the sustainable shoes

I am a 14 year old girl, so it is not exactly a surprise if I said I loved shoes. I think that the variety of shoes is so fun to match with different outfits and different occasions. There are so many shoes out there, it is incredible. I am sure people are very familiar with the more popular brands like Nike or Converse. What some may not recognize are Allbirds and Rothy’s. Rothy’s are made 100% from recycled materials and Allbirds are made from fully sustainable wool. Plastic and other materials are being used all over the world and polluting the Earth. Plastic takes about 500 years to decompose, but even then, it never fully disappears. This is why it is important to repurpose plastic, and instead use more sustainable products, rather than let it go to waste. There is a huge patch of garbage in the Pacific Ocean about twice the size of Texas that just sits there because most of the trash is not biodegradable. For these reasons, plastic must not go to waste, and this is why companies such as Rothy’s and Allbirds set out to fix this sustainability problem by creating sustainable shoes.

the materials

In 2016, Allbirds were created to make environmentally friendly and sustainable shoes. They use a soft New Zealand merino wool to create part of the shoe. They also use Allbirds Plant Leather which is said to be a sustainable alternative leather that is 100% plastic free and only contains natural materials like rubber, plant oils, and agricultural byproducts such as rice hulls and citrus peels (Husband). For the midsole of the shoe they use Allbirds’s SweetFoam derived from sugarcane. These materials help Allbirds achieve their mission of sustainable footwear for a better future. Also launching in 2016, Rothy’s has a similar goal, but instead they create their shoes from recycled materials. Rothy’s are made from single-use plastic water bottles and marine plastic (McFadden). It is said that they have helped keep 100 tons of plastic from entering the ocean (McFadden). Our environment is slowly getting covered in waste. If there are things we can do now to prevent it, we should, even if that entails buying yet another pair of shoes.

These are Rothy’s sustainable shoes and the materials used to make the shoes. Source: https://www.retailtouchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Rothys-ingredients-900×540.jpg

source

Husband, Laura. “Allbirds, NFW Unveil Plastic-Free Plant Leather ‘Material First’ for Footwear.” Just Style, 13 Sept. 2022, www.just-style.com/news/allbirds-nfw-unveil-plastic-free-plant-leather-material-first-for-footwear/.

McFadden, Mimi. “Rothy’s Review: Are They Worth the Cost?” The Atlas Heart, 15 Feb. 2023, theatlasheart.com/rothys-review/#:~:text=Unlike%20other%20shoe%20brands%20that,in%20their%20shoes%20and%20handbags.

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