An Ethical Sneaker Guide

When looking for ethical clothing, shoes, and sneakers in particular, can be especially difficult to shop for. It is incredibly confusing, both because it is harder to understand what makes shoes ethical as opposed to clothing, which is (or at least seems) more straightforward in its production, and because there is a lot of greenwashing among sneaker brands. This greenwashing can be a little bit more challenging to see through with shoe brands; there are so many materials that go into shoe production, they are more challenging to make than clothing, and so information about how and why items are produced tends to be murkier. 

Courtesy of The Business of Fashion

Whether you’re looking for cute, everyday sneakers, or more practical running shoes, it can be incredibly frustrating, not least of all because it is incredibly challenging to find shoes that are both ethical and will provide the right level of durability and support. Not to mention, the price difference can be pretty huge. 

So which sneaker companies are just practicing advanced greenwashing, and which ones are actually worth the markup?

Let’s start with the big ones. Nike, Adidas, Converse, and Reebok are all rated “it’s a start” by Good On You, which is right in the middle of their sustainability scale. All of these brands received similar reviews, which is that they have some environmental goals, such as making attempts to use less water and using some recycled materials, though probably not enough to account for the scale on which they produce. They all have some murkiness with their labor practices, and it is not guaranteed that any of these brands pay their workers a living wage. They each score somewhere between 51% and 70% on the Fashion Transparency Index (FTI). Finally their animal welfare policies are questionable, especially for leather products. 

Courtesy of Colette Aboussouan

Hoka, another popular running shoe brand, also scores “it’s a start,” though their environmental and labor scores are a little bit lower than Nike, Adidas, Converse or Reebok. 

Major environmental concerns from Hoka is their impact on deforestation. As for labor, there is no evidence that the brand supports diversity in the workplace, or pays their laborers a living wage.

Still, all of these brands are better than Merrell, New Balance, and Asics, as all of these brands are ‘Not Good Enough’. While New Balance uses some renewable energy, it also does not curb its water use, nor is there evidence of a reduction of deforestation. Asics has a plan in place to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but there is no transparency as to whether they are meeting their target. Merrell too makes some attempts at being environmentally friendly, but there is little evidence as to whether they are succeeding. All these brands have similarly questionable labor and animal practices, with Merrell scoring a low 1-10% on the FTI. 

Courtesy of The Wall Street Journal

If you are looking for solid, sustainable everyday wear sneakers, here are some smaller brands to check out. Veja, a Paris based brand that has grown quite a bit in recent years, produces sustainable leather sneakers using a good amount of eco-friendly materials and safe labor. Thaely has excellent environmental and animal welfare scores, though it likely uses exploited leather. Peterson Stoop is a Dutch brand that repurposes vintage sneakers and remakes them using recycled or natural materials. Finally, there is Womsh, an Italian brand that has a solidly ethical and transparent production process. 

Courtesy of METCHA

If you are looking for a higher end sneaker, you will be happy to hear that Stella McCartney, Adidas by Stella McCartney, and Balenciaga are all relatively ethical and sustainable. Gucci and Alexander McQueen lie somewhere in the middle, though if you’re paying for a designer sneaker, it is probably preferable to pay that price tag for a truly ethical shoe. 

I haven’t been able to find any sneaker brands that are guaranteed to be completely ethical, and this is even more true when it comes to running shoes. If the shoes in your price range are Nikes or Adidas, then there isn’t much to do other than to opt for the best choice that you have the power to. At the end of the day, it is up to these companies to uphold a standard of environmental protection and ethical labor, and all we can do is demand that they do better.