Living sustainably means taking it one step at a time—literally when we choose to step into ethical shoe brands.
But in a world where traditional footwear is anything but light in its eco footprint, given that any given pair is filled with all kinds of different synthetic materials, it’s no easy feet.
Our new Brand Rating System will help us find even more brands that are stepping up and filling those big shoes. It includes 22 criteria such as climate action, circularity, and product performance and durability. We’ll be launching this very soon and you can learn about all these selection criteria here.
We independently research all featured brands and we ask them to confirm their claims. In many cases we personally review recommended products. This post contains affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you buy something. Learn more here.
Kick It Sustainably With The Best Ethical Shoe Brands
We’ve covered many miles in Thousand Fell’s super comfortable sneakers and love that we can send them back for recycling when they eventually wear out (which we don’t think will be for a long time, given how durable they seem to be.
Co-founders of the #LivingWageChallenge (with ABLE), Nisolo’s LWG-certified byproduct leather makes for stylish shoes whose durability we can personally vouch for.
Then there’s 8000Kicks, who are helping folks ditch synthetic footwear by making the world’s first hemp shoes (that are also some of the most durable we’ve ever worn).
Index: Sustainable & Ethical Shoe Brands
- Allbirds Jump to brand
- Kyrgies Jump to brand
- Thousand Fell Jump to brand
- Nisolo Jump to brand
- 8000kicks Jump to brand
- NAE Jump to brand
- ABLE Jump to brand
- Cariuma Jump to brand
- Thesus Jump to brand
Allbirds
About Allbirds
Price Range: $125–$135
Making some of the most comfortable ethical shoes for women, men, and kids alike, it’s no surprise that Allbirds has shot to a cult-pop ethical shoe status. Allbirds was founded by American renewables expert Joey Zwillinger and New Zealander Tim Brown, so they know a thing or two about how to keep your footprint lighter.
One of the lightest (and lowest carbon footprint) products is the range of SuperLight Tree Runners, featuring a super breathable knit eucalyptus fiber upper and form-fitting cut. Aside from sneakers and running shoes, they also sell more casual styles and slippers.
Allbird’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Material:
Allbirds shoes are made with four materials: wool, tree, sugar, or Trino™.
The wool shoes are made of ZQ Merino ethically sourced wool, and require 60% less energy to manufacture than synthetic shoes. Their tree shoes use TENCEL™ lyocell grown with 95% less water and produced in a clean, closed-loop process. Combining the two, Trino™ is a soft and breathable fiber that naturally reduces odor.
They maximize the use of recycled content, replacing synthetics with recycled plastic bottle laces, bio-based TPU eyelets, and partial castor bean oil midsoles (with some EVA).
Allbirds is also transitioning to using carbon-negative SweetFoam™ (a Proforest-certified material made from sustainably sourced Brazilian sugarcane) for the outsoles. They use byproducts to power the mill and fertilize the sugarcane field.
Supply chain & labor practices:
This Certified B Corp ethically sources all merino from New Zealand using stringent animal welfare standards, and the wool is also mulesing-free. It’s spun in Milan, Italy in Europe’s only certified sustainable wool mill. The lyocell is made from FSC-certified eucalyptus sourced from rainfall-fed South African farms.
Shoes are cobbled in a handful of WRAP-certified factories in South Korea, Vietnam, and China.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
In terms of Allbirds sustainability, they went Carbon Neutral in 2019, and purchases offsets for the full gamut of their business operations. They ship using 90% recycled cardboard packaging.
Community & charitable giving:
Allbirds partners with Soles4Souls to donate lightly used or returned shoes to communities in need.
Kyrgies
About Kyrgies
Price Range: $70–$105
Kyrgies, a Virginia-based slipper maker, wants us to all “embark on the great indoors”—though they also make shoes for the outdoors too.
We own a pair of their indoor sustainable slippers, as well as the more versatile Tengries, whose naturally-tanned leather leather outsole sole means they’re suitable for indoor and outdoor use. We mostly use ours around the yard—like going to get the mail and puttering in the garden. They are light and comfortable, and the body and insole wool keeps them smelling fresh even after months of wearing them all day around the house.
They come in all sizes, from big papa to itty bitty baby so they’re a go-to ethical shoe brand for kids.
Kyrgies’ Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
All shoes feature felted wool, which is processed with natural soap and dyed with low-impact dyes.
The Naturals and Tengries, have natural leather soles to tolerate outdoor conditions (but will last much longer if you keep them out of water), whereas the walkabout have a vulcanized milk of rubber sole making them water-safe. It’s processed without chromium and chrome. However, it’s not as readily biodegradable as the wool, so should be removed before composting.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Kyrgies sources their wool from free-range sheep in Kyrgyzstan, where it’s also felted and carded in a factory that respects and utilizes traditional craftsmanship. Kyrgies is committed to providing gainful employment opportunities to people in communities where options are few, thus their craftspeople are mostly women.
We don’t know where the leather comes from at this time.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
This brand ensures “not one gram of wool is wasted.” Any wool that doesn’t make it into their slippers is reprocessed and used for residential insulation.
Kyrgies offsets all carbon emissions by supporting renewable energy or carbon removal projects. Their goal is to become Carbon Neutral Certified.
Community & charitable giving:
A member of 1% for the Planet, they contribute to One Tree Planted.
Thousand Fell
About Thousand Fell
Price Range: $125–$135
Thousand Fell creates sneakers with a life cycle you can follow. Once their casual sneakers wear out, return for recycling and earn recycling credits you can use towards your next Thousand Fell purchase.
They’re stain and odor-resistant, with the aloe vera liner providing sockless freedom and breathable comfort. A water-resistant quartz coating added to the slip-on range increases durability further, which makes these some of our favorite skate-style shoes we’ve ever tested.
Thousand Fell’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
The uppers are vegan bio-leather, made from rPET and corn waste resin. The outsoles are made from sustainably Amazonian rubber and eschew synthetic fillers. While the insoles are a bio-foam made from soybean oil, a renewable source.
Thousand Fell has replaced other traditional plastic components in footwear with locally sourced sugar cane, coconut husk, or palm fibers. Even the laces are made from recycled PET.
Supply chain & labor practices:
These ethically-made shoes come from a family-owned factory in Brazil. They source as many local ingredients as possible including food waste component parts.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Customers in NYC receive their order via bike messengers from local micro warehouses. Tissue paper and single-use plastics have been removed from all packaging.
A partnership with Justa Trama, a nonprofit in Brazil, means sneakers arrive in an organic cotton tote bag. To cut down on cardboard, the shoe box doubles as a shipping box and is made using recyclable, FSC-certified cardboard.
A fully recycled shoe brand, shoes returned to Thousand Fell under their Recycle & Earn scheme are either broken down into their component parts for recycling or composting.
Community & charitable giving:
Any returned sneakers and slides still in good shape get a second life with the help of Soles4Souls. Thousand Fell is also a member of 1% For The Planet, helping to fund projects and nonprofits that give back to the environment.
My Personal Review of Thousand Fells’ Slip-Ons:
“Not only do I love the convenience of just being able to slip these on, but once on, they fit nice and snug without slipping around on the heel as I walk. I’m impressed by how comfortable and cushioned they feel too. I was a little bit hesitant about wearing an all-white shoe, but they’re surprisingly easy to keep clean, thanks to the smoothness of the material. Plus, their minimalist design means I can wear them with just about anything.”
Review by Christopher Ryan, SJ’s Menswear Tester
My Personal Review of Thousand Fells’ Slip-On & Lace-Up:
“After testing these, I can say they tick all my boxes: comfortable, versatile (in both style and performance), durable, and, of course, I feel better wearing them, knowing that when they wear out, I can send them back to be recycled. Both the Slip-Ons and Lace-Ups are super comfortable, with the Lace-Ups offering a little more support than the Slip-Ons, meaning I can cover more miles in them.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
Nisolo
About Nisolo
Price Range: $50–$253
Nashville’s Nisolo is all about ethically-made, intentionally designed, and fairly-priced products. That includes belts, sustainable bags, and oh-so-many ethical leather shoes for both men and women, in styles like boots, chukkas, sneakers, slip-ons, sandals, mules, and oxfords.
Nisolo’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
The standard combination of byproduct leather and natural rubber is what you’ll find in most of Nisolo’s shoes, sometimes with wooden heel accents. Many of the tanneries they work with are LWG-certified.
Supply chain & labor practices:
This Certified B Corp operates their own Peruvian factory that is third-party audited, employs local artisans, and provides above-fair wages. They also provide other further financial support, such as assistance with home loans. Their workers are supported further with additional training and classes on finance, nutrition, English, and even yoga.
Outside of Peru, they work with independent artisans in Kenya and factories in Mexico, all of which adhere to a strict Code of Conduct and pay higher than living wages. They co-founded the Lowest Wage Challenge with ABLE to get other brands to challenge the status quo.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
They use carbon offset programs to reduce their emissions by supporting the Amazon rainforest-based projects. Not only are these ethically-made shoes, but durable shoes made to last—and we can attest to their durability!
Community & charitable giving:
Nisolo’s Shoe Reclamation Program sends returned or damaged goods to the organization Soles4Shoes.
My Personal Review of Nisolo’s Ana Heeled Chelsea Boot:
If you want a go-to pair of boots for any occasion, the Ana Heeled Chelsea Boot is my absolute fave! I’ve been rocking these smooth-grain beauties for a year, and they’re super comfy and stable with the chunky wooden heel. They’ve also survived everything I’ve thrown at them. They’re so versatile—perfect for dressing up or just cruising around town. I’d happily live in these.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
8000kicks
About 8000Kicks
Price Range: $75–$1,000
8000Kicks is the Portugal-based brand who made the world’s first hemp-based shoe.
Before we brag about some of the world’s most unique ethical natural shoes, we’ve got to provide a quick disclaimer: with just 0.3% THC, these shoes aren’t for smoking and they won’t cause any trouble on your next flight.
We love kicking it in the Explorer V2, which is an incredibly lightweight all-around sneaker. It has enough cushion for us to take it on a morning jog, while still being understated and neutral enough in appearance to pair with more casual outfits.
8000Kicks’ Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
We’re big fans of hemp fabric. It’s sustainably grown without many inputs, is extremely durable, and can still compost in your backyard.
These sustainable vegan shoes use another material, too—Bloom algae, which helps clean waterways impacted by algal blooms (caused by nutrient leaching and fertilizer runoff).
Supply chain & labor practices:
8000Kicks source hemp in countries like Romania, China, and France before the shoes are produced in China and Portugal. They are also keen on transparency and told us they’d be happy to share specific details about their factories (watch this space).
Their Portuguese factory provides free education and health care to its workers.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
To reduce shipping emissions, the brand now ships directly from warehouses in the US and the UK. The company’s Portuguese factory uses 45–55% renewable energy sources, while the China factory uses 30–40%.
My Personal Review of 8000Kicks’ Explorer V2:
“I’ve been wearing these for 18 months now. I really love the waterproofing. I use them for pretty much most day to day activities, walking the dog, playing in the garden with my son – especially on rainy days, and I love that my feet stay beautifully dry. The casual looks work with a lot of my mom-jeans which is handy. The sizing is a little big for me (usually a size 8 works fine though I am in between sizes) so I wouldn’t use them for running (long walks no problem though), I get blisters easily, but they’re great for other pretty much everything else.”
Review by Joy McConnochie, SJ’s Co-founder
My Personal Review of 8000Kicks’ Explorer V2:
“The Explorer V2 Allblack has been my everyday shoe for three years, and I absolutely love them! They’ve handled everything from daily wear to five-mile runs and hikes over rocky terrain. The soles are starting to show some signs of wear, but the uppers are still in fantastic shape. The fit is roomy yet not too wide, which is ideal for my narrow feet, although I found them to run a bit larger than I expected. The waterproof feature has been a game changer—especially in rainy weather—allowing me to skip the boots for quick errands. Plus, the all-black style is perfect for hiding dirt, which I really appreciate, given how often I wear them!”
Review by Lyall Mabin, SJ’s Co-founder
NAE
About NAE
Price Range: $39–$248
NAE stands for No Animal Exploitation and if you’re looking for ethically-sourced shoes, this is a good place to start.
This Portugal-based and PETA-approved footwear company has a beautiful selection of vegan sandals, slides, wedges, sneakers, boots, and pumps. Despite the cute styles, they are incredibly comfortable and functional.
NAE’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Here’s what you might be stomping around in: Piñatex (vegan leather made from pineapple leaves blended with PLA), cork, recycled PET, organic cotton, and vegan leather (a microfiber mix of cotton, polyester and nylon, recycled whenever possible).
These main outer materials are combined with things like OEKO-TEX-certified polyurethane lining, recycled polyester laces, natural cork footbeds, and recycled car tires.
Supply chain & labor practices:
NAE only works with European-certified factories in Portugal that demonstrate respect for their employees and use practices that don’t damage the environment.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
NAE uses a carbon-neutral manufacturing process and minimizes their chemical and water consumption.
Inclusivity:
Inclusivity generally isn’t a big deal when it comes to footwear, but NAE actually has a range of unisex shoes. Gender-neutral fashion is the future.
Community & charitable giving:
They also partner with the ReMove Project, which is how they source the ocean plastic waste that gets turned into recycled PET.
My Personal Review of NAE’s High-Top Lace-Up Boot:
“I’ve owned a pair of NAE’s High-Top Lace-Up Boots for several years. They were my go-to pair of shoes when I worked in a coffee shop because I could be on my feet all day and not have any aches and pains at the end of a 10-hour shift. Slippy floors were no problem thanks to the super grippy lugged soles, which makes these shoes useful for all sorts of terrain.
You can easily dress them up and down, which adds to their versatility, and even after all this time, there are minimal signs of wear and tear, just some piling to the recycled PET upper.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
ABLE
About ABLE
Price Range: $47–$158
ABLE is a Nashville-based luxury ethical footwear brand invests in women so they can break the cycle of poverty and thrive.
It started with scarves, but now they have a range of clothes, leather bags, jewelry, and ethical women’s shoes—including some of the cutest boots, sustainable flats, heels, and sandals around.
Sneakers also have a place in their online store. If you’re looking for a pair you can wear with a tailored suit, check out the Cady Sneaker, featuring a mix of neutral-colored leather and colorful tweed accents.
ABLE’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Common materials include microsuede (AKA polyester), TPR (a mixture of rubber and plastic), cotton (for laces), and cow leather. To ensure theirs are ethical leather shoes, ABLE also only uses leather that’s a byproduct of the meat industry and produced using less energy than vegan leather, working with tanneries that use clean water practices.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Intending to end the cycles of poverty in the fashion industry, ABLE realized transparency and accountability were the only way forward—and thus became the first fashion brand to publish their lowest-paid wages
The company also bares all in terms of benefits, equality, child labor, forced labor, workers’ rights, and more. You can also see where every ethical shoe has been made in the product description.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
They repurpose shipping boxes and are in the process of transitioning from poly bags to cloth dust bags. Footwear comes in FSC-certified packaging.
Cariuma
About Cariuma
Price Range: $85–$159
Cariuma creates casually cool, ethical skate shoes that are a favorite with celebrities, including the iconic Helen Mirren.
Crafted from recycled plastic bottles and various earth-sourced materials, choose between classic lace-up sneakers, slip-ons, high tops, low tops, skateboarding shoes, and limited-release collaborations. Not everything is 100% vegan, but the Black Polka Dots Canvas OCA Low sneakers (polka) dot the Is and cross the Ts.
If polka dots aren’t your thing, you can also choose any variety of solids or other patterns like leopard and zebra print.
Cariuma’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Cariuma uses organic cotton grown using regenerative methods, rubber harvested through ethical “tapping”, bamboo, sugarcane, cork, and mamona oil (a plant-based and organic alternative to petroleum).
Water-resistant GRS-certified recycled nylon and recycled PET is used in uppers, laces, labels, and thread. Any leather and suede materials used are sourced from LWG Gold-Rated suppliers.
Supply chain & labor practices:
As a Certified B Corp, Cariuma ensures factory workers make a comfortable, living wage and adhere to a manageable work week to ensure a healthy work/life balance.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Shoe boxes double as a shipping box and to cushion their sustainable sneakers, Cariuma uses 100% recycled and recyclable FSC-certified paper. Any color in the packaging comes from soy-based ink.
Carium’s warehouse is a solar-powered, air-conditioned facility, equipped with energy-efficient LED lighting and a cooling tower to prevent and monitor over-consumption.
Community & charitable giving:
Carium is doing their part to rebuild rainforests and to date has planted over two million trees. Two trees are planted per pair purchased.
My Personal Review of Cariuma Catiba Pros:
“I’ve been wearing a pair of Cariuma’s Off White High Top sneakers for about 18 months now. As a 90s nostalgia tragic (back when wearing skate shoes was all the rage), I love the style of these and how they look with almost any outfit. They’re super hard-wearing and very comfortable. A little harder to get on, given they are high tops but that’s partly me being lazy and trying to squeeze in without adjusting the laces. The white does get dirty quickly so for the next pair, I’d op for black… though one can’t beat the style of white high tops, so I don these when I’m in the mood for a bit of flair and fun!”
Review by Joy McConnochie, SJ’s Co-founder
Thesus
About Thesus
Price Range: $163–$266
With some of the most ethical shoes Canada offers, Thesus—formerly known as Alice + Whittles, is a woman and POC-owned brand that wants us to all #BeOutside.
They’re proud of creating sustainable rain boots for the outdoors, rain, and riding. For warmer months, The Terrus is made from 98% recycled plastic and has a molded cork footbed.
Thesus’ Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Thesus gets two toes up for their use of repurposed marine plastic, recycled synthetic wool, recycled rubber, recycled leather (from unlikely sources like car seats), and fairly traded and sustainably sourced rubber (certified by the Fair Rubber Association).
They even use eco-friendly vegan glue and recycled plastic laces.
Supply chain & labor practices:
To find the best of the best in the manufacturing world, Thesus traveled the globe. Since 2022, 100% of production has moved to Portugal. They’ve taken some time to connect with the communities in which their factories are located and regularly audit most of their supply chain.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Currently, 90% of their materials are sustainable and traceable but they won’t put their feet up until it’s 100%.