Which type of shoes have a lower carbon footprint? Shoes vary immensely depending on what material they are made from, their weight and how long they last.

Shoes and material

Research shows that the heavier the shoe and the wider variety of materials they are made from, the higher the carbon footprint. Rubber crocs come in as the lowest carbon emissions because they are light, durable and made of only one material (foam rubber). They are also sold without packaging which lowers the carbon footprint.  The carbon emissions increase as the range of materials in the shoe increases and as it becomes heavier.

1.5kg CO₂e rubber crocs

8kg CO₂e synthetic

11.5kg CO₂e average mix

15kg CO₂e all leather

Shoes that have the highest carbon footprint are made of leather. Leather comes from cow, which have a high carbon footprint, they are heavier than other materials and require a lot of energy to mould into a shoe.

Buy shoes that last

The most important factor when choosing shoes is buying ones that will last. Regardless of their material, if you use them for a long time and repair them so they last longer, they are worth the investment. The most obvious way to reduce your carbon footprint of having shoes is not to have so many! Fast fashion encourages us to buy lots of pairs of shoes we don’t need with their nice designs and affordable prices. But they are not designed to last, so avoid the temptation.

Surprisingly, where they are made does not matter as much. Most of our shoes come from Far East Asia and mainly transported by boat. Boat is a low carbon form of transport, so it does not matter that it comes from far away. Shoes from fast fashion brands are also more likely to be transported by plane which increases the carbon footprint greatly.

Source: How bad are bananas? by Mike Bernes-Lee