Sustainable Shoes: Ethical, Recycled, and Eco-Friendly Footwear

For centuries together, footwear and shoes have carried extensive religious, cultural, and political significance. Shoes are known for carrying awe-inspiring symbolism and being iconic markers of style. Statistics reveal 24.2 billion pairs of shoes were manufactured in 2018. Shoes are expected to garner approximately $500 billion in revenue by 2027.

Clearly, our fascination and need for footwear show no signs of abating. But with such increased footwear manufacturing, concerns about vast quantities of discarded shoes are also growing. Waste, including discarded footwear, is fast leading to an avalanche of social, environmental, and economic problems. Part of the answer to this problem lies in the concept of sustainable footwear. How does it help to solve this burgeoning issue?

The concept of sustainable shoes

By sustainability, we mean a symbiotic relationship between nature and humanity. In simple words, it means improving and maintaining living standards without depleting or damaging natural resources for the present and coming generations.

Thus, when we talk about sustainable footwear, we are referring to footwear that meets four sustainability requirements. These are ethical production, use of responsible materials, minimal impact disposal, and efficient life cycle.

Then it becomes essential to avoid using materials that can harm or degrade natural resources when manufacturing any product, in this case, footwear. The production must be completely ethical. The manufacturers must follow a fair supply chain and labor process that have minimal ecological impact. Efforts must be made to reduce the carbon footprint as much as possible when manufacturing these shoes.

The growing significance of eco-friendly shoes

The focus needs to shift from fast fashion to manufacturing eco-friendly footwear for longevity, reduced environmental impact, and increased energy efficiency. Ensuring the sustainable features of the product adds to the environment’s safety and protection, which contributes to ecological and social regeneration throughout the product life cycle. Thus, a sustainable pair of shoes are eco-friendly, green, and fair-trade.

Moving towards ethical shoe production

Product manufacturers must take the first step in this, and use ethical and fair manufacturing practices. The time has come to embrace the concept of ethical shoes manufactured using the industry’s best and fair labor practices.

These days, shoes are made of multiple materials like textiles, leather, plastic, rubber, etc. It is crucial to avoid using an unsustainable blend of materials that results in environmental contamination. To consider our impact, read this: a single pair of footwear takes almost 40 years to decompose in a landfill. 

Therefore, even shoes must be created from recyclable materials. It is time we adapt to the concept of recycled shoes where discarded or renewable materials are used to manufacture a classy range of footwear. For instance, linings and lace made up of discarded plastic bottles, leather sourced from the cleanest tannery globally, and non-virgin plastic soles are paving the way for such innovative sustainable practices.

As the consumers focus on buying and using eco-friendly and sustainable products, top footwear manufacturers are realizing the paradigm shift in the industry. Thus, green or eco-friendly footwear is fast becoming a reality, gaining traction among discerning buyers.

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