Put away the pumps and thongs and adopt the laces, socks and support of a new pair of boots.
From fair trade factories to organic materials and social enterprises, each of these sustainable footwear brands is helping to change the world.
Set the tone with one of these pairs of ethical and / or vegan shoes.
Let us know which one you like the most in the comments at the bottom of the feature!
1. BAND
BANGS was inspired by the travels of its founder in Asia.
An Asian family-owned factory creates these unisex vegan-friendly shoes for fair wages.
20% of the profit also provides recyclable loans to entrepreneurs around the world. They have distributed 700 so far.
We love this original pair of USA maps for you to color. These are not absurd, easy going ankle boots for everyday adventures.
Relive some fall adventures in these vegan kicks
2. TOM
Everyone needs everyday sneakers and TOMS does more than just slip on sneakers. Their boots and shoes are super comfortable, whatever style you want.
These birch canvas guys are part of the TRVL LITE collection with the lightest sole ever designed by the brand.
There is a cork covered footbed with a few small leather details. And with all TOMS shoes you get a pair, just like a child in need.
These super comfortable TOMS tops will become a must-have in your suitcase
3. Inca Fortress
Mules, flats, and boots are the name of the Peru-based Inca Fortress game.
Their elegant delicacies are perfect to step it up at work but not everywhere on the planet. These are ethical leather shoes with a heart.
Each pair is handcrafted in Peru by fairly remunerated artisans in sustainable workshops. They combine the heritage of their textiles with a modern shoe silhouette.
Yes, Fortress of Inca’s ethical leather shoes are so good
4. Baabuk
Baabuk is a great example of the versatility of wool. His sneakers for men and women are made from 100% felted wool.
They are naturally breathable and antibacterial, and the felted wool is also water repellent.
Inspired by the felted boots worn by Russians in Siberia, this Swiss brand founded its own ethical workshop in Nepal.
She also owns a factory in Portugal, where she uses wool from happy grazing sheep nearby.
Still feeling woolly?
Winning wool at Baabuk, which is inspired by felted boots from Siberia
5. Mamahuhu
Mamahuhu’s ethical leather shoes are made in Colombia. There, the brand has set up 12 fair trade workshops that train shoemakers to become entrepreneurs and run their own community workshops.
The leather comes from the food industry, ecologically tanned and eco-certified.
Oxford boots and shoes for men and women are gorgeous. Comfortable, super stylish and reasonably priced. What more could you ask for from a durable pair of shoes?
Mamahuhu employs many female artisans and allows them to work flexible hours to accommodate their children
Emma Watson’s sneaker brand of the day has vegan and non-vegan versions channeling downtown Paris
7. Beyond the skin
Looking for vegan shoes that don’t scream vegan?
Beyond Skin products, approved by PETA, handcraft all their styles, from heels to sneakers in Spain, using environmentally friendly materials.
From camel-colored ankle boots to black faux suede numbers (made from 100% recycled PET plastics) and pewter brogues, Beyond Skin works like a regular shoe brand, but there is no leather or leather. PVC.
There are hundreds of styles of vegan flats, casual shoes, and heels to choose from. Enough to satisfy even the most devoted shoe buyer.
11 recycled plastic shoes to get you excited
Discover vegan heels in all shapes and colors at Beyond Skin
8. Funky Kalakar
Indian-inspired ethical footwear and accessories brand Funky Kalakar is vegan.
He uses an ancient Indian vegetable dyeing technique to color and shape cotton. Recycled tires are used for the soles.
The shoes are lace up or slip on in a variety of colors. Perfect for a light touch of dandy style this fall.
Who knew tires could look so good?
9. Green shoes
Green Shoes is a sustainable footwear brand based in Devon.
The team makes each pair in the workshop using ethically sourced leather and quality materials. They can also make each style a vegan shoe.
Choose from ready-to-wear work boots that will last for years or T-sandals, loafers and pumps. We love the look of the casual Tavistock boot. Or opt for tailor-made!
Green Shoes can also make shoes in four different widths, so pick your style and color and go.
Handcrafted in Devon, the green shoes are ideal for lovers of ethical fashion
10. Langbrett
Even the skate shoe has undergone an ethical makeover. German brand Langbrett is made from chrome-free leather, lined with organic cotton fleece and made with recycled cork soles.
Langbrett goes above and beyond in sourcing materials. They raise their own flock of sheep to make wool, and their profits are used to develop their skating community in Germany.
Ethical skate shoes with a soul. Langbrett does good no matter who wears these unisex shoes
11. Nisolo
An advocate for the production of ethical footwear, Nisolo is a sustainable footwear brand that wears its heart on its sleeve.
Stylish shoes and boots for boys and girls roll off its production line, where healthcare, higher-than-fair-trade wages and a healthy working environment are standard for its workers.
He even built his own factory to show how others can raise the bar. Nisolo uses traditional Peruvian shoe making skills to create simply beautiful and quality shoes.
It uses leather, but the leather comes from ethical tanneries with environmentally friendly waste disposal systems.
Outside the United States? Here is another way to buy Nisolo online.
Stylish leather shoes in all shapes and sizes from this ethical Peruvian brand
12. Po-Zu
Feel the strength (sorry we had to) of the new Star Wars footwear collection at Po-Zu, the famous brand of ethical and vegan footwear.
While you can get regular sneakers (we love metal shoes and cork ones), the BB-8 high top shoes are pretty hard to ignore. They are made from organic cotton, cork lining and natural rubber sole.
All of Po-Zu’s animal-friendly shoes are handcrafted in Portugal or Sri Lanka in environmentally friendly factories. Find out here how they make their line of sustainable sneakers.
No toxic dyes are used, almost all waste is recycled, and the shoes are shipped by sea rather than by air.
How to create a sustainable sneaker in 6 steps
Do like Rey and use the force for good with these ethical high tops
13. Juta shoes
Blue Patch winner friends (did we tell you we won an award?), Social enterprise Juta Shoes is based in London and runs workshops where you can learn how to make your own reclaimed leather shoes.
This ethical British brand uses environmentally friendly materials and employs marginalized local women to create slides and sneakers.
Juta Shoes also runs workshops where you can make your own shoes from reclaimed leather.
14. Noveste
Novesta has been manufacturing shoes with rubber soles for almost 100 years in Slovakia.
Not much has changed in the process. It sources sustainably grown natural rubber and cotton, and each pair is hand finished.
The production of eco-friendly footwear uses no chemicals and this sustainable brand is a fabulous everyday choice for no-fuss sneakers that don’t cost the earth.
Slovakia has kept Novesta a secret for almost 100 years. Now, ethical stores across Europe are falling for its relaxed style
15. Oliberte
Oliberté is the proud owner of the world’s first Fairtrade shoe factory.
This sustainable footwear brand supports workers’ rights in sub-Saharan Africa, with a factory in Ethiopia going above and beyond for its employees.
But just as important, he also makes amazing, ethically produced shoes. Everything from oxfords to chukkas, sneakers to wedge shoes, is made here from local leathers.
It’s a perfect brand to bring out the adventurer in you, we love the rustic charm that seems to emerge from every pair.
Changing lives one pair of shoes at a time. Oliberte runs a factory that changes lives in Ethiopia
