, taking the Origo collection to the next level.
commitment to the planet: putting natural materials and sustainability first, and crafted by skilled artisans in León, Mexico.
✅ Chrome-free vegetable dyed leather natural leather shoes
✅ Sustainably sourced natural materials reduce their environmental impact.
✅ Smart packaging limits excessive waste and is free from single use plastic.
✅ Each pair purchased contributes to saving the Amazon from deforestation.
MATERIAL: Cotton Canvas
I don't recommend Hush Puppies since they found PFAS in their products
Hush Puppies shoes sparked a water contamination crisis