Stylish Sustainable & Ethical Shoes Brands To Know
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Looking for stylish eco-friendly, sustainable, and ethical shoes from UK retailers? I got you! Read on for my top recommendations – from the best vegan trainers to recycled flip-flops and more.
The footwear industry doesn’t have a great reputation when it comes to being ethical or sustainable. And for good reason:
- Most of the world’s leather is tanned using chromium. Chromium is a heavy metal pollutant that threatens water supplies across the globe.
- It is estimated that around 24 billion pairs of shoes are manufactured each year. That’s more than 3 times the number of people that are on the planet.
- Approximately 90% of unwanted shoes end up in landfills each year. Of these shoes, the majority contain non-biodegradable materials including synthetic rubber, synthetic foam, PU, and PVC among others.
In short, the shoes we wear tread incredibly heavily on the environment.
What Can You Do?
The cheapest and most ethical thing to do when it comes to shoes is to continue to wear the shoes you have. The most ethical shoes are the shoes you already own, after all.
Getting your shoes repaired when they wear out, and keeping them in active service for as long as possible is the most environmentally friendly thing you can do.
However, no matter how much you look after your shoes and repair them, eventually, shoes do wear out. You can recycle your old shoes, but the next question is how to buy new shoes ethically.
Secondhand is one approach when it comes to buying ethical shoes. Do check out my guide to sustainable secondhand shopping online for some inspiration on where to shop. However, secondhand shoes may not be for everyone, or certainly practical for every situation. This is where this guide comes in.
Guide to Ethical Shoes
Ethical shoes get a bad rap. A lot of people think of someone who is fond of the environment, and immediately conjure up an image of someone wearing socks and sandals. Unflattering sandals at that. But who says ethical shoes have to be frumpy?
I’ve found some seriously stylish ethical shoes from UK-based sustainable shoe brands (or brands that can be shipped from UK-based retailers). I hope this guide proves that your feet can be as sustainably stylish as the rest of your ethical wardrobe!
The price range key for this guide is:
£ = Under £50 | ££ = £50 – 100 | £££ = £100+
A quick word before we jump in. Sustainability is a complex and nuanced subject, meaning many different things to many different people. I’m therefore mindful that everyone has different ethics when it comes to clothing and footwear. As such, this guide has been designed to be a starting point for you to research the most sustainable option for you, rather than a definitive “this is ethical” list.
Allbirds Ethical Shoes
- Price range: ££ – £££
- Caters for: Men (UK sizes 7 – 13) and Women (UK sizes 2 – 8)
- Available at Allbirds
Allbirds say that a standard pair of trainers emits 12.5 kg of carbon dioxide. Meanwhile, the average pair of Allbirds shoes emits 7.6 kg of carbon dioxide. Not content with that figure, Allbirds want to lower that further.
As such, Allbirds shoes are made from natural materials, such as ZQ Merino-accredited Merino wool grown under strict sustainable farming practices. These practices include social responsibility, animal welfare, and traceability through the supply chain.
Other materials include recycled plastic bottles, which are used to make shoelaces, and castor bean oil which is used to make the insoles.
Allbirds don’t just make trainers. Find running shoes, sandals, hiking boots, flats and more.
Vivobarefoot
- Price Range: £££
- Caters for men, women and children
- Available directly from Vivobarefoot
Founded in 2012 by two seventh-generation cobblers, Vivobarefoot makes minimal-soled shoes that get you as close to going barefoot as possible.
With shoes for everything from hiking, running and training, and stylish barefoot shoes for work and leisure, Vivobarefoot has you covered.
As a certified B-Corp, Vivobarefoot gives equal weight to people, the planet and profit. In practice, this means that Vivobarefoot uses only recycled, natural and bio-synthetic materials – such as foam that’s cleverly made from algae – in its range of shoes. Whilst some shoes are made from wild hide leather and wool, Vivobarefoot does have a comprehensive vegan range too.
Vivobarefoot also runs ReVivo – an online marketplace for refurbished and repaired barefoot shoes, to help keep its shoes on people’s feet for longer. Plus, its Livebarefoot Fund helps to fund social and environmental initiatives.
I’ve been wearing Vivobarefoot shoes for a couple of years now. I’ve put them through long hikes and I am seriously impressed with just how comfortable and durable they are. They’ve got a nice wide toe box – ideal if you suffer from bunions or other foot problems.
Get 20% off your first order when you sign up for the Vivobarefoot mailing list.
Cariuma Ethical Shoes
- Price range: ££ – £££
- Caters for: Men (UK 4 – 12) and Women (UK 2.5 – 10.5)
- Available directly from Cariuma
Brazilian ethical shoe brand Cariuma makes timeless trainers transparently made from natural materials.
Its materials include cork, recycled PET, mamona oil, and leather and suede which is certified by Leather Working Group.
What’s more, to ensure worker safety, no hazardous chemicals are used in its manufacturing process. Instead, Cariuma uses Bluesign-certified chemicals (an independently verified scheme) to dye its materials.
Enjoy free shipping and a generous 60-day free returns policy.
Flamingos Life
- Price range: ££ – £££
- Caters for: Men and Women (UK sizes 3 – 11.5)
- Available from Alpinetrek
Flamingos Life makes stylish light and comfortable unisex ethical trainers.
Ethically made in Spain, everything about its vegan-friendly trainers is carefully considered. The uppers are made from organic cotton. The sole is made from natural rubber that has been sustainably extracted. Meanwhile, the eyelets are made from chrome-free metal.
What’s more, every time you make a purchase, Flamingos Life will plant five trees in deforested areas, in collaboration with Eden Reforestation Projects.
Good News Ethical Shoes
- Price range: £ – £££
- Caters for: Women (UK sizes 3 – 8)
- Available from Flannels
Good News is a small footwear brand on a mission to improve the environmental and social sustainability of its products. It aims to do this by decreasing its carbon, chemical, and water footprint whilst also caring about the people involved in the making of its shoes.
Good News signature low-top vegan trainers are sustainably made from organic and recycled materials. The uppers are made from bio-degradable organic cotton. Meanwhile, the organic cotton laces are threaded through recycled metal eyelets. And what’s more, the soles are made from recycled materials – a mix of car tyres and old rubber shoes!
Worzl Flip Flops
- Price range: £
- Caters for: Men and Women (UK sizes 3 – 12)
- Available from Not On The High St
If it’s eco-friendly flip-flops that you are after, then look no further than Worzl.
Flip flops tend to be made from plastic. However, Worzl wants to lighten the load on our planet by using 100% natural rubber, making them plastic-free, biodegradable, recyclable, and vegan-friendly.
They’re also made in the UK, in the Worzl workshop in Wiltshire.
I’ve also got a guide to ethical sandals and flip-flops if it’s summer-specific footwear that you are interested in. You can also check out my guide to recycled shoes for even more inspiration.
Ethletic
- Price range: ££
- Caters for: Men and Women (UK sizes 4 – 11)
- Available from Ethical Superstore
Ethletic Footwear is proud to offer an ethical alternative to leather trainers.
Its unisex vegan trainers are made with organic and Fairtrade-certified cotton. Meanwhile, the rubber soles are FSC-certified and sourced responsibly, and the rubber is fairly traded. Seeking to tick every ethical box for footwear, Ethletic is a fair-trade company, with the environment and sustainability at the core of what it does.
In addition, the pioneering Fairtrade rubber project pays a Fairtrade social premium for every kilo of rubber used in the production of these trainers. The rubber tappers then have the autonomy to decide how to use their income to improve their living and working conditions.
Veja
- Price range: ££ – £££
- Caters for: Men and Women (UK sizes 2 – 11)
- Available from Selfridges
VEJA is an organic, fair trade and ethical shoe brand offering style-conscious footwear.
It uses eco-conscious fabrics such as recycled and organic cotton, recycled plastic bottles, and sustainably harvested wild rubber to make its ethical shoes. What’s more, workers are paid a fair price for their labour.
If you are looking for vegan shoes, it’s worth noting that VEJA is not a completely vegan footwear brand. However, it does have many vegan shoe options in its collections, making it well worth a look for ethical and vegan shoes.
Nisolo Ethical Shoes
- Price Range: £££
- Caters for: Women (UK sizes 4 – 9)
- Available from Amazon
Nisolo is a US-based ethical shoe brand that makes stylish footwear for women.
As a certified B Corp – meaning they have been independently verified as meeting high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability – they produce high-quality shoes using socially responsible practices.
Nisolo uses sustainable practices such as eco-friendly waste disposal systems, and carbon offsetting to craft stylish shoes, boots and sandals that are made to last. It also provides steady employment opportunities for artisans in Mexico and Peru.
As a US brand, do note that I can only find them for sale in the UK via Amazon. I am keeping my eye out for alternative stockists and will update here when I find one.
El Naturalista Ethical Shoes
- Price range: ££ – £££
- Caters for: Women (UK sizes 2 – 8)
- Available from Amazon
Spanish brand El Naturalista (only available in the UK through Amazon) makes its shoes as ethically and environmentally friendly as possible when working with leather.
You can find out more about El Naturalista’s commitment to sustainability here. What’s more, El Naturalista has even recently expanded its range to include vegan shoes, if leather isn’t in line with your own ethics.
Novesta
- Price range: ££
- Caters for: Men and Women (UK sizes 4 – 11)
- Available from Toast
Slovakian brand Novesta specialises in quality handmade shoes that are manufactured according to the highest environmental and ethical standards.
Every one of its ethical vegan trainers – made with a cotton upper and a natural rubber sole – is hand-finished by Novesta’s craftsmen, and every shoe is as comfortable as its cutting-edge
What’s more, they are made in Slovakia, giving them a lower carbon footprint than shoes made further afield.
What About Ethical Slippers and Welly Boots?
I’ve got two separate guides for these! Do check out my guide to ethical slippers, and my guide to ethical wellies.
If you come across any more ethical shoes, then be sure to let me know. I aim to continually update this list, so it’s always up to date.
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Hi Wendy, thank you for a great article, I’m sure to check some of those recommendations.
I do feel however that the use of links to Amazon, a business based on the ruthless destruction of small to medium business competitors and exploitation and overuse of resources, clashes a bit with the values put forward by these brands.
Thanks for your comment, Katell, I completely agree – I only link if there are no other options. Every time I update this post I always try to see if there are new UK stockists for the two shoe brands in question. The post is due an update in the next few months, so I’ll see what the situation is then.
I love Ethletics trainers! They look like converse but are fair trade and ethically produced. Love it! Bought mine from ethicalsuperstore.
Lovely shoes! Especially the Veja trainers.
I love Vegetarian Shoes, they are ethically made in the EU. Some of the designs are a bit ‘off’ but their Airseal range are like DMs and are made in England, I have the Chelsea boots and they have lasted years. I also love their desert boots ‘Bush Boot’ and sandals, like Birkenstocks, really comfy.
For trainers I like Victoria Shoes. They aren’t marketed as ethical but they are made from Organic cotton and are made in Spain so the workers are protected by EU rules. They are not expensive either, you can get them from Sarenza. I’ve got the all-black basic ones because I like the retro school plimsoll look!
Ooh, I will look into Victoria Shoes – thanks for the heads up! And I have to say, I love my Birkenstocks – my pair are 11 years old and still going strong can you believe?!
Great post, as always; thank you! I looked at the Inkkas website and they’ve gorgeous stuff there! Too bad it’s an American company. Also, I don’t like ordering shoes online because it’s so unlikely that they will fit, and then you get to go through all the hassle of returning them. Waiting for the real shops that sell ethical shoes and clothing!
They do have an Irish site and are expanding. Definitely one to watch out for! I agree, I’m not a fan of ordering shoes online but one day I hope too that ethical shoes will be much more mainstream!
Those bee shoes are adorable. My nickname as a kid was Leah Bee so I love all things bee related.