Hi readers! I hope you are doing well. This week I was inspired to write about which brands offer shoes that use recycled materials, and how they make these said shoes, because I saw an advertisement showcasing a brand that produces shoes that are made from recycled material. I was curious to see if many other companies were producing shoes made from recycled materials, and I found quite a few of them, (some that are additionally vegan as well!). It is awesome to see that brands are investing in this recycling manufacturing because it is such a beneficial process for the environment, and a great use of resources the manufacturers have at their disposal. I realized that this is recycling practice is actually a fairly recent innovation and is much more common today than it was even 10 years ago.
The brand from the advertisement that I saw that inspired me to learn more about recycled shoes was Rothy’s. The brand Rothy’s takes recycled plastic bottles and turns them into stylish flats. I think Rothy’s is a significant brand because they create something beautiful and popular that is improving the environment. Up to today, Rothy’s has used 20 million plastic bottles for their shoe production. These companies who use plastic as their material to create recycled shoes specifically use plastic water bottles because of the components the bottles are originally made from. Polyethylene terephthalate, or PET plastic, is commonly used for plastic bottles to hold soft drinks. This plastic can be melted down and turned into fiber-like material that can then be spun into woven fabrics. Not only is Rothy’s recycling from materials like plastic bottles, but they also accept your old shoes and turn them into new shoes when you send them back to them.
The next brand that I learned about was Beyond Skin. This brand set out to create vegan and vegetarian luxury shoes. They have taken large measures to make their shoe production process more sustainable than other brands in the fashion industry. This brand is focused on illustrating how non-vegan and non-vegetarian practices are harmful to the environment and animals, and how they have always used different practices, such as using vegan leather, to have a better carbon footprint. Beyond Skin has really intrigued me. As a college student, I am not able to afford their luxury prices right now, but it is good to know that a high-end brand has become a successful, environmentally conscious option in their market.
The next brand that has caught my attention was The People’s Movement. They are a brand that focuses on creating eco-friendly footwear and accessories. Their process is interesting to me because they actually use upcycled plastic bags to create the fabric for their shoes. They also use water-based glues, organic cotton for their canvases, natural dyes for their fabrics, and nickel-free eyelets. Their brand strikes me as different because their shoes and accessories are more affordable and targeted to streetwear fashion, rather than girly, or luxury fashion. As a brand, they also support organizations that reduce plastics in the ocean through research.
The last brand I found that has also really interested me is Saola. Saola creates shoes from recycled plastic bottles, or PET fabric, organic cotton, cork, and surprisingly, algae foam. Their use of algae foam is really interesting to me. The algae is dried, crushed, and converted into a powder. This powder is then mixed with a synthetic material to be used for construction of the soles of their shoes.
I am so glad that an advertisement leaded me to learn more about companies that are using environmentally conscious manufacturing practices. I also think it is interesting these companies are able to use so many different types of natural and recyclable resources for their manufacturing.
I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about these companies too!
Until next time,
Anna
Sole Mate Shoes 