A growing number of brands are on a mission to make trainers more sustainable. Why? Well, the majority of our sneakers are made from leather and plastic, which are both considered problematic materials due to their sizeable carbon footprint. In the case of leather, harsh chemicals are often used in the tanning process, while plastic – as we know – doesn’t biodegrade and can stay around for hundreds of years.
That’s why eco-minded brands often use recycled plastic or bio-based plastic to produce their trainers, alongside responsibly-sourced leather. There’s also been a rise in vegan sneaker brands of late, as both environmental and ethical concerns around the use of leather continue to grow. While the perfect solution doesn’t exist – many of these alternatives aren’t biodegradable either – it’s a step in the right direction, with new innovations cropping up all the time.
Below, we round up 11 of the best sustainable trainer brands.
Read more: Shop 26 Of The Best White Trainers
Stella McCartney is no stranger to setting sustainable precedents in luxury fashion: her brand has forgone feathers, leather and fur since its 2001 launch. On the footwear front, the designer has adopted conscious alternatives to animal leather, like the recycled ocean plastic and bio-based materials used in her Adidas range, and the grape-waste leather that features in her mainline collections.
One of the best-known eco-trainer brands, Veja has soared in popularity in recent years – with both the Duchess of Sussex and Duchess of Cambridge among its fans. The French brand makes the majority of its designs using its preferred materials list, which includes recycled PET, organic cotton, chrome-free leather and bio-based plastic, and is looking to reduce the amount of leather it uses in its collection.
Pangaia shot to fame with an eco-friendly overhaul of everyone’s favourite casual staple – the hoodie – and it shows no signs of slowing with its sneaker collection. Produced using a bio-based leather made from discarded grape skins, these sleek trainers also feature an 86 per cent-recycled rubber sole and cotton laces with 100 per cent-recycled plastic tips.
Originally founded in 2014 with the mission to introduce merino wool to the world of footwear, Allbirds has fast become known for its eco-credentials. The brand announced a partnership with Adidas in 2020, with the mission to create a trainer with the “lowest ever carbon footprint”. The result? The Adizero x Allbirds 2.94 CO2e – the lowest carbon emissions performance running shoe Adidas has ever created. As well as using wool, the brand uses Tencel, which comes from FSC-certified forests, alongside bio-plastics and natural rubber. Each sneaker also comes with a label telling you its carbon footprint, which is offset by the company.
LØCI – who recently welcomed Nicki Minaj as a co-owner, and has launched 11 fresh designs through a collaborative effort – uses a series of conscious materials to make its sneakers: recycled ocean plastic and bio-based leather for the uppers, and 100 per cent-recycled rubber for the soles. Meanwhile, the insoles are made from natural cork and recycled foam, with all trainers manufactured ethically in Portugal.
Founded in 2018, Barcelona-based brand Saye has created a range of vegan trainers, made using a combination of bio-based and recycled materials at its factories in Portugal. These include sneakers crafted from two innovative leather alternatives: the first made from organic cactus leaves and the second from mango waste.
Taking stylish strides towards a greener future since 1988, Komodo sneakers feature mesh, seams and laces made from recycled PET. Other fabric innovations include a leather alternative made from corn waste, and the Abaca banana canvas that forms its comfortable trainer linings.
Hoka deals in performance footwear for all types of terrain, and is on a mission to make its shoes great for people and the planet. Having committed to the UNGC sustainability initiative since 2016, the label strives to minimise environmental impact throughout its production process. Case in point: the Hoka Transport, which features sugarcane midsoles, recycled PET panelling and Vibram soles which are 90 per cent petrol-free.
Vegan sneaker brand Yatay was launched in a bid to create high-quality sneakers that are also kind to the planet. The company uses bio-plastics made from corn, alongside recycled plastic and rubber, to produce its trainers, which are manufactured in Italy by hand. Each pair comes with a unique code on the heel, which allows you to plant a tree to help offset the carbon footprint of your trainers.
Promising to create footwear that brings us closer to nature, Vivobarefoot’s USP is its ultra-thin soles – allowing you to feel as close to being barefoot as possible. The British brand uses bio-based materials, such as algae foam, alongside recycled plastic, while ensuring its trainers get a second life via its resale and repair platform, Revivo.
Brazilian brand Cariuma focuses on using natural materials for its trainers, ranging from organic cotton and bamboo to leather and suede that’s been responsibly-sourced from Argentina, Thailand, Brazil and China. Happily, the brand will also plant two trees for each pair of trainers purchased, as part of its reforestation programme.
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