What makes a pair of shoes eco friendly?

Guide to look for eco friendly and sustainable shoes

GUIDES AND TIPS

GW Authors

8/10/20246 min read

What are sustainable shoes?


Eco friendly footwear is derived from eco friendly materials. This implies minimal environmental impact during the manufacturing and the end result of the product. The purpose is to design a footwear that lowers the negative environmental impact of the footwear industry, while empowering ethical practices in the whole chain process. Eco friendly shoes are for those who want to support the natural resources of the planet, while opting for style and durability.


The history of the first recycled shoe

The concept of sustainability goes back to the 1800s. Shoemakers utilized natural materials for example leather, cotton, rubber. It wasn’t until the 20th century, where there was an introduction of materials such as plastic, PVC, and nylon and then in the 1990s the sustainable shoes made a comeback.

Shoe production globally

There are roughly 24 billion pairs globally each year, where China manufactures 60 % of all shoes, which in total is 13 billion pairs. Meanwhile, the U.S produces around 25 million pairs of shoes globally.

That means globally there are almost 66 million pairs of shoes that are produced each day.

Meanwhile, it is estimated that over 22 billion are thrown into landfill each year.

Interestingly, Nike sells over 780 million pairs of shoes each year, and Adidas around half of that.

They want to strive for the zero waste concepts, but that it's going to take time especially for such large global brands to make that change.

Smaller brands that only sell eco friendly shoes have an easier time because their emphasis from the beginning has been sustainable and eco friendly.

It's hard to tell how many shoes are recycled each year, but it's probably a very low percentage at the moment. One study showed it was approximately 5 % that is recycled each year globally and the rest end in landfill.

The shoe industry is responsible for 1.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. A study by MIT investigated that 30 pounds of CO2 is released per pair of shoes.

The shoes that end in landfills, can contaminate the local environments when leaching chemicals are released from the shoes, as well as dyes and metal meanwhile the plastics can take hundreds of years to decompose.


Four ways of dealing with used footwear

There are four main ways dealing with used footwear: landfill, incineration/gasification, reuse and recycling. Landfill is the most commonly used one, as previously mentioned but also the least desirable, because of the reasons explained as well as depletion of resources, increasing landfill taxes and in some nations a lack of land to dispose of the used footwear.

Incineration is a controversial topic, because of environmental concerns over polluting emissions. Reuse is collected for distribution to mainly developing countries.

Recycling process

The recycling process of shoes is not so straightforward. Shoes are made from different materials such as leather, plastic, rubber, fabric, fiber and wood. The diversity makes the recycling process more challenging, especially at the end of their lifecycle. There is an estimation that 15 % of the footwear can be reused and repaired, meanwhile 75 % can be recycled to obtain raw materials for making new products. At the moment, only 20 % of the materials in shoes are recycled.


One of the challenges is the classifying and condition type. This is because components such as soles, insoles, uppers, and laces have to be dismantled to have the reusable parts separate.

Materials such as leather, textiles, rubber, plastics are then segregated, and these materials can be recycled and used for making new components, and for making other products, even new footwear.

New Technology

Before it was more difficult to recycle these parts but due to cutting-edge technological advances, there are now solutions that can prevent 90 % of waste ending in landfills.

The tech uses advanced small particle sorting, which employs high resolution RGB cameras, state of the art NIR technology, and an innovative belt feeding system.

Materials applied in Sustainable Shoes

Some of the more common materials that are applied are recycled polyester and recycled rubber, which is because they are not so difficult to recycle, and have a lower environmental impact. It could also be from other materials such as hemp, which some sustainable shoe brands use such as 8000 Kicks

The most commonly used materials in sustainable shoes are organic cotton, recycled plastic, hemp, bamboo, tencel/lyocell, pinatex (pineapple leather) and wool.

These materials are used in the process because of the lowered impact on the environment, and ability to have a high quality and durability in footwear.

How shoes can be eco friendly

Going for sustainable materials means not going away from harmful toxic chemicals, and manufacturing processes that impact the environment negatively. Eco friendly shoes are also committed to transparency and ethical practices, from the beginning of the process to the end of the finished product.

Therefore, it’s a combination of sustainable materials alongside safe working conditions in factories and distribution centers. It ensures good labor conditions, and is opposed to inhumane working conditions which is due to the high demand of productions with less care of the actual workers.

The economy of footwear

The footwear industry has been growing in the last few years and is projected to grow even more. In 2023, the global revenues were around 93.6 USD, which was an increase of 6.7% the previous year. A report by Grand View Research, has estimated that the there will be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2 % from 2023 to 2030, which is driven by concern for environmental sustainability, as well as advancements in sustainable materials and using other production methods.


The rising demand for sustainable footwear are the following:

  • Government regulations and incentives promotes sustainable practices in the fashion industry

  • Increase in social and ethical responsible consumer behavior

  • More focus on circular economy

  • Innovation existing materials such as organic cotton, plant based leather, PET plastics,

  • The use of 3D printing technology


What to look for in a sustainable footwear brand

Here are some factors worth considering

Materials: Usually materials using organic cotton, hemp, pinatex, tencel, recycled plastics are good options to look for.

Transparency: Look for brands that are transparent regarding their source, manufacturing processes, and impacts on the environment

Ethical manufacturing: Brands that are look for their workers and have ethical practices, and safe working conditions.

Durability: Usually sustainable shoes are meant to be durable, so they last longer which reduces the need replacing items more often.

Recycling initiatives: Many eco friendly shoe brands also offer take back programs for shoes that are worn out to reduce waste and use the old shoes to perhaps make new shoes.

Showing reducing impacts on the environment using technology: These types of brands use sustainable technologies or innovative practices to lower environmental impacts. They might show how much their shoes are reducing the CO2 emissions in comparison to conventional shoes.


Certifications to look for in Eco Friendly Footwear

Here are some of the ones look for that are very easy to spot:

  • GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard): This ensures that the materials are met with strich organic and environmental criteria in the whole manufacturing process.

  • B Corp Certification: This is to assess the company’s social and environmental performance, and transparency in many sectors

  • Fair trade certification: This ensures fair wages and optimal working conditions for workers in the supply chain, which ensures social and economic development.

  • Bluesign: This focuses on the textile industry, which ensures materials, and products are safe for the environment, consumers and obviously the workers.

  • Leather Working Group: This is for shoes made from leather, and assesses the environmental compliance and performance of leather manufacturers.

  • Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Certification: It shows that the final product is made with materials which are safe for human health and can be recycled at the end of the life of the products.

Examples of shoe brands that are eco friendly

A sustainable shoe brand that has a unique design is 8000 Kicks who sells hemp shoes and hemp backpacks. Their pair of shoes are unique, lightweight, and can be used for many applications such as walking and running. They are very durable, and 8000 Kicks even has a recycling program. Another brand is the Wills Vegan Leather who sells more classy shoes made from vegan leather as the brand name entitles.

Summary

Eco friendly shoes are shoes that focus on being a well functioning footwear that takes everything into consideration such as the environment, the working conditions, the materials used, and the durability of the shoe.

It is a shoe that consumers can feel great about knowing their purchase is not harming the environment, while being stylish and durable. Go support the smaller brands that are hyper focused on sustainability, and help everyone towards a greener world.