If you have children, you know kids’ shoes take a beating and last less than a year before they need to be replaced. Even though fast fashion options seem attractive, they are often poorly made; hence they won’t last.
In this sense, children’s shoes must be durable. It means that these shoes are passed down from sibling to sibling. With children growing up so quickly, sustainable shoes are also a big bonus.
But, these types of footwear can be hard to find. For that reason, we made a list of the best sustainable kids’ shoes, including the brand, crafted material, and comfort!
Contents
1. Plae Design Fotwear
Plae is a very well-known company that is popular for crafting sustainable sneakers for kids and other footwear.
They produce shoes designed to withstand the challenges of children’s play. The company even encourages customers to resell their old shoes on Kidizen as part of the REWEAR collective.
Plae footwear has replaceable insoles and durable components. Thanks to this, siblings in the family can wear the same pair for years.
As for sustainability, Plae shoes are crafted with recycled materials and water-based glues in solar-powered factories. However, their wonderful work doesn’t stop there. Additionally, they also use eco-friendly packing and shoe stuffing materials.
2. Vivobarefoot
Vivobarefoot is another sustainable shoe brand that aims to provide quality and sustainable kids’ shoes with as little impact on the environment as possible.
Their Primus Sport collection is super lightweight and flexible, allowing your kids’ natural movement with almost no restriction.
They used recycled PET plastic and a bio-based Bloom EVA performance insole to craft these sustainable shoes for kids.
Vivobarefoot is committed to making its products natural, recyclable, durable, and locally sourced whenever possible.
They offer a range of toddlers’ and teenagers’ shoes in different styles, including vegan shoes.
3. Native Shoes
Native Shoes is taking significant moves toward embracing sustainable shoe manufacture, intending to recycle 100% of its shoes by next year.
Their footwear is shaped like sneakers, but they use super lightweight EVA foam. Many parents stated that they are very breathable and easy to wash. They also have a secure fit, so they are less likely to fall off your kids’ feet!
The Native Shoes are lightweight, odor-resistant, and durable, making them great sustainable kids’ shoes.
The company has launched a Native’s Remix Project that helped construct five playgrounds with its recycled shoes! In addition to their recycling goals, Native is adding additional biomaterials to produce their shoes, including a sugarcane-derived glue that helps cut carbon emissions by 22%.
4. Wildling Shoes
The Wildling Shoes has a very interesting collection for kids with unique designs and great materials.
For example, their Starling winter collection features organic wool with microfiber edging. They are also crafted of 80% synthetic rubber with 50% recycled content and 20% of cork sole.
And probably the most amazing thing about these sustainable kids’ shoes is that each shoe is individually handmade. This means that you will get a unique product without any doubt about its quality.
Wildling Shoes company has a range of shoes for teenagers, toddlers, and parents as well.
5. Bogs
Bogs company has always strived to create footwear that will have a long life span in order to reduce landfill waste.
Besides focusing on durability and sustainability, Bogs is reducing its carbon footprint. They are using more sustainable materials and fewer chemicals for crafting their footwear.
If you opt for their shoes, you won’t forget, regardless of your collection. Bogs have also expanded their product lines by implementing slip-ons manufactured with algae-based EVA footbeds.
They are proud of how their product is continually passed over. In addition, Bogs have developed a Reuse A Boot Program where customers can ship back old boots for free to be reconditioned and donated to outdoor charities.
6. Ten Little
Ten Little manufacture amazing and sustainable kids’ shoes out of vegan leather with a cotton lining and natural rubber soles. The shoes were created with doctors’ involvement to satisfy the developmental requirements of growing feet.
Their footwear is zero drops, possesses a wide toe box, and is very flexible. However, they are not as flexible as other barefoot brands, but they meet the standards for natural footwear at a reasonable price.
The greatest thing about this company is that Ten Little shoes are all vegan. The company is dedicated to using high-quality products with little environmental effect.
You can order shoes in bundles with organic cotton socks and stickers for added convenience and pleasure. The stickers come in various themes, like NASA, agriculture, dinosaurs, and dogs, so youngsters may personalize their footwear and have fun!
7. Veja
Veja company uses sustainability and ethics to craft its footwear from beginning to end.
VEJA is the first shoe manufacturer to use B-mesh, a fabric made completely of recycled plastic bottles. B-mesh is a polyester fabric produced completely of recycled materials (polyethylene terephthalate or PET).
They make sustainable shoes for kids in Brazil, using recycled and biomaterials. The company is also focused on hiring socially vulnerable individuals to work in their factories for fair wages.
Veja company dedicates a lot of its time to designing shoes, resulting in durable footwear. The aim is to pass the sneakers on to friends or family after use. Their products are lightweight, breathable, and water-resistant.
8. Rothy’s
Rothy’s is another great sustainable footwear company that offers a wide collection of shoes. They have both slip-on and velcro sneakers for kids in a cheerful range of colors and patterns.
Rothy makes its shoes out of recycled materials, including single-use plastic bottles and ocean-bound plastic garbage.
We know, who would expect shoes made from plastic water bottles to be durable, but they are. From many satisfied users, we can claim that Rothy’s shoes last for a long time.
Besides, the company has prevented more than 100 tons of plastic from entering the oceans! Rothy recycles damaged returns and uses stringent knitting techniques to limit production waste. We cannot be more thankful for that!
FAQ Section
What does sustainability mean in shoes?
Sustainable shoes are created mostly from recycled materials and go through an eco-friendly manufacturing procedure.
These shoes help in the protection of the environment. This is because they use recycled materials and reduce toxic waste. Besides, in their production process they use far less water and toxic chemicals.
Why is footwear sustainable?
Sustainable footwear puts the treatment of animals in the first place from which raw materials are obtained in the foreground.
Fewer animals are sacrificed for our fashion requirements since sustainable leather is manufactured from recycled materials and vegetable-based sources, preserving an ecological balance.
But sustainable raw materials are more expensive to procure. Since their purpose is to reduce waste and save the environment, they help manufacturers to save their resources in the long run.
Environmentally friendly products encourage healthy living. They make use of less potentially dangerous substances. Such items generate less hazardous waste, which can be deadly to humans if it gets into the air and water systems.
What shoe material is best for the environment?
The best footwear materials for eco-friendly shoes are recycled plastics and tires, cork, organic cotton, pineapple, and bamboo.
All of these materials offer a more efficient solution to plastic, leather, and suede, which use a lot of resources in their manufacturing process.
Why is it important to make shoes more sustainable?
By buying sustainable kids’ shoes and other goods, you can improve the quality of your life, protect the ecosystem, and preserve natural resources for future generations.
For instance, you can reduce your carbon emissions and save natural resources by simply buying products that use recycled materials, such as sustainable shoes for the kids we mentioned above.
Conclusion on Sustainable Kids Shoes
Sustainability has become one of the most important things in our lives, especially in the last couple of years, when massive pollution has taken over the world.
If we do small yet significant things, like buying recycled clothes and footwear, we can help our planet and save the environment.
Eco-friendly and sustainable kid shoes have grown into a massive trend. More and more people have finally become aware of its importance.
For that reason, we have made a list of the 8 best sustainable kids’ shoes. We have included reputable brands, their most prominent collection, and the material they used!
We are sure that you can find the ones suitable for your kids since we covered all types of footwear, including boots, sneakers, and slip-ons as well!
