Sainsbury’s has launched a range of vegan shoes made from sustainable materials.
The new Love Our Planet Footwear brand featured styles from Chelsea boots to hiking shoes and sneakers. Everything is not only free from fur and leather, but also eco-friendly. All polyester materials used in the collection consist of at least partly recycled polyester. The shoelaces are made from plastic bottles and water-based PU. The outsoles are made from 100 percent TRP (thermoplastic rubber).
Additionally, the boxes are eco-friendly. The packaging is made from recycled paper and features soy-based ink. Love Our Planet is also manufactured under full social and environmental compliance for a fair price.
The Vegan Future of Footwear
The launch of Sainsbury’s new vegan shoe range follows Marks & Spencer’s own-brand range featuring 350 styles earlier this year. The high street retailer stepped into vegan footwear following consumer research.
“After increased customer interest in veganism and a rise in online searches for related products, we decided to investigate the possibility of expanding our vegan-friendly offering into footwear and accessories,” said Rachel Smith, senior footwear technologist at Marks & Spencer.
Mainstream fashion brands are also paying attention to the rising demand for vegan shoes. Sustainable designer Stella McCartney has partnered with Adidas a number of times, creating vegan version of the iconic Stan Smith sneaker. Adidas has also worked with environmental charity Parley for Oceans to launch shoes made from reclaimed ocean plastic.
Canadian brand Call It Spring launched a new vegan range earlier this year. Later this month, like Sainsbury’s, the brand will embrace sustainable materials. The new collection will feature microsuede, jersey, and “shearling” lining made from recycled water bottles, insoles made from algae, and vegan leather with a lower carbon footprint than polyurethane, a common material used to make faux leather.
According to a report from retail data and technology company EDITED, shoes represent 73 percent of all new vegan fashion purchases. The study also found a 52 percent increase in new products labeled “vegan” across 40 major retailers.
Love Our Planet Footwear prices range from £35-50 and are available online.
