The Ultimate Guide to Ethical and Sustainable Shoes

CARIUMA is a sustainable Brazilian sneaker brand that wants you to feel super comfortable while providing effortless style in organic canvas, leather, and suede styles. Find CARIUMA's shoes in US sizes 5-13.

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Veja slowly became one of the main references in ethical shoe-making, sourcing its rubber-soles straight from responsibly-run forests in the Amazon, where workers can expect competitive wages and social protection. The brand recently presented a long-awaited addition to its permanent collection: The Condor, an ethical running shoe model that goes beyond its own standards and shows a futuristic design right on-trend, made from recycled plastic, natural materials like rubber, organic cotton or rice waste and a record-low of chemicals. Find Veja’s shoes in 35 to 46 EU sizes for women, and 35-47 EU sizes for men.

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Shop Veja @ LVR Sustainable.

Shop Veja @ thegreenlabels.

Shop Veja @ Outerknown.

Shop Veja @ Threads 4 Thought.

Shop Veja @ Labell-D.

Stella McCartney should always be included in any ethically-minded list, with its pioneer commitment to environmentally-friendly clothes. The Eclypse model is a mix of old and new—a retro 90’s style sneaker with contemporary multi-textured sophistication, featuring strap fastening and a chunky look rubber platform. Iconic, and sustainable. Shoes come in 5-11 US sizes for women, and 6-12 US sizes for men.

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Shop Stella McCartney @ LVR Sustainable.

Shop Stella McCartney Kids Pre-Owned @ Retykle.

Shop Stella McCartney Pre-Owned @ Vestiaire Collective.

Shop Stella McCartney.

Etiko is a leading Australian designer of organic, eco-friendly and fair trade clothing and shoes. For the classic canvas sneaker done ethically, look no further than these low-cut ones from Etiko that are 100% vegan and made from fair trade, organic materials. They come in a range of colourways to suit your style. Find the shoes in 3-13 UK sizes for women, and 3-13 UK sizes for men.

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Fashion and sustainability can go together and Womsh is the footwear brand that proves it. Their sustainable sneakers are entirely designed and manufactured in Italy. The Snik is a modern interpretation of 1990s sneaker culture and is made from 100% sustainable & vegan leather from Appleskin. Find the shoes in 35-42 EU sizes for women, and 40-46 for men.

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Shop Womsh @ Comovita.

Balenciaga is a luxury fashion house founded in 1917 by Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga in San Sebastián. The Kering-owned brand has been making some efforts to reduce its environmental impact, setting targets to reduce its direct and indirect emissions, and implementing initiatives to reduce water use.

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Shop Balenciaga Pre-Owned @ Vestiaire Collective.

The iconic British fashion house, owned by Kering and now run by Sarah Burton (who designed Catherine Middleton's dress for her wedding to Prince William), is characterised by theatrical and bright styling. The brand has started to improve its environmental practices by setting a science-based target to reduce greenhouse gases in its own operations and supply chain by 50% per unit of revenue by 2025. It also has a policy to eliminate environmental pollution from the use of chromium and other chemicals in its leather tanning processes, and implements initiatives to reduce water use. Thanks to these policies, Alexander McQueen is on the right path and stands out from the majority of luxury fashion houses.

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Shop Alexander McQueen Pre-Owned @ Vestiaire Collective.

Outerwear with a purpose, Alice + Whittles wants you to enjoy the vast wilderness without being cold or wet. This brand has designed the sustainable rain boots you’ve always dreamed of. The low-ankled model brings comfort and a minimalist style, and also comes in trendy pastel colours of the moment. Find the shoes in 6-12 CA sizes.

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nae is a Portuguese eco shoes brand using innovative materials to create shoes with “No Animal Exploitation”. Their sustainable shoe materials include recycled PET from bottles, OEKO-TEX® certified microfibres, recycled car tyres, natural cork, recycled thermoplastic and even pineapple leaf fibre! Try these unisex military style boots on for size. Find nae’s shoes in US sizes 5-12.

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Shop nae @ Staiy.

Will’s Vegan Store produces animal and human friendly women’s and men’s footwear at affordable prices. These tan work boots are carbon neutral, ethically made in Portugal, and presented in sustainable non treated paper and cardboard packaging. Find the shoes in UK sizes 3-8 or EU sizes 36-42.

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Shop Will’s Vegan Store.

The Nude Label curates comfy cotton underwear for women and men that feel as good as they look. Made from bio-vegan leather and responsibly sourced wood to create the lowest possible footprint, these lightweight wood sandals are great for a comfy and casual look.

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Shop The Nude Label.

Funky Kalakar brings alive the stories of the ancient craft in the form of contemporary designs by handcrafting them using natural materials. In addition to being pretty, these vegan heels are also sustainably and ethically made! Find the shoes in EU sizes 36 to 41.

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Shop Funky Kalakar.

The luxury US footwear brand RAFA uses recycled vegan textiles in its creations, made to order in Los Angeles. Check out these timeless and vegan strappy sandals with a suede look. The big plus: they contain no animal skins, instead using Polyurethane microfibre materials that are less toxic than the PVC usually utilised for faux-leather. Shoes come in US sizes 5 to 11.

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Cruelty-free, luxury eco shoes and boots that are handmade in Spain, with love. Speaking of love, we’re head-over-heels in love with these pumps! Find the shoes in EU sizes 37-41.

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Shop Beyond Skin.

Coclico offers sustainable eco-friendly shoes conceived in New York and handcrafted in Spain. Its footwear is high-quality and long-lasting, and it even offsets its carbon footprint. It also knows its suppliers for all stages of production! The brand seeks high standards of ethical and environmental responsibility, and the result is a union of modern minimalism and traditional quality. Shoes come in EU sizes 36-41.

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Shop Coclico @ Made Trade.

Shop Coclico @ ourCommonPlace.

BHAVA is an innovative vegan women’s footwear brand founded by designer Francisca Pineda. The brand uses some environmentally friendly materials, such as organic cotton and recycled materials. It also does not use aromatic amines, PCP, formaldehyde, PVC, phthalates, azo-dyes, or chrome when creating its vegan leather. The Viki slide with a wooden heel is on-trend and pairs well with everything. Bhava’s shoes come in US sizes 5-11.

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Nomadic State of Mind hand-crafts vegan sandals made of rope, up-cycled sailcloth, hemp, and recycled plastic bottles. The brand also provides jobs for workers from disadvantaged communities in Nicaragua.

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Shop Nomadic State of Mind.

Mother of Pearl is a sustainable and ethical luxury womenswear and accessories designer brand from the UK that celebrates individuality and authenticity. The brand uses a high proportion of eco-friendly materials including organic cotton and ensures the payment of a living wage across some of its supply chain. Find most products in UK sizes 6 to 16.

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Shop Mother of Pearl.

Shop Mother of Pearl @ Rêve en Vert.

Shop Mother of Pearl Pre-Owned @ Vestiaire Collective.

Filippa K was built in Stockholm in 1993, on a backbone of entrepreneurial strength focused on style, simplicity and quality. It uses organic cotton and linen and recycles off-cuts created during the manufacturing process. The brand is also certified as ‘good’ by the Fair Wear Foundation and makes efforts to follow the Fair Wear Responsible Code of Labour.

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Shop Filippa K Pre-Owned @ Vestiaire Collective.

COS is a Swedish brand that creates timeless and innovative wardrobe-essentials. It uses some eco-friendly materials and received a score of 71-80% in the Fashion Transparency Index.

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Shop COS Pre-Owned @ Vestiaire Collective.

Yves Saint Laurent, or as it's now known, Saint Laurent, is a French luxury fashion house founded by Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé. The brand has good policies to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

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Shop Saint Laurent Pre-Owned @ Vestiaire Collective.