Saola - vegan sneakers made from recycled materials

Saola is a purely vegan French shoe manufacturer with a passion. The name comes from a very rare animal that was only discovered in 1992. The "Asian unicorn" lives in the mountains between Vietnam and Laos and with only 300 animals, it is on the endangered species list.

We think it's particularly great that they impressively show on their site why they have developed an overall sustainable concept and why this is so important. Every year, 25 billion pairs of shoes are produced worldwide and very few of them are sustainable. The textile industry is the second largest polluter after the oil and gas industry. 60-70% of a shoe's environmental footprint is due to the materials used and that's why Saola's vegan shoes are thoughtful from A-Z.

The uppers are made from recycled PET bottles, which are certified with the "Recycled Global Standard" and the production line is fully traceable. The insoles are made from cork and many of the outsoles are made from ecological algae foam.

Saola's motto is "Make an impact" and you can too - with your next shoe purchase.