Ethletic is a Fully Vegan Brand

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Brand Highlights

Ethletic is among the most sustainable and ethical companies we've come across. From donating from their sales to support the well-being of their workers, to developing a robust, insightful and transparent blog, Ethletic takes their commitment to not "support any kind of exploitation, be it of people, ecosystems, or animals" very seriously.

About Ethletic Vegan Shoes

"When you are small and you do not focus all your energy on making money but on making the world a little bit better, of course, you can make decisions based on values rather than profit. This is what we do." - Ethletic

Is Ethletic an intentionally vegan brand?

Ethletic appears to be an intentionally vegan brand, rather than one that uses vegan materials out of convenience, or for other reasons. According to the brand, they "consciously reject the use of animal-based materials, and in this regard, we also pay attention to the “small print”: For instance, we don’t use beeswax for waterproofing, we don’t use wool lining or padding, and we don’t use any glues containing meat and bone meal (MBM). All of our products are therefore “Peta-approved vegan”. At Ethletic we also conduct our business in a manner that is animal-friendly and promotes wildlife conservation. FSC or Fairtrade-certified agriculture prevents living spaces from being destroyed through exploitative and monoculture farming."

What materials are used to make Ethletic shoes?

Ethletic uses FSC®-certified natural rubber for their soles, which are glued using natural latex milk in the classic vulcanization process. For their upper materials, they primarily use cotton, which is traded, audited and sourced from certified Fairtrade producers. They also use some "natural vegan leather" for upper material accents and patches.

Are Ethletic shoes eco-friendly/sustainable?

In a word, yes. Ethletic takes sustainability very seriously, and is among the most transparent companies we've come across in that regard. During every step of the production process they take focused measures to ensure their sneakers are as eco-friendly as possible - from sourcing natural and organic materials and cutting down on production waste, all the way to working with a shoe repair partner and using progressively more eco-friendly shipping options. Ethletic has even introduced a "Trace Your Sneaker" feature that dives deeply into production details of each shoe. With regard to the materials themselves being sustainable, according to Ethletic, "the ends of the shoelaces and the metal eyelets as well as the thread for sewing are still the exceptions on some models." You can read more about their impressive sustainability efforts here.

Does Ethletic use green shipping methods?

Ethletic opts to use sea freight rather than air freight. As they say, "better 30 days by ship than 1 day by air freight."

Does Ethletic use eco-friendly packaging?

According to Ethletic, "it might seem like quite a small contribution, but it sure makes a difference to send a cardboard shoebox wrapped in paper rather than in a plastic bag." So, that's what they do.

Are Ethletic shoes recyclable or compostable?

According to the brand, "complete biodegradability is our declared goal. We want to close up the cycle. To get there, we’re in the process of developing a deposit system in which Ethletic customers will be able to return their shoes to us with complete confidence that we will properly recycle them. Even now, the entire shoe (aside from the metal shoelace eyelets) will fully decompose; it’s simply a matter of time."

How should I dispose of my worn out Ethletic shoes?

In 2019, Ethletic started to offer their customers a discounted repair option in collaboration with Berlin-based start-up Sneaker Rescue. If that is not a logistical option for you, we at Get it Vegan recommend either trying to have them repaired locally, donating them to someone in need, or taking them to a clothing recycling depot (if available in your city), which can strip them down to their recyclable components.

Where can I buy Ethletic shoes?

Ethletic shoes are available from their website, as well as through various online retailers. They also have 'brick and mortar' retailer partners throughout Europe, as well as a few in the United States, a full list of which can be found here.

Are Ethletic shoes ethically made?

Although they produce their shoes in a place where worker's rights, fair treatment and fair wages aren't a given - Sialkot, Pakistan - Ethletic is acknowledged as a certified supplier by the German Fair Trade association Weltladen-Dachverband. They produce their shoes in Pakistan versus in Europe for several reasons, the most prominent of which is that it's close to where their source materials are made (which reduces travel-related harm to the environment). According to the brand, “the people who work for us aren’t numbers on a balance sheet or a cost factor for us. We appreciate their skills, their commitment and their history. We work together at eye level." Ethletic takes this relationship very seriously, and in 2019 was the first apparel brand to offer its customers the possibility to tip the workers via partnership with tech start up Tip Me (the tips go directly to the workers' accounts). There's even a page on their website that introduces every single worker in their factory.

Does Ethletic promote ‘slow fashion’ or a ‘circular economy’?

Ethletic appears to incorporate several elements of a circular economy/slow fashion model, such as: using natural and organic materials; working with a shoe repair partner; employing fair labour; intentionally staying small; remaining independent; being highly transparent in their communications; and rarely overproducing.

Is Ethletic a charitable company?

In addition to partnering with Tip Me, Ethletic supports the “Talon Fairtrade Workers Welfare Society” of their partner production company in Pakistan, donating $1 USD per pair of shoes sold. The Welfare Society was officially founded in 2002, and according to the brand, "it is the sole responsibility of the women and men of the factory to decide which projects they want to use this money on, for instance for the education of their children, healthcare, pensions or for micro-loans."

Ethletic Product Range

Starting with the classic canvas gym shoe, Ethletic's line includes fashionable day-to-day items and more functional sporty models. Their shoes are primarily unisex and come in a variety of styles and colours. Their lineup includes vegan/fair/sustainable versions of popular styles, such as Dr. Martens, Chuck Taylors, TOMS, and skateboard (skate) shoes.