Finally, some eco-friendly shoes for the fashionable green men out there.
We’ve seen an abundance of eco-friendly shoes here on Green Prophet of late – from Sharon Golan’s mix-and-match Shell 256 shoes to Daniela Bekerman’s “ze o ze” shoes that let you change the heels to fit your mood. But what’s an eco-friendly man to do? Go barefoot?
Thanks to a small-scale production leatherwork co-op in Tel Aviv, he doesn’t have to any more. Introducing 100% natural, vegetable tanned leather sandals with a recycled rubber sole. (And they’re stylish too.)
This four-person co-op does all of the production and administration involved with creating the sandals, and this allows them to have full control over what goes into the shoes. Only natural Italian leather is used, and no dyes or artificial substances.
The leather is also vegetable-tanned, which means that it avoids the usage of environmentally damaging chemical tanners.
The sandals are sold via Apolis, a company that believes that the “most valuable practice in creating lasting change is by investing in people. It is people who are the innovators, the advocates, and the revolutionaries. Apolis is a platform for a network of global citizens who are empowering people through opportunity.”
On the co-op that makes the sandals, Shea Parton, co-founder of Apolis, says that “they understand the importance of carefully sourcing their materials, an approach which continues to be a central part of their business, enabling them to truly appreciate what goes in to each pair of handcrafted sandals. We hope you wear them well.”
Read more about other eco-friendly shoe designs::
Piece-Meal High Heels Let Wearers Design Their Own Shoes
Skins Footware is Skinny on the Resources
Change Your Shoes With the Click of a Heel
Grow a Flower in Your Worn Out OAT Shoes
Author: Karen Chernick
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
Love this idea! Nice to see vegetable tanned leather being used, it’s far superior to any other ways of tanning leather and is good for the environment too!