Investing in sustainable shoes is sure to pay off. Footwear is easily the most worn item in your wardrobe and can make or break comfort. So if you’re looking for a brand that makes its quality kicks with people and planet in mind, you’ve come to the right place. These brands available in Australia and New Zealand are working with sustainable materials to help reduce their environmental impact and impact to animals. If you’re looking for animal-free alternatives, check out this list for vegan shoes that are also sustainable.
Read next: Made in Australia: 11 Brands for Ethically Made Shoes.
1. Radical Yes
Founded in 2013 by Brand Director Kerryn Moscicki, this Melbourne-based brand produces the cutest ballet flats, lace ups and boots to bridge your day between work and play. Radical Yes is know for its bright colours, tassels and prints, and absolute comfort. Radical Yes sticks with small runs, often producing less than 100 pairs in each style in each range, so it’s first in, best dressed – literally. Shoes are ethically produced in Australia and in China, see the website for manufacturer details. Prices range between $79-$279.
2. Allbirds
“The world’s most comfortable shoes” are made in New Zealand, so it’s only fitting that they’re made from the finest Merino wool and tree fibres. The Allbirds’ founders say they have created an entirely new category of shoes inspired by natural materials, simplicity in design and extreme comfort. The brand is B-Corp certified, and uses 90% post-consumer recycled cardboard that for its packaging.
3. Nelson Made
Designed and assembled in Melbourne, Nelson Made makes slips and sandals with leathers, linens and rubber soles. The brand says it aims to make shoes with a small environmental impact, with a commitment to making sustainable pieces in a slow fashion, small batch model. Nelson Made sources materials with the “lowest possible environmental and human impact while still being suitable for footwear production.” They say they use vegetable tanned leathers that are dyed with less harmful chemicals than chromium tanned hides. While the designs are simple, the fabrics are often bold, making the shoes a funky addition to any outfit. You can design your own leather sandals, too. Prices range between $159-$189.
4. aciae
aciae aims to help tackle the estimated 8 million metric tons of plastic waste that enters the ocean every year by working with post-consumer plastics to produce its product line of sustainable footwear. The brand’s initial line of footwear includes a selection of stylish and wearable flats in ballet, boot and loafer styles, available in classic colourways. aciae is committed to people and planet and shares extensive detail about its projects and path towards circularity and net zero operations on its website.
5. Twoobs
Melbourne-based brand Twoobs has built a cult following with its fun and funky sandals. Twoobs are, and have always been, 100% vegan, and the brands holds a PETA accreditation to make sure of it. The brand works with high quality materials that are designed to last, in silhouettes that transcend seasonal trends. More recently, Twoobs has started using recycled materials for its shoes and takes back old Twoobs to be recycled into playmats for kids. The brand is also proudly carbon neutral.
6. Post Sole Studio
This Melbourne-based footwear factory makes its shoes in-house as well as producing shoes for other local and international labels. The locally made P.S.S label is a range of simple boots, loafers and sandals, made with sustainably sourced leathers including vegetable tanned kangaroo leather. If you find a shoe you love but want it in a different colour, you can get it custom made. Prices range between $349-$499.
7. Felicity Cooney
This Sunshine Coast designer makes colourful and classic leather sandals and brogues for your everyday wear. All of her shoes are ethically produced in the Sunshine Coast and Melbourne and materials (including the kangaroo leather) are sustainably sourced. Sandals start at $275.
8. BB Shoemaker
Fresh out of South Australia, Adelaide-based shoemaker Beccy Bromilow is driven to create simple, practical designs with a sustainable focus – which is evident in the brand’s design stage, materials used and waste management. BB Shoemaker’s footwear and leather accessories are assembled by hand at Ensemble Studios, a collective retail, studio and hire space located in Adelaide. The shoes are a range of slip ons, lace ups, boots and sandals, in vegetable tanned kangaroo leather.
9. Done by Matea
Adelaide-based shoemaker and artist Matea Gluscevic creates unique handmade shoes and accessories with quality craftsmanship and a mindful approach to aesthetics vs sustainable materials. The shoemaker’s values are slow, sustainable and ethical – with the footwear made by hand and on a made-to-order basis in Adelaide. For the its unique collections spanning pared back slides to statement wedges, the brand opts for recycled, recyclable, natural fibre or a combination of these materials.
10. Veja
Veja produces environmentally friendly sneakers, made with raw materials sourced from organic farming and ecological agriculture, without chemicals or polluting processes. Unlike 95% of the world’s sneakers which are made in Southeast Asia, Veja sneakers are ethically designed and produced in southern Brazil and made to last with quality cotton, rubber and leathers. You can read more about this brand’s epic commitment to sustainable production here. Australians can buy Vejas from the Considered edit on The Iconic. Prices range between $120-$200.
11. Teva
US-based brand Teva has built a cult following for its unique sandal design, perfect for summertime hiking and adventure of all sorts. And now, they’re doing it sustainably, opting for recycled plastic and vegan materials. Since converting 100% of its iconic straps to recycled plastic in 2020, the brand has kept more than 40 million plastic bottles out of landfills – now, that’s something to celebrate!
12. Pieds
Melbourne-based brand Pieds makes effortless everyday sandals taking you from morning yoga, a trip to the market, brunch with friends and everywhere in between. The brand has teamed up with a local maker for its range of sandals which are now all made-to-order in Melbourne. Pieds are completely non leather and no animal products are used. They come in around the $150 mark.
