Complete your look from the ground up while minimizing the ecological impact of your choices with a bit of help from these 15 sustainable men’s shoe brands.
Shoes are to dressing what punctuation marks are to writing. Use the correct ones and everything looks well put together, neglect them and the intent behind your effort may be lost.
In fact, studies have even gone on to show that shoes can reveal a lot about their wearer’s personality. It’s almost amusing how the final stage of getting dressed can actually end up becoming the most crucial one. One that has the potential to make or break your look and create a lasting first impression.
Lucky for you, we’re here to not only help you put your most stylish foot forward but also add a conscious credential to it while you’re at it. After all, shoes are those investment pieces you’re going to have on rotation for years to come.
And these 15 brands are offering a range of eco-friendly men’s shoes spanning sneakers, dress shoes, winter boots, sandals, and beyond that’ll have you covered for everything from desk to drinks and everything in between.
Where to Find Men’s Sustainable Men’s Shoe Brands:
Transparency note: this guide contains affiliate links, meaning if you purchase via one of these links, we may earn a small commission which helps us continue to run this site. As always we only feature brands that meet strict criteria for sustainability that we love — and that we think you’ll love too!
1. Brother Vellies
Brother Vellies is a Black-owned footwear and accessories label that’s preserving traditional African design practices and techniques to create one-of-a-kind pieces that’ll help you stand out.
Whether you’re in search of a pair of slip-on-and-go clogs or effortless summer sandals, these versatile shoes can be worn with a wide variety of outfits.
Crafted using vegetable-tanned leather, soles from recycled tires, and hand-carved wood, these shoes have an inimitable artisanal quality to them.
Why we love it: Black-owned, artisan-made, fair labor practices
Price: $$$
2. Nisolo
If you’re in the mood for some serious sole-searching, then look no further. Nisolo creates high-quality sustainable men’s boots, sneakers, oxfords, loafers, and even summer sandals that’ll have you covered in style all year long.
Made with comfort, durability, and function in mind, the brand uses a memory foam insole on their sustainable men’s dress shoes along with a shock-absorbing outsole that helps provide extra traction, and water resistance.
All of Nisolo’s leather is sourced from Leather Working Group (LWG) Certified tanneries that prioritize environmental responsibility, while ensuring their workers are paid living wages, and provided with healthcare, bonuses, and paid time off, among other benefits.
We love the fact that each product comes with a sustainability fact label (similar to a nutrition label) that helps clarify its’ social and environmental impact.
Why we love it: fair labor, next-level transparency, use of vegetable-tanned leather
Price: $$$
3. Thousand Fell
Everyday sneakers that were made to last — even after you’re done with them — Thousand Fell is on a mission to keep its shoes out of the landfill and in your closet forever.
Crafted from a stain-repellent Bioleather fabric that features structural details made from coconut, sugarcane, and palm food waste, these sneakers let your feet sit on recycled yoga mat insoles that leave you feeling cushioned and supported with every step.
We love the fact that every shoe comes with a $20 recycling deposit, encouraging you to send back and recycle your worn-out shoes.
Whether you’re more of a lace-ups, slip-ons, or court shoes kind of guy, Thousand Fell has a style in every color combination for you.
Why we love it: circular shoes, in-built recyclability, use of food waste and recycled materials
Price: $$$
4. Veja
Made with an understated minimalist aesthetic, Veja creates fair trade men’s shoes for everyday wear using eco-friendly materials like organic cotton canvas, Amazonian natural rubber, recycled polyester, and a mix of biomaterials.
You could wear a versatile pair of Veja’s with everything, right from tailored separates to sweatpants and even denim jeans. With fair trade as one of its leading principles, the brand bridges the gap with its producers by working directly with them to pay them more than the average market price.
True to its nonchalant French roots, Veja doesn’t believe in spending on marketing or advertising its shoe. It focuses its investments on better materials and producing in factories with high social standards.
Why we love it: use of recycled and biomaterials, fair trade, ethically produced
Price: $$$
5. CARIUMA
CARIUMA is a Brazilian-born casual footwear brand creating perennial styles that will see you through most occasions and situations. Its’ shoes are fabricated using materials like organic cotton, bamboo, cork, sugarcane, and recycled polyester among many more.
In an effort to reduce waste, the brand also designs some of its sneakers with minimal components and fewer stitch points, while saving every piece of rubber waste to use towards their next pair.
Expect to find a range of high-tops, low-tops, and slip-ons, among some limited edition collaboration pieces that’ll set you apart from the crowd.
Why we love it: use of recycled and biomaterials, low-waste, fairly made
Price: $$-$$$
6. SAOLA
In the market for a sturdy pair of shoes? SAOLA has you covered with hard-wearing, lightweight, and comfortable shoes (some of which are even waterproof) for your everyday adventures.
Made up of a combination of eco-friendly materials like recycled plastic, algae foam, natural cork, and organic cotton, these shoes can even be washed in a delicate cycle after taking out the cork insole.
Named after one of the world’s rarest large mammals, SAOLA donates 1% of its turnover to wildlife conservation organizations that make an impact.
Why we love it: use of recycled and biomaterials, donates to environmental causes
Price: $$-$$$
7. FLAMINGOS LIFE
Make way for a range of genderless plant-based sneakers in a sea of plastic ones that don’t just look cool but also care. Whether it’s helping provide clean water to remote areas of Uganda or collecting plastic from the ocean, we love the fact that each of their sneaker collections has a meaningful project associated with it.
Produced in Spain, FLAMINGOS LIFE sneakers are made from materials like corn, bamboo, hemp, organic cotton, and sustainably extracted natural rubber.
With styles that resonate with eras of 90s, 80s, and 70s, their sneakers will help you look at sustainability from a different, more appreciative lens.
Why we love it: use of plant-based materials, gives back
Price: $$-$$$
8. Womsh
Womsh is an Italian brand creating cool sneakers that are bound to give you some serious street cred. Crafted from metal-free (including free of chromium) leather sourced from Leather Working Group (LWG) Certified tanneries and apple skin leather derived from the fruit’s waste, Womsh creates ethical men’s shoes that are rooted in Italian craftsmanship and fair production.
Available in a range of high-top and low-top lace-up styles, these sneakers are stylish little objects of desire in their own right.
Why we love it: use of metal-free and apple leather, recycled components, ethically produced
Price: $$$
9. Chamula
Made from vegetable-tanned leather, Chamula reimagines the traditional Mexican huaraches sandals in modern styles that are suited for a stylish summer in the sun.
Handcrafted using time-honored techniques, the brand strives to preserve the art of delicately-made goods in the highlands of Mexico.
Known for its intricately woven leather straps, you can find your footing in any one of their styles that are suited for everything from casually sipping piña coladas by the beach to your buddy’s destination wedding.
Why we love it: artisan-made, use of vegetable-tanned leather
Price: $$$
10. Etiko
See no evil, hear no evil, and wear no evil. With the latter as Etiko’s tagline, the brand is on a mission to encourage its customers to make better choices through its range of genderless canvas shoes that are made in an ethical supply chain free of child labor and underpaid workers.
Made from organic cotton or hemp uppers and natural latex rubber soles, consider these canvas shoes to be your ethical and consciously crafted alternative to Chuck Taylors.
Whether your casual style ranges from high-top lace ups, low tops, or even slip-ons, Etiko has an everyday shoe for you.
Why we love it: use of natural materials, ethically produced
Price: $$-$$$
11. Deux Mains
Summers are for letting your toes roam freely in style. And what better way to do it than with a pair of sandals that aren’t made of plastic? Lucky for you, Deux Mains creates the ultimate summer sandal in two classic styles that are so undeniably elegant, they could convert even the most adamant closed-shoe conformists.
Crafted from sustainably sourced leather, with soles made from upcycled tires, these sandals are ethically handmade in a women-owned, solar-powered factory in Haiti.
Why we love it: artisan-made, use of upcycled tires, fairly made
Price: $$
12. 8000Kicks
For the outdoorsy adventurer who needs a durable shoe that’s practical, functional, and doesn’t skimp on style, 8000Kicks creates waterproof shoes made entirely from sustainable hemp fiber.
Available in a range of covetable earth-toned neutrals, these kicks also feature a super light algae bottom with increased durability and a non-toxic waterproof membrane that keeps your feet dry no matter what puddle you step into.
Known for being nature’s purifier, the brand also invests in carbon-capturing hemp farms in an effort to offset its footprint.
Why we love it: hemp-made, investments in climate projects
Price: $$$
13. ONE432
Offering a modern take on the traditional Punjabi jutti, ONE432 creates genderless shoes that are hand-stitched in Pakistan using time-honored techniques, where one pair take as much as eight hours to create.
Rooted in social responsibility, the brand shares 50% of the net profits from each unit sold with its female artisans, while sponsoring a child’s education in Pakistan.
P.S. Did you know that the traditional jutti is created in perfect symmetry, with no left or right pair? The shoes are constructed in a unique manner that allows the front half to pivot and mold to your feet in just a few hours.
Why we love it: artisan-made, gives back
Price: $$-$$$
14. Vesica Piscis
Spanish-made, Vesica Piscis creates a range of vegan men’s shoes made from a combination of organic cotton, recycled polyester, natural rubber, and some bio-based materials. The result? A wide variety of smart boots, sneakers, slippers, and sandals that’ll keep you sustainably in style.
You wouldn’t guess that their winter boots come lined with faux wool made from organic cotton that has a striking resemblance to shearling.
What’s more? The brand encourages recycling and offers a program to return your old worn-out pairs of Vesica Piscis.
Why we love it: vegan, use of recycled and natural materials
Price: $$-$$$
15. Allbirds
Everyday sneakers that make a difference, Allbirds creates casual shoes made from TENCEL™ Lyocell, bio-based materials, and recycled polyester.
In its constant attempt to deviate from plastic-based materials, the brand has even gone on to use agricultural byproducts like rice hulls and citrus peels in its plant-based sneakers.
Spanning a range of casual, outdoor, and performance shoes, Allbirds also resells its secondhand shoes through its ReRun platform where every pair listed is anywhere between near mint and wearable condition.
Why we love it: plant- and bio-based materials
Price: $$-$$$
More Guides Like This:
16 Eco & Vegan Shoe Brands For Every Season
20 Men’s Sustainable Clothing Brands to Have On Your Radar
About The Author:
Jharna Pariani is a fashion writer and creative strategist whose work is rooted in honesty and deep observation of the world around her. When she isn’t busy penning down her thoughts, she moonlights as a video editor creating fashion and food reels on Instagram for several brands and influencers
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