One of the biggest problems shoemakers face is how to create the styles you love without harming the environment in the process. Consumers like you are looking for shoes that feel good on both their feet and their conscience!
In the past decade, shoemakers have made huge strides in sustainability, including in areas such as:
- Environmentally-Friendly Materials: Many natural resources are needed to construct shoes, so it’s key that these materials are good for the environment and are used efficiently. This can include using renewable resources, switching to nontoxic chemicals, or sourcing leather from tanneries certified by the Leather Working Group
- Recyclability: When a pair of shoes is worn out, the consumer’s instinct is often to throw them away, which is wasteful and takes up landfill space. As an alternative, many brands (including Merrell, Native, and Teva) offer recycling programs where you can send your used shoes back to be either donated or recycled.
- Sustainable Production Processes: Many companies are working to make their manufacturing processes more energy efficient, with cleaner resources, and with less waste. This can happen anywhere in the building process, whether it’s conserving energy used to power machines or minimizing the packaging that makes its way to the consumer.
- Longevity: The longer shoes last, the less often they have to be replaced, and the fewer shoes that have to be manufactured. One way of creating durability is through high-quality craftsmanship and materials; another is to make shoes machine-washable and easily cleanable so they can endure whatever life throws at them.
Get a closer look at some of our favorite sustainable shoe brands below, and shop eco-friendly shoe brands at Stan’s Fit For Your Feet today. You (and the earth) will be glad you did.
Teva: Recycled Plastic and Reduced Waste
Since 2020, Teva’s entire range of sporty and adventurous sandals have featured an exciting sustainability feature: straps made from recycled plastic! 40 million plastic bottles (most of which would have otherwise gone to landfills or oceans) have instead been turned into small pellets that are then spun into the Repreve® yarn that makes up the webbing of Teva’s sandal straps. In just three years, that has repurposed over 1.5 million pounds of plastic.
In the past decade, Teva has also reduced their water consumption during the manufacturing process, produced a range of vegan styles, and cut down the weight of their packaging by a total of 4.1 million pounds.
Shop Teva’s sport sandals in store or online at Stan’s Fit For Your Feet.
Birkenstock: Environmentally-Friendly Resources and Fully Vegan Styles
Brikenstock is best-known for their iconic cork footbeds, which provide ultimate comfort and support by molding to the anatomical shape of your feet. But did you know that this cork is also part of what makes Birkenstock a sustainable manufacturer?
Cork, along with jute, leather, wool, copper, brass, and other materials used to make Birkenstock styles, are all naturally sourced. These materials are also durable, increasing the longevity of each pair. Additionally, 98% of the adhesives used while constructing Birkenstock shoes are water-soluble or solvent free, which is good for the environment.
Birkenstock also has a line of sandals that are entirely vegan. They are produced without any animal-based materials, instead featuring synthetic leather and other natural resources. Every style still offers the dependable quality you’ve come to expect in Birkenstock footwear, but with an even better environmental impact!
Stan’s carries dozens of men’s, women’s, and kids’ Birkenstock shoes and sandals, including several vegan options. Shop in store or online today!
Kamik: Recycled Rubber and No-Waste Manufacturing
Kamik makes winter boots that keep your feet warm and protected for all your snowy adventures. Not only are Kamik boots made for exploring the outdoors, they do a great job taking care of it as well.
Kamik saves the rubber from leftover trimmings and old boots to become pellets that are molded into brand-new pairs. In just one year, that can create 360,000 boots! Many of their felt liners are also made of up to 100% recycled plastic, which can repurpose approximately 3 plastic bottles per pair.
Kamik also works hard to reuse resources as long as possible during the manufacturing process. For example, 90% of the cooling water used in their Canadian factory is used for more than one production cycle.
This winter, warm your feet and your heart with Kamik boots for men, women, and children. Shop Kamik in store or online at Stan’s today!
Vionic: The One Planet Standard and Eco-Friendly Materials
Vionic’s’s reliable VIO MOTION™ technology — stability, cushioning, flexibility, and arch support — is built into every style for ultimate comfort. But many Vionic shoes go above and beyond that to also be environmentally friendly.
Vionic’s Uptown loafer meets the One Planet Standard, which means it meets or exceeds 51% on the Sustainable Footwear Index. This sets of standards evaluates shoes based on sample reduction, materials, packaging, supplier environmental and social governance initiatives, brand philanthropy, and end-of-life solutions like recycling footwear.
Vionic’s summer Beach collection, consisting of the Malibu and Pismo, is vegan certified and made of green materials like cotton canvas and twill covered EVA. It’s also machine-washable to increase longevity.
Shop these and other Vionic styles in store or online at Stan’s Fit For Your Feet or the Vionic Store today!
HOKA: Vegan Athletic Shoes
HOKA makes some of the best and most comfortable athletic shoes on the market. Their signature cushioning makes every step more comfortable than the last! Feel even better about your HOKA shoes when you go for one of their many vegan styles.
Vegan HOKA shoes include the Arahi 6, Kawana, Solimar, and Clifton 9. The latter also includes high percentages of recycled polyester in the laces, upper mesh, collar and tongue lining, strobel board, and sockliner top cloth.
Shop HOKA athletic shoes in store and online at Stan’s Fit For Your Feet or Goodmiles Running Company today!
Stan’s Fit For Your Feet: Share-A-Pair Shoe Drive
Any pair of shoes can be environmentally conscious when you donate your gently-used men’s, women’s, and children’s shoes to Stan’s Share-A-Pair Shoe Drive! Every Stan’s store has a box next to the front door where you can drop off your shoes to be reused or repurposed. We distribute shoes to area nonprofits, including Father Gene’s Help Center, Milwaukee Rescue Mission, and Hope House Milwaukee, as well as to Soles4Soles, which sends shoes around the globe.
Shop Sustainable Shoes in Milwaukee at Stan’s Fit For Your Feet
Stan’s is a great place to buy environmentally-conscious shoes, sandals, and boots. Our dedicated team of Certified Fit Specialists will help you find the best fit for your feet so you can feel good about both your shoes and your impact on the earth. Visit us in Brookfield, Greenfield, or Glendale, or shop online 24/7 at stansfootwear.com. We can’t wait to see you soon!
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