We all want sustainable barefoot shoe options right?
But what if our demand for vegan shoes has led to a whole other problem? You see the majority of vegan shoes on the market come from PLASTIC.
And I don’t think I need to explain the issues with that industry. So by replacing animal based raw materials with plastic based ones, we are NOT in my eyes being any more sustainable, because unlike plastic based materials, at least animal based are biodegradable. Yes, no animals were killed for fashion, but destroying their habitats with petrochemical and plastic pollution is no better.
However, I will say that recycled plastic shoes are an exception as they are taking plastic already in the environment and doing something useful with it.
So, in an effort to find what I consider to be TRUE SUSTAINABLE vegan barefoot footwear, I did some searching and have come up with this list. I have also bestowed a few of the brands listed with a BARE SOLED GIRL AWARD 😂😂😂
The list consists of shoes made with rPET or biodegradable/compostable materials. Note that there remains in many cases an issue with the soles of shoes. Many are made from natural rubber (from plants producing latex) but more often than not, they are made from synthetic rubber. The synthetic equivalent uses manmade polymers derived from petroleum, not something we want to encourage in the fashion industry.
So without further ado, I present to you……
the first of its kind – BAREFOOT TRULY SUSTAINABLE VEGAN list. Only brands that I have researched to be truly sustainable with non plastic vegan options have made this list.
Enjoy!
Brand | Styles | Materials | Sole | Sustainability Score | |
 | Bindu 2 | Hemp Linen | TPE: Thermoplastic elastomers | ||
 | Eazy | Cotton Canvas | TPU: Thermoplastic polyurethane | ||
 | All Styles | Hemp Cotton Lining | Natural Rubber | ||
 | All Styles | Cotton GOTS dyed | EVA: Ethylene-vinyl acetate | ||
 | All Styles | Recycled PET | TPE: Thermoplastic elastomers | ||
 | Chelsea Foris Sandal X | Pinatex Pineapple Leather | Vibram Synthetic Rubber | ||
 | GlobalToes & MotionToes Recycle | Recycled PET | Vibram Synthetic Rubber | ||
 | Chukka | Organic Cotton Canvas | LemsRubber | ||
 | Cloud, Onyx, Cork, Obsidian, Chelsea | Recycled, Upcycled & Organic Cotton Cork Hemp | Recycled Rubber | ||
 | Magna, All Primus Lite, Geo Court, Geo Racer, Gobi Hemp, Scott Eco II, Ultra III Bloom, Primus Trail Winter Womens, | Recycled PET | Rubber Compounds | ||
 | Griffin, Rubus, Flying Fox, Tanuki Yoru, Beaver, Dandelion, Tanuki Keshi, Drake, Jay, Bluebird, Crane | Hemp Flax Organic Cotton Stretch Washi Walnut Shells Panama Linen | Recycled Rubber & Cork | ||
 | Pace | Recycled Coffee Grounds | Synthetic |
And the award goes to………..drum roll…………
