9 Ethical Shoe Brands To Put Some Sustainable Pep In Your Step
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About Allbirds

9 Ethical Shoe Brands To Put Some Sustainable Pep In Your Step

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.

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