Other types of shoes

Eco-friendly, ethically made sneakers were a lot easier to find than I thought, but what about other types of shoes? When it comes to casual shoes, there is a quite a variety. American brand Keen Footwear has a range of ethically made, eco-friendly shoes. They use materials such as canvas, recycled polyurethane, reclaimed rice paper, recycled aluminium, rubber, latex, and leather. See www.keenfootwear.co.nz for stockists. I like the look of the Harvest Mary Jane shoe, pictured above.

Po-Zu, meaning ‘pause’ in Japanese, is a brand which makes a variety of shoes for men and women. They are ethically made in Portugal, using natural materials such as organic hemp, vegetable tanned leather, wooden buttons, cork, coconut husk, natural latex, vegetable tanned suede, and wool. They also make an edible shoe polish, although I’m not sure that’s available in New Zealand. A few styles of Po-Zu shoes can be bought from www.idiomboutique.co.nz and www.conch.co.nz. Prices start at $200.

El Naturalista is another eco-friendly, ethical brand that makes shoes. The Spanish company has a list of ten commandments which embodies their ethics, regarding human rights and respect for the environment. Check out www.elnaturalista.com for stockists. The website is Spanish, but there is an option to view it in English.

Ethically made, eco-friendly formal/corporate leather shoes are more difficult to find, but I came across Pikolinos, another Spanish company. They make sure all their employees are treated fairly, and the majority of shoes are made from vegetable-tanned leather, using water-based dyes, and solvent-free glues. Bank Shoes stores stock a couple of styles of Pikolinos shoes, for $269. Check out the Pikolinos website at www.pikolinos.com. Unless you speak Spanish, you’ll need to use Google Translate to turn it into English.