Looking for a pair of eco-friendly or ethical slippers? Good news – I’ve rounded up my favourites for you! From vegan-friendly slippers to recycled slippers and slippers that can be recycled at the end of their life, there are heaps of options to keep your toes cosy.
With the onset of autumn, I’ve found my attention turning to all things comfy and cosy. I was recently updating my guides to ethical pyjamas and loungewear as well as my guide to sustainable socks, and thought ‘Why stop here?’ So, I did some digging, and found some of the best eco-friendly and ethical slippers for both women and men available in the UK right now.
What Makes for a Pair of Ethical Slippers?
I’m mindful that everyone has different ethics when it comes to clothing and footwear. As such, this guide has been designed to be a starting point for you to research the most sustainable option for you.
Some of the slippers I’ve recommended are vegan-friendly. For these, I’ve sourced those made using recycled plastic bottles, rather than virgin plastic. And for those looking for plastic-free slippers, I’ve sourced ethical slippers made considerately from natural fibres.
Guide to Ethical Slippers
Here are my favourite ethical and sustainable slippers for cosy toes this winter:
Mercredy
Looking for a great pair of vegan slippers? Mercredy’s eco-friendly slippers (available at Ethical Superstore for £44.95) for men and women are handcrafted in Spain using recycled plastic bottles. Mercredy uses plastic bottles collected from the ocean to create the heavy-duty felt fabric for the slippers. In fact, each slipper is made from at least 2 recycled bottles.
This fabric, which is used in both the upper and lining for the slippers, is certified 100% recycled by the Global Recycle Standard. What’s more, the sole is made from natural rubber, which is sustainably sourced. This ensures your feet stay cosy whilst being durable enough to take the recycling out.
These slippers would make such a lovely ethical gift idea for someone special or as a treat for yourself.
Betterfelt
Betterfelt (available at Wolf & Badger, from £55) is another solid choice when it comes to sustainable and ethical slippers.
Each pair is hand-felted from 100% wool and made in Betterfelt’s Fairtrade-certified workshop in Kathmandu, Nepal. Each pair of slippers provides half a day’s work for an artisan. As a nice touch, you can find their signature on the right side of the right slipper around the heel end.
Choose from a range of styles and colours, as well as the choice between a natural crepe rubber or suede sole.
Get 10% off your first order at Wolf & Badger when you sign up for its mailing list.
Komodo
A cross between slipper socks and slippers, these hand-crocheted slippers (£25 – £50, and available in several different colours) from sustainable brand Komodo will keep you cosy. Made from 100% lambswool, with a footbed made from 100% recycled felt, there’s no plastic here.
Komodo has been making sustainable clothing and accessories since 1988. It prioritises the use of premium quality organic, natural, and eco-friendly fibres, and the brand is both Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified and a member of the Soil Association.
Komodo is also a member of 1% for the Planet. Here, members pledge to donate at least one percent of their annual revenue to environmental causes. Komodo chooses to donate to the Sumatran Orangutan Society. This charity is restoring natural rainforests through the purchase and repurposing of palm oil plantations.
Get 10% off your first order when you sign up for the Komodo newsletter.
For another fully plastic-free option, Vivobarefoot (£45 – 75) is well worth a look at. It has adult and kids options, and will keep your toes cosy all winter long.
This certified B-Corp (a business that has been independently verified as meeting high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability) makes its ‘barefoot’ slippers with 100% wool that’s hand felted and then finished with a soft leather sole.
Once you can’t repair them or don’t need them anymore, send them back to Vivobarefoot. They’ll either recondition them for resale. Or if they’re beyond reconditioning, Vivobarefoot will store them until it launches its footwear recycling scheme.
Get 15% off your first order when you sign up for the Vivobarefoot mailing list.
Moshulu
Shoe retailer Moshulu has a wide range of recycled slippers priced between £39 and £49. You can choose between vegan and natural fibre options, in a variety of colours and styles. And with options for men, women, and children, you’re really spoiled for choice.
Vegan options tend to be made from recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate – known as PET. This is the type of plastic that bottles and rigid plastic food packaging tend to be made from. Meanwhile, natural fibre options tend to be made from recycled felt or are made with recycled rubber soles.
Egos Copenhagen
Egos wool slippers (available in the UK on Amazon) are handmade in Nepal by skilled craftswomen under fair trade conditions. The brand is certified by the World Fair Trade Organisation, so you know the makers are treated and paid fairly.
Each pair takes time and skill to make. As such, each employee can only make 2 pairs of shoes a day. It’s definitely a case of quality over quantity.
The raw wool is dyed with environmentally friendly colours before being moulded into the slipper shape. Another inner layer of felt is then added for extra comfort. Finally, the outer suede sole is stitched on these incredibly cosy slippers.
Gumbies
Finally, for vegan slippers, Gumbies is another great choice. Each pair of Gumbies ethical unisex vegan slippers, available through Gumbies Amazon shopfront, are made from recycled plastic derived from post-consumer plastic bottles. In fact, 8 bottles are used to make each pair.
The soles are even made from recycled rubber for a minimal environmental footprint. And rather than stop there, the insoles are made from beans. Yes, beans, you read that correctly! The soft foam Gumbies uses for their insoles is made from 100% Castor Bean, a naturally derived material.
What Else Can I Do?
The single most eco-friendly choice of slippers are the ones you already have. If your existing pair has started to wear out, why not look at how you can repair them?
Learning some basic techniques to repair holes and tears is a great first step. Another useful tool for fixing slippers, depending on what they are made of, is Sugru. I’m obsessed with it!
Beyond your own ethical choices, you can also help to push for change on the High St. One way you can do this is to ask High St brands who make their clothes (see Fashion Revolution for their great resources). This will help press for transparency and sustainability on the High Street.
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