Veganism is a concept that most people rarely see beyond the context of food. However, the growing interest in veganism has also spurred a slow but steadily increasing attraction towards vegan clothing and shoes. The vegan footwear market is set to grow by an average annual rate of 6.8% throughout the next decade. This shows that, although vegan shoes are not mainstream, just yet, we’re seeing it trend towards that direction.

The simple truth is that there is plenty of value to be found in vegan footwear, a significant portion of which lies in heightened care for the planet and everything in it. The best part is that you don’t need to sacrifice quality for your values. There are now many vegan shoes that could easily hold up to their animal-based counterparts; some might even hold up better. That said, here are some of the best reasons why people should begin making the switch to vegan shoes.

Animal Welfare & The Environment

The leading cause behind presenting any pair of shoes as vegan is animal welfare. Indeed, the vegan movement has grown exponentially over the last couple of years — and it’s for a reason.

There have been increasing concerns regarding the animal cruelty that goes on in the animal husbandry industry, as many of these animals live in terrible conditions and are subject to plenty of abuse throughout their lifetime. Switching to vegan shoe alternatives ensures that your favorite pair of shoes didn’t come from a tragic story of animal cruelty.

Yet, another ground to make the switch to vegan shoes is the environment. Compared to conventional animal-based materials, shoes made from vegan components can be much less harmful to the environment. Plus, innovation and technology have led us to develop novel materials like mushroom leather, pineapple leather, apple leather, and plenty more.

These materials have much better production methods and provide less stress on our environment. Leather tanning often involves the use of dangerous chemicals (like chromium) and is done under unsafe working conditions with many workers not even given protective equipment. Vegan leather, on the other hand, tends to be produced more responsibly. Most plant-based leathers are made with food waste, drastically reducing their environmental impact, as we will illustrate in the following section.

Do Vegan Shoes Have Better Materials?

Vegan shoes are frequently misconstrued as less durable or “fussier” than leather-based ones. But while that does have a ring of truth to it in some instances, it shouldn’t be our default assumption. In reality, there are plenty of durable and high-quality vegan fabrics used in the shoe industry today! Although we’re sure you love the pair of leather boots in your closet, when the time comes, it might be best to replace it with the following materials:

Pineapple Leather (Piñatex)

Pineapple leather is one among many different types of plant-based leathers currently in production—cork being another one. Most popularly referred to by its brand name, Piñatex, this novel vegan leather is made from the leftover waste of the pineapple farming industry. The best part about it is that it doesn’t just help clear out some waste, it’s also an avenue for small farmers in the Philippines — helping them scale their business and use the products that would have otherwise just gone to waste.

To illustrate that vegan leathers can be just as good, if not better than animal leather, let’s take Piñatex for example. Piñatex has a tear strength of 218 N and a tensile strength of about 755 N, which you can read more about here. Animal leather, on the other hand, has a wide range of tear and tensile strength, depending on how the leather was made and what it’s used for. In this study, the average tensile strength for leather was only 100 N. Of course, there are certain leathers that go beyond that average, but it just shows that vegan leathers can definitely compete in terms of durability and strength.

Cork

Cork is arguably one of the most sustainable vegan shoe materials in the market. And if you’re skeptical, we understand — after all, isn’t it odd that something as flimsy as cork is used in shoes? But you’d be surprised. Cork is an incredibly durable fabric that ages beautifully with use and care. Because of the cork’s honeycomb structure, it is highly resistant to abrasion, and has a pretty high friction coefficient.

Plus, unlike leather, cork is water-resistant! When exposed to water and left on their own, leather boots and products have the tendency to dry out and crack, significantly shortening their useful life. You will not have this problem with cork leather.

And because it is virtually impermeable by liquid or gasses, cork retains much of its original quality even through visible aging and wear, with the added bonus of having a naturally unique design that you won’t be able to find anywhere else.

Cork is also incredibly sustainable to harvest, since cork oak trees don’t need to be cut down to harvest the cork. As long as they are harvested at safe intervals of around nine years in between each harvest, the bark from cork trees can be used for up to 150 years!

Corn Waste Fabric

Making fabric from food waste is a common theme in vegan fabrics, and for a reason! An astounding third of all food production in the world eventually gets tossed or wasted. Some materials, like corn waste fabric, are a way to slowly chip away at the growing amount of food waste we throw away per year.

These kinds of fabric are typically combined with other materials such as PU, resin, or even cotton to make them more durable and withstand wear much better. Different companies have varying ways of processing corn waste into fabric, but it is generally broken down and treated with alkali solutions to extract the fiber from the husk. Some production methods also utilize corn starch as material of choice.

Corn fabric, when made well, is incredibly durable and quite low maintenance. The fabric itself is easy to clean and is hypoallergenic, great for those with sensitive skin. When combined with materials like PU, it can be just as good as animal leather. Being a new material, there’s still a lot of room for research and development for corn fabric. As more manufacturers experiment with different methods, we can also expect better outcomes and increased durability.

Bloom Algae

Speaking of research, another plant that has been thrust into the industry spotlight is algae. As the fastest growing plant in the world, an excess of algae can be damaging to ecosystems, harming plant and animal life all over the world. Unfortunately, the rise in global temperatures and human activities have only contributed to the increase in algae growth.

Rise by Bloom (previously known as Bloom Foam) is an innovative way to combat excess algae growth while also developing a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based EVA in shoes. It can be used as a foam or may even form the entirety of the shoe like what Native did with the Jefferson Bloom. It is made from a combination of algae biomass and other bio-based additives. Each Bloom product can clean up to 45 Liters of water and 28 cubic meters of air.

An Opportunity To Recycle and Upcycle

Vegan shoes are not at all limited to plant-based materials. One of the best things about emerging movements like veganism is that it spurs people to think of better solutions to existing issues. One common way to make vegan shoes is to use post-consumer recycled plastic. PET bottles or fishing nets are gathered from various stages of disposal and are then used as excellent sources for new shoe material — making boots, sneakers, etc.

While the use of plastics in our shoes still poses an environmental dilemma, it is a good step away from using virgin petroleum-based materials that have enormous environmental impacts. Some companies are even upcycling tires to make sandals! Brands like Indosole have long been champions of the upcycling industry, saving tires from the landfill and repurposing them as flip flop sole material.

The Growth of The Vegan Shoewear Industry

A decade ago, you’d be hard-pressed to find a shoe brand that offers a decent collection of vegan shoes, much less an entire brand dedicated to developing vegan footwear. Today, however, is a much better picture. There are now numerous brands with fresh and innovative takes on vegan fashion. Anywhere you look, you’ll find a brand dedicated to developing quality vegan footwear made to be kind to the environment and animals.

The industry’s constant growth signals that more people are interested in developing animal-friendly footwear and the supply is just beginning to keep up. That said, it is essential to highlight that not all vegan shoes are good for the environment. Shoes made from PVC and low-grade PU can technically be considered vegan as they are not made from any animal-derived ingredients. However, these are petroleum-based materials and are not at all environmentally-friendly alternatives.

If you’re a beginner to vegan shoe shopping, avoid PVC as much as possible. This type of plastic off-gasses and releases chemicals throughout its life cycle. Not only affecting the environment, but potentially impacting your health as well.

PU is very much a case-to-case basis. Cheap PU leather that isn’t well made won’t be much better than buying animal leather as it isn’t very durable and is still made from petroleum-based materials. However, high-quality PU can be valuable as a vegan leather. When made well, PU can stand on its own as a durable leather alternative or as reinforcement for plant leathers.

As conscious consumers, it is crucial that we are able to see beyond modern greenwashing tactics. You’d be surprised at the number of brands willing to lie and market their PVC shoes as vegan and eco-friendly when the truth is much less convenient.

With the influx of brands becoming more interested in vegan shoes, it’s vital we be wary about the prevalent greenwashing that is often commonplace in multinational retailers. Although it’s amazing that vegan options are now more accessible, it’s still vital to be critical when buying any pair of shoes that are marketed as eco-friendly or “green.”

Doc Martens for example, already has some vegan combat boots in their collection. Unfortunately, the shoes are still made of 100% PVC, so it isn’t much of a step above actual animal leather. Shopping from truly sustainable stores like Veja and Ahimsa Shoes, among many others, is the preferable option.

Making the switch to vegan shoes doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Good quality shoes are a major investment and it makes sense if you don’t want to part with your favorite pair of well-loved leather boots. But switching to vegan shoes does have enormous benefits not only for you but also for the animals and our environment. You don’t have to pull everything out of your closet and immediately look for vegan alternatives! Starting the transition to vegan shoes can be as easy as buying second-hand or buying your next pair—when you need it—from a vegan brand.

Why People Should Switch to Vegan Shoes and Why We Are Seeing More Brands Going This Route - By Crystal Toledano