3 materials for your shoes better than plastic & leather
If you have a shop and you are looking for vegan shoes to your shop, you must look hard. My first advice is to avoid plastic, or any other cheap materials. Go deeper, source well, innovate your business.
What vegan & sustainable materials can be used for shoes? The main materials can be used for the production of Vegan shoes are: synthetic fibers, vegetables and biopolymers. These are alternatives to animal products and have technical characteristics that are compatible for the production of footwear.
The following are a list of my favourites:
Cork
Cork is 100% organic and totally eco-friendly raw material that we can use to make bags, wallets, shoes, and other products. It born in trees and regenerates again every time you remove it. Portugal is the biggest producer of cork in all over the world. If you have a bottle of wine in your house is very possible the cork is originated from Portuguese lands. So is no surprise the industry associated with cork it is much better developed in Portugal than in any other country.
The portuguese realized how convenient is this material for the footwear industry. Cork is proven to be light as feather . Over 50% of cork’s volume is made of air. Yes, air! Is also a very resistant material cork can handle great pressure without breaking, by simply stretching and coming back to its original shape when the pressure disappears. Finally, is naturally impermeable as the walls of cork cells are covered in suberin and ceroids, making cork practically impermeable to liquids and gases.
If you have a vegan business and looking a for vegan shoes wholesalers our suppliers check out a bit of Treec – Cork Shoes has to offer:
The Riesling – Cork Sneakers
PiÑatex
Piñatex is made from pineapple leaf fibers, which are a byproduct of the fruit harvest that is normally discarded in tons. Leather involves a patented technology that protects both the process and the finished material.
This eco-friendly leather made from pineapple leaves is soft, lightweight, flexible, moldable and easily dyed for shoe, bag and upholstery applications. They are available in different thicknesses and finishes, all biodegradable.
The fibers that make Piñatex are extracted from pineapple leaves by a process called peeling, which is done on the plantation by an agricultural community. The byproduct of this is biomass, which can be further converted into organic fertilizer or bio gas. This can bring additional income to the pineapple farming communities. The fibers are then subjected to an industrial process to become a nonwoven fabric. Now it’s just creativity for designers to develop amazing pieces with this eco-friendly, sustainable leather made from pineapple leaves.
Photo from: rensoriginal.com
Recycled Coffee Grounds
Your next pair of sneakers could be made from coffee. Coffee grounds often end up in landfill or being washed into sinks and drains, contributing to the food waste problem – around a third of all food produced is thrown away.
Now some shoe makers are reusing these coffee grounds to produce their shoes. The process is quite simple: Infusing coffee ground into plastic pellets and spinning that mixture into a polymer yarn. That yarn is then knitted on a waterproof membrane, ensuring that your feet will stay dry in any conditions. And as a bonus, coffee has natural antibacterial qualities, preventing your shoes from smelling.
Treec inspires conscious fashion using cork as main material for shoes creations. All materials used are from non animal sources. Furthermore when organic and reused materials are incorporated in surprising shoes.
