6 Tips For Buying Sustainable Footwear
Our awareness of pollution and the negative effects of residual enduring plastic waste has developed exceedingly over the past decades. Yes, after sustainable food, fashion, jewellery, and make-up, it’s time to be aware of sustainable footwear. A whopping 25 billion shoes hit the market every year. Most of which are barely used and end up in landfills. This calls for 6 Tips For Buying Sustainable Footwear to preserve the environment. There is a need for the manufacturer and the consumer to work in tandem to achieve sustainable footwear.
Let’s Talk About the Shoe Industry
What is Sustainable Footwear?
Organic fibres show they are indisputably sustainable shoes. Fabrics like hemp, linen, organic or recycled cotton, and organic hemp, signify that the shoe stuff is eco-friendly. These are far better options for synthetic fibres or plastics. These fabrics are exempt from toxic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or GMOs. Organic fabrics are essentially more sustainable and durable and will exist longer in your shoe rack. Vis-à-vis means you would not discard them soon.
We can recycle shoes in general, but we don’t. A record number of shoes are made with leather, plastics, and glues, which are all unsustainable materials. A wealth of resources is used to break them down and the millions of cast-offs might take hundreds of years to crumble in landfills. Fossil fuels are used to power these factories and they emit harmful greenhouse gases into the air.
1. Leather and Plastics
33% of footwear is made of leather, which is a risk for one and all. Animals are raised for leather, while hides from cattle that are raised for beef are also used. This raises methane levels to alarming degrees. The morbidity rates of tannery workers are double according to research.
Another toxic product is plastics. Home slippers, beach footwear, shoelaces, soles or other structures are made of plastic. Further packaging and shipping entail more use of plastic, which has major environmental repercussions.
2. Made With Recycled Plastics
Companies are making use of recycled plastics to manufacture shoes. These shoes are essentially sustainable. This, without a doubt, is the ultimate upcycling. Plastic is notoriously one of the largest sources of the world’s effluence and trash. Upcycling gives it a drastic makeover from contaminant to a fashionable, chic material that is eco-friendly.
3. Sustainable Manufacturing
Just using sustainable material is not a sustainable product. The manufacturing has to be eco-friendly and so should the packaging and shipping. The end product should reduce effluence and garbage which would eventually give the shoes a longer life.
4. 100% Recyclable
Sustainability footwear is organic until the very end. When you are ready to bid farewell to your beloved, comfortable, sustainable worn sneakers, you should be able to recycle them instead of dumping them in the trashcan.
Sneakers made from organic fabrics can be recycled, certainly. You can paint them in innovative ways to reflect your own style and personality.
5. Donate to the Homeless or Thrift Stores
There are many misfortunate people who are barefooted. You can donate your discarded shoes to them. You would get blessings aplenty.
Or else you can sell them to a local thrift store. These stores will spruce them up, giving them a new lease of life. They can sell your surplus footwear at a bargain price, which the less fortunate can afford.
6. Invest in Sustainability Footwear
Evidently, there are noticeably a lot of points to note while purchasing sustainable footwear. Now that you see the bigger picture and understand what sustainable footwear is all about, spend sensibly on brands and shoes that essentially uphold ecological values.
‘This post is part of Blogchatter’s CauseAChatter’
Check out other topics on sustainability – 5 tips to make your home eco-friendly, 3 ways to teach children eco-friendly habits, 6 ways to teach kids about sustainability
@wordsmithkaur
@wordsmithkaur
We generally don’t take care of the footwear we are wearing but it’s important to understand and buy footwear that is sustainable and can be reuseable.
Had fun reading and understanding the concept of sustainable footwear and different fabrics that are harmless to our body. But you know I am a person who loves exploring new trends and things, any comments on this like how should I explore new trends but also keep in mind sustainability. Thanks for sharing.
Wow this is quite informative. I didn’t know but I will surely look out for shoes made out of hemp, linen, organic cotton…. Have to do my best to help the environment.
Sustainable footwear… certainly contribute to environmental conservation. They reduce toxic waste due to the usage of recycled materials. We should put our best foot forward with these eco-friendly footwear options. Thanks for the nudge, Harjeet!
I tried different types of shoes or footwear but for all the problem remained the same and that is development of dark hard patches at both side of the foot. I am still in search of the best footwear for me
I never knew that footwear could also fall into this category. Haven’t explored footwear made in different materials that are environmental as well.
Sustainable footwear would be a good choice since organic products don’t hurt and are comfortable to wear too. We usually give away our old footwear to the needy. Recycling and reusing is always better.
I never thought of anything like this before spending on the footwear. After reading your post, Ii realised wearing sustainable footwear helps in saving the environment and makes us feel comfy too. Thanks for sharing
Foot wear is something in which we invest well as it’s not just an add on or look, but a good foot wear is also important for the comfort and ease of walking. We too give away all shoes to our househelp.
Sustainable products are the great way to conserve our environment and it is the time of need. I liked the idea of planting in the shoe. Would like to explore more on the sustainable footwear. Thank you for sharing this valuable post.
Recently my husband got his slippers that were sustainable. They look good too. We too must focus on such recyclable wear.
This is great to know that there are so many sustainable options for footwear, Also nowadays we have brands coming up with such options. thank you for shedding light on this.