Whilst there is plenty of talk about the environmental and ethical impact of the clothes that we wear including the use of pesticides to grow cotton, the energy intensive manufacture of synthetic fabrics and the fast fashion culture which commits thousands of tonnes of textile waste to landfill, we often forget about our shoes and footwear which is just as essential to every day life as clothing and has just as much impact.
The majority of shoes are made from either leather or synthetic materials both of which have huge environmental impacts. Leather is usually tanned using a process which causes damage to the health of the people involved and to the surrounding environment. The tanning uses chemicals including lead, zinc, formaldehyde, dyes and cyanide-based chemicals. Shoes are also often glued together using benzene which is highly toxic and damaging to the health of the workers. Synthetic materials are usually not biodegradable making them difficult to dispose of and also sometimes contain toxic chemicals like phthalates which are damaging to health and the environment in a number of ways. So how is likely is it that there will be more ethical footwear available in the future?
Well there are already a number of companies which specialise in ethical footwear and manufacture shoes using a variety of materials and methods which have a lesser impact on the environment. Po Zu Ethical Footwear makes shoes using a variety of natural materials including cork, organic hemp, natural latex, coconut husk and vegetable tanned leather. They using stitching instead of glue to make the shoes and the factory follows strict ethical guidelines. The shoes are made to for comfort and durability so that they should have a long life span but when their useful life is over they easily biodegrade.
Brands like Po-Zu are taking big steps forward in the manufacture of ethical footwear but there is still a long way to go in finding the perfect ethical and eco friendly material to make the shoes from. Whilst vegan shoes made of materials like hemp and cork are both incredibly sustainable, they are unlikely to ever replace leather which is favoured for its appearance and durability. Vegetable tanned leather is a better alternative than conventionally tanned leather but still has an environmental impact associated with the rearing of animals and for many there are ethical issues surrounding the welfare of the animals.
One of the changes that would help the growth of ethical footwear would be change in attitude to the buying of footwear. Footwear can be considered as part of the ‘fast fashion culture’ and ‘throw away society’ where low cost shoes are purchased in line with the current trends and thrown away after a few wears. The second hand market for shoes is even less than with clothes. If people could consider an investment which they will keep for many years to come then they may not mind paying a little extra to ensure both quality and that the shoes have been ethically manufactured. The longer life span of shoes would then cut down on waste.
There are a number of potential materials that could be used to make ethical footwear and shoes in the future although there is still some way to go before these materials become completely commercially viable. The ideal material would need to be strong, breathable, durable and look great when made into shoes.
Fish leather is one possible solution. It is made using fish skin which is a by product of the fish industry and it is also really strong. The tanning process also does not use toxic chemicals. At the moment, it is mainly used for products like purses. Ocean leather is another possible solution which is made from kelp but is still in the very early stages of development.
