Princess Polly

Princess Polly Brand Overview

Princess Polly is aiming to become a fully vegan brand in the near future, and currently has some of their items approved as vegan by PETA. Based in Australia and California, the brand is making efforts to clean up their carbon emissions and introduce more environmentally-friendly materials into their designs. They also use SEDEX-approved factories which assures that fair labour is used at the top of their supply chain.

About Princess Polly

"Currently, less than 1% of Princess Polly’s products are derived from animal products, and by 2024 we will be a completely vegan business! We’ve already launched a vegan edit, where all the Princess Polly products are Peta-Approved Vegan." - Princess Polly team

What materials are used to make Princess Polly's shoes?

Princess Polly provides a general overview of the materials used in each shoe within that shoe's description on their website. Although not a lot of details are provided, we are able to see that they use a combination of the following materials for their shoes, boots, and sandals: PU (polyurethane); "textile"; EVA (ethyl vinyl acetate); TPR (thermoplastic rubber); spandex; windbreaker material; and faux fur.

Are thier shoes eco-friendly/sustainable?

In general, Princess Polly's footwear is not made of materials that are very eco-friendly, as they are made mostly of synthetic materials. However, while virgin man-made synthetics are generally considered worse for the environment than recycled synthetics, or natural materials, they are generally considered to be more environmentally friendly than animal-derived leathers. This is backed up by data from inside the fashion industry as well as outside of it. For the data, please see Collective Fashion Justice’s CIRCUMFAUNA initiative.
It's also worth noting that Princess Polly has a short lead time on their products, 3-6 weeks, as opposed to the 6-12 months lead time that the fast-fashion industry generally has. This greatly helps to cut down on production waste caused by over-production. Princess Polly also has a line of "Lower Impact" products (many of which are part of their vegan line), in which each item is created with 80% lower impact materials, but all items in this range must consist of at least 50%. These "lower impact" materials largely consist of organic, recycled, and forest-friendly materials.

Does production of their shoes create a lot of CO2 emissions?

Princess Polly recently started tracking their CO2 impact, and have used the data they obtained to make an effort to neutralize and eliminate it. In keeping with this, in 2021 the brand became a participant of the United Nations Global Compact, and claims to have aligned their mission with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Each year, they brand reports their progress to the United Nations on their profile, which you can track here. According to Princess Polly, "In 2021 we launched carbon neutral customer deliveries in partnership with Shopify’s Planet app - this program automatically calculates all customer shipping emissions, and purchases high-quality carbon removal to neutralize all customer shipping." The brand also says that, "By 2023 our global offices and warehouses will be carbon neutral and powered by 100% renewable energy. We’ve already installed solar panels at our HQ in Australia."

Does Princess Polly use ‘green’ shipping methods?

According to the brand, "the other major component of transport related emissions is shipping from our factories to our distribution centres. We are aiming to reduce this footprint by over 30% from our 2020 baseline by increasing our use of sea shipments, and utilizing lower impact transportation options as they become feasible." They also say, "Last year we reduced our upstream transport carbon emissions by 41% by switching to less impactful transport methods. In addition, all of our shipping is carbon neutral and packaged in bags made from 100% recycled material. We’ve reported our progress to the Carbon Disclosure Project and are continuing to find better, more sustainable ways to reduce our emissions, without compromising our fast and reliable delivery!"

Is Princess Polly a charitable company?

According to the brand, they donate $500,000 per year to support communities, causes and charities that resonate with their Equality & Community initiatives. Some additional highlights of their efforts include spending more than 480 hours as a company volunteering with Butterfly Foundation, Fare Share, My Friend’s Place and Stepping Stone House, as well as having given away over 250,000 products to their partners Thread Together, AWLQ, and Union Rescue Mission.

Do they use eco-friendly packaging?

Yes! According to Princess Polly, all of their orders are shipped in 100% recycled content packaging. The brand claims that by switching to recycled and recyclable packing, they have already reduced their packaging-related carbon footprint, and that their recycled content plastic garment and shipping bags alone generate 74% fewer emissions than virgin plastic.

Are Princess Polly shoes recyclable?

We couldn't find any such information on their website, so we've reached out to their team to get further details on this, and are awaiting reply.

How should I dispose of my old Princess Polly shoes?

We’ve asked their team if they currently have, or are developing, a shoe recycling program, and they've told us that "For items that have reached their end of life, we are working hard to find a recycling partner to keep these items out of landfills!" Princess Polly also has a Resale site where used items can be sold and given a second life if they're in good condition. Alternatively, Get it Vegan and Princess Polly recommend either trying to have them repaired, 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 their shoes?

Princess Polly shoes can be purchased from their website, and can be shipped worldwide. NOTE: Just be sure to order products marked "Vegan" on their website, as these are PETA-approved vegan-friendly, and are guaranteed not to contain any animal-derived materials, components, or by-products. We've asked them if they have plans to work with retailers, and are currently awaiting reply.

Do Princess Polly shoes ever go on sale?

Yes - Princess Polly offers a number of discounts and rewards. For full details, visit their "Promotions" page. The brand also offers a 20% discount, and chance to win $500 off, when subscribing to their newsletter.

Where are their shoes made?

Princess Polly has informed us that their shoes are made in China.

Are they made with fair labour?

Yes - according to the brand, "100% of the factories that produce our products have a valid ethical manufacturing audit and are actively engaged in creating safe, happy and respectful working experiences." The brand requires all of their production factories to register with the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (SEDEX) - a world leading ethical trade organization, working with businesses to improve working conditions in global supply chains. From there, all of their suppliers complete a self-assessment as well as an independent audit.

Does Princess Polly promote ‘slow fashion’ or a ‘circular economy’?

Despite appearing to be a fast-fashion brand on the surface, Princess Polly incorporates several elements of a circular economy, such as: using increasingly sustainable materials; having short production lead time; having a resale site; working to find a recycling partner; gearing towards carbon neutral manufacturing and transportation; and employing fair labour.

Princess Polly Product Range

Princess Polly makes women's shoes, boots, and sandals at a lower mid-tier price range. Their style is varied, featuring dozens of different models (fewer that are fully vegan), with an aesthetic ranging from 1970's vintage to modern and trendy. Their overall style is largely leather-look and lightly adorned/minimalist.