Slip into style this season with a pair of sustainable and ethical sandals from one of these conscious brands.
This sustainable sandal guide has any type of footwear you need for warmer weather! Think eco-friendly vegan sandals, recycled and natural rubber flip flops, fair trade slides, and ethical walking sandals.
What Are (More) Sustainable Sandals?
Oof. The word “sustainable” is a bit of a loaded term that comes with a lot of confusion and difference of opinions! I actually try to stay away from using the word sustainable when it comes to products, since pretty much no product is sustainable, even if it was made with some lower impact and eco-minded processes. But that’s the language most people use, and I want this content to be accessible and discoverable.
With that said, here are some sustainability criterion you’ll want to look for when it comes to footwear like sandals:
Quality and Materials
Footwear is probably the hardest category in fashion to find eco-friendly materials for, because shoes require considerable functionality and durability. Virtually no footwear right now is recyclable (with the exception of a few brands). So durability is even more important for shoes than clothing when it comes to sustainability.
Buying less (which usually requires buying more durable, longer-lasting goods) is a key part of sustainability. This is why I’ve included vegetable-tanned leather sandals, despite some very valid concerns about the sustainability of leather. Good quality leather is long-lasting, durable, and importantly, more repairable.
I have also included plant-based vegan leather alternatives. Most of these do still contain a percentage of synthetic materials. I am a vegetarian myself so buying leather doesn’t quite sit right with me, and I do like to see more alternatives coming to the market since “vegan leather” right now typically means pleather (i.e. plastic). In addition to being made with fossil fuels, many plastic vegan leather items I own haven’t lasted. They’ve simply shedded off after a year or two of wear! Disappointing to say the least.
Personally, I prioritize upcycled leather and secondhand leather so I can get the best of both worlds with durability, sustainability, and animal welfare. However, you might feel uncomfortable buying used shoes, and I totally understand that!
Ethical Production
Way too often, we see workers left out of the sustainability equation. But safe conditions and fair wages are absolutely necessary in a truly sustainable fashion future. People are part of the planet too! So you’ll see next to the Conscious Qualities section by each brand, I’ve added which brands are going above and beyond to ensure supply chain transparency and fair production.
Other Sustainable Practices
Some other sustainability-minded supply chain practices might include:
- Use of renewable energy at manufacturing facilities and throughout the supply chain
- Take-back and resale program
- Repairability of products
- Recycled and biodegradable packaging
Where to Find Sustainable and Ethical Sandals
Without further ado, let’s get onto the brand list! Each brand features a description, a breakdown of their sustainability highlights (called “Conscious Qualities), and a price range key, so you have an idea of which brands fit your budget for your ethical and eco-friendly sandals.
One note on the budget front: don’t forget to consider cost per wear! This is the total cost divided by the number of times you wear an item. If you’re buying a quality pair of sandals that’ll be your go-to shoes for many summers to come, you could be wearing them 300+ times!
Price Range Key: $ = Under $100 | $$ = $100 – $200 | $$$ = $200+
This article features affiliates and partners. As always, we only feature brands that meet high standards for sustainability that we love — and that we think you’ll love too!
1. Nisolo
Nisolo is a B-Corporation is an ethical shoe brand committed to paying living wages across their supply chain. The brand also launched a Sustainability Facts Label, modeled after the nutrition facts label for food products. And Nisolo has shoe reclamation + donation program. NIsolo’s shoes are made from high-quality Leather Working Group-certified leather.
Conscious Qualities: Pays Living Wages, Shoe Reclamation and Donations
Price Range: $ – $$
2. Christy Dawn
Christy Dawn creates swoon-worthy sustainable clothing and accessories — including their elegant recycled leather sandals. The brand’s signature sandal is designed for functionality and versatility. Simple enough to wear for casual outings while elevated enough to rock to weddings and other special occasions.
Conscious Qualities: Recycled Leather, Ethical Production
Price Range: $$
3. 1 People
1 People has sustainable flat sandals as well as block open-toe heels. Their chic sandals are crafted with Global Organic Textile Standard-certified dyed Piñatex® (pineapple leather) or VEGEA (grape leather) for their uppers and Global Recycled Standard-certified Eco Suede for the linings. The block heels are made from Tung Oil-treated and responsibly-harvested teak wood. Even the 1 People logo plate is made from recycled brass!
Conscious Qualities: Vegan, Recycled & Natural Materials, Supply Chain Transparency
Price Range: $$-$$$
4. Good Guys
Looking for a sustainable alternative to Birkenstocks? Look no further than Good Guys! This vegan brand has buckled slide-ons and cross strap sandals made with materials like Appleskin (a vegan leather alternative made partially from apple waste), cork, and even linings made with corn. The sustainable slides are made by artisans in Spain and are skillfully crafted with arch support too.
Conscious Qualities: Vegan, Recycled & Natural Materials, Artisan-Made in Spain
Price Range: $$
5. Etiko
Most flip flops are made from synthetic materials (aka fossil fuels). Etiko offers a plastic-free alternative with their natural sandals made with FSC-certified natural rubber latex and colored with REACH Certified organic dyes. Their affordable sustainable sandals are made in Certified Fairtrade facilities in Sri Lanka. Plus 10% of proceeds are donated to ocean conservation organization Sea Shepherd.
Conscious Qualities: Vegan, Natural Rubber, Fair Trade, Gives Back
Price Range: $
6. ABLE
ABLE is an ethical shoe brand taking transparency to a new level with their Lowest Wage Challenge, where they publish not just their average, but their lowest wages — and challenge other brands to do the same. I actually visited ABLE’s headquarters in Nashville and really admire what they’re doing in this industry! I do wish they had more environmental sustainability initiatives, though.
Conscious Qualities: Ethical Production, Supply Chain Transparency
Price Range: $ – $$
7. The Root Collective
The Root Collective partners with small, independent workshops in Guatemala run by local business owners. The brand’s fabric is handwoven by artisans in cooperatives and the shoes are crafted in workshops in Guatemala City and Pastores. Committed to ethical production, The Root Collective ensures all artisans get paid fairly — their shoemakers earn well above (50-400% to be exact) Guatemala’s Fair Wage minimum.
One concern I do have is that it is not specified if their leather is chrome-tanned or not.
Conscious Qualities: Fair Trade
Price Range: $ – $$
8. CANO
CANO is a fair trade shoe brand with durable, vegetable-tanned leather sandals. Each pair is crafted using certified chromium-free leather, rubber crepe for the soles, and upcycled airplane tires for the outsoles. The brand’s shoes are handmade in by artisans who work in family-owned shoe manufacturing facilities in Mexico. The artisans earn fair wages, work in safe conditions, and do not work shifts longer than 8 hours.
Qualities: Fair Trade, Vegetable Tanned Leather
Price Range: $
9. Brother Vellies
Brother Vellies is a Black-owned sustainable accessories brand founded by Aurora James with the goal of celebrating and sustaining traditional African artisan techniques. The brand now sources from artisans around the world who create timeless, quality shoes from conscious materials like vegetable-tanned leathers, recycled tires, hand-carved wood, and natural dyes.
Conscious Qualities: Artisan-Made, BIPOC-Owned, Vegetable-Tanned Leather (not clear if all leather is veg-tanned)
Price Range: $$$ – $$$+
10. Deux Mains
Featured in the likes of Vogue, InStyle, Marie Claire, Deux Mains is a stylishly sustainable brand with ethical sandals and accessories using locally sourced and upcycled materials. Deux Mains pays their artisan partners fair wages and is working to preserve the local craftsmanship in the areas they work.
The conscious sandals are made in a solar-powered factory using upcycled tire soles and inner tubes and leather. The type of leather used in the sandals is not specified if it’s vegetable-tanned or chrome-tanned, though.
Conscious Qualities: Fair Trade, Some Upcycled Materials
Price Range: $
11. Indosole
Indosole creates vegan flip flops from recycled tires, which helps reduce the 1.5 billion tires that end up in the landfill each year while also avoiding the production of new resources. For the uppers of the flip flops, Indosole uses organic canvas, banana leaves, and grass. The B-Corporation pretty much checks the box for every value: sustainable, ethically-made, and vegan! And compared to many other conscious shoe brands, the prices are affordable too.
Conscious Qualities: Ethical Production, Recycled Materials, Vegan
Price Range: $
12. NAE Vegan
Nae is a vegan shoe brand producing sustainable sandals from natural materials like cork and piñatex (faux leather made from discarded pineapple leaves) and recycled materials, such as rubber from car tires. When browsing their selections, note that there are also some synthetic materials used such as OEKO-TEX Certified microsuede which aren’t as ideal.
Conscious Qualities: Vegan, Plant-Based and Recycled Options
Price Range: $ – $$
Bonus! ThredUp (Secondhand)
ThredUp is the ultimate online destination for thrifted fashion — shoes included. You can sort by size, color, and price range among many other filters to find a pair that suits you. I know that not everyone feels comfortable wearing pre-worn sandals, but ThredUp also has some options with tags still on them so it may still be worth browsing through even if you would prefer a pair of sandals that haven’t been worn before.
Conscious Qualities: Sustainable
Price Range: $ – $$
Explore ThredUp’s Secondhand Sandals
You May Also Want to Check Out:
14 Ethical, Eco & Vegan Shoe Brands
Sustainably Handmade Sandals and Slides from Salt + Umber
7 Brands with Sustainable and Ethical Flats
