Ethical Shoe Companies With Soul
These Shoe Brands Were Founded With Social Consciousness in Mind
The mainstream shoemaking industry is often highly polluting and exploitative. Cheap labor and violations of human rights are rampant. But the social and environmental cost of a good pair of kicks doesn’t have to be so high.
Several innovative brands are making sustainable shoes — from sandals to sneakers — fashionable and accessible, all while using renewable materials and efficient manufacturing processes. These companies are embedding fair-trade practices and positive social impact into the foundation of their companies.
Kudos to these brands for their socially conscientious soles.
The People’s Movement: Brazier Ekocycle Runner
This training shoe — co-designed by a former professional Ironman triathlete — is built to go the distance. The shoe is constructed in California from post-consumer waste and upcycled plastic bottles.
Oliberté: Minsha Dark Grey Nubuck
$110; oliberte.com
Each pair of Oliberté shoes is handmade in the company’s fair-trade shoe factory in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — the only such factory in the world — and comes with a lifetime warranty.
The Root Collective: Millie in Azure Block
$129; therootcollective.com
Creators of The Root Collective’s products live in various locations around the world, many of them in impoverished communities. Purchasing a pair of their shoes, such as these Millie Smoking Flats, supports the company’s mission to provide fair-wage jobs to more artisans.
Veja: Holiday Low-Top
$132; veja-store.com
Veja is a fair-trade sneaker company in Paris that works directly with small-scale producers of Brazilian cotton and rubber. This pair is made of jute and recycled cotton.
Newton Running: Men’s Aha II
$110; newtonrunning.com
Based in Boulder, Colorado, Newton Running is the first running-shoe company to become a Certified B Corporation. The company sponsors a number of charities, including Trickle Up, BreastCancer.org and One World Running.
Therafit: Candy Mesh Active
$109; therafitshoe.com
With each purchase, Therafit will make a donation to a charity you pick.
Nisolo: Emilio Le Chukka Boot in Brandy
$178; nisolo.com
Nisolo was founded by an American entrepreneur who was determined to buoy the struggling artisan-shoe industry in Peru. Each pair of Nisolos is handcrafted by a skilled Peruvian cobbler.
Paez: Alpargatas Tides Laced-Up in Multicolor/Mustard
$67; paez.com
Paez creates simple, sustainable shoes with a “twist” in Argentina. The brand has sold shoes stamped with 3-D prints and accompanied by adventure maps. These “alpargatas” are available in three distinct prints.
Teysha: Midnight Stroll Sandal
$100; teysha.is
Teysha is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and works with traditional artisans in Latin America to design custom shoes, boots and accessories. This method brings consumers and creators together to produce “wearable art.”
This article originally appeared as the “Kudos” department in the fall 2016 issue of B Magazine.
B the Change gathers and shares the voices from within the movement of people using business as a force for good and the community of certified B Corporations. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the nonprofit B Lab.
