Many dance shoes are made from leather or synthetic material, but vegan materials offer an alternative. The key ingredient to vegan footwear is that they don’t come from animal-derived sources, much like the standard leathers, suede, and wools that dominate the market.
A significant component is also how the material is farmed. Wool, for instance, is up for debate in many people's eyes. Some believe that wool is vegan when sourced organically.
Being vegan is mainly associated with a person's diet. Those who go vegan make the choice based on an ethical standpoint. They desire to operate within society with as little a negative impact on animal welfare and wildlife as possible.
Animal consciousness spreads to any consumer choice, including footwear.
How Can I Tell if My Shoes Are Vegan?
Like your clothing, footwear tends to have a tag or perhaps a small symbol indicating the product is vegan.
Check out the tongue of the shoe first to determine your footwear material. That little symbol is reminiscent of the symbols instructing the cleaning advice on your clothing. It indicates the material origin.
Animal leathers have a symbol akin to a fur rug, whereas vegan leather symbols can range from a diamond to square textiles.
You can crosscheck the labelling of footwear in your current wardrobe to get familiar.
What Are Vegan Shoes Made Of?
The alternative to animal-based materials is synthetic or artificial materials, like PVC and PU.
PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, is a synthetic polymer of plastic. The material is generally known for its hardness and durability. You’ll often see it used in a rigid form for pipework. Manufacturers also can produce flexible PVC, making the material ideal as a replacement for hard-wearing rubber. Softer PVC is less brittle than the hard counterpart, bending rather than snapping under pressure.
Regarding footwear, PVC can be an effective rubber sole substitute for sturdy shoes. Many traditional shoes use suede or leather for the soles, so PVC can be an alternative.
PU or synthetic leather is manufactured to look, perform and feel like genuine animal-derived leather. Manufacturers create this artificial material by coating foundation fabrics, such as polyester or even sustainably sourced cotton, with flexible plastics. They then treat the material and shape it to bring the appearance of an authentic animal hide. The benefits of PU stretch to its waterproof qualities as well as durability.
PU offers an ethical alternative to the animal-derived materials of traditional leather shoes. Most often, it’s used as an upper material. If you don’t see the labels mentioned earlier in the shoe tongue, you can check for labels indicating the upper and sole material.
There are several benefits to vegan shoes. Genuine leather footwear deteriorates faster than the manufactured materials detailed above. The vegan materials are sturdier and keep your feet dryer and warmer more efficiently.
Authentic leather can deform over time, especially if subject to wetter weather conditions or un-maintained. They're also difficult to form on one's foot and wear comfortably. Vegan shoes offer a lower-maintenance alternative, already shaped for your foot.
Are Vegan Shoes Eco-friendly?
Vegan shoes are indeed a smarter choice for our environment. Yet, that's not to say they are perfect. Because artificial resources are often plastic-based, we must consider the difference and impact on our environment between PVC and PU. Not only is it necessary to consider the material difference but also the source itself.
One reason why either PVC or PU is better is that, during the manufacturing process, these materials can be cut and shaped precisely. The process eliminates waste and leftovers, as you usually see in the footwear and clothing industry. Less waste means less substance in our landfills.
PU is typically kinder to our planet than polyvinyl chloride. PVC can emit harmful substances and chemicals into the atmosphere when disposed of, but PVC has a recyclability rate of up to 8 times depending on its prior purpose. This means it's still a good fit for an eco-friendly alternative material with inherent sustainability characteristics.
The industry is working to optimiserecycling technologieseven further regarding PVC, which is good news for vegan shoe wearers. It means that the animal-friendly choice may soon be the more eco-friendly one too.
Are Vegan Shoes Biodegradable?
We touched lightly on the recyclability rate of plastic earlier, but can PVC and PU be discarded without harming our environment too?
PVC is not currently a biodegrade form but is 100% recyclable. Recycling the material greatly reduces the carbon footprint created when producing new PVC. Making new PVC requires extracting further fossil fuels, but it’s easy to collect for recycling purposes.
PU is a little different and is one of the least harmful plastics to the environment. Scientists have been trialling the use of microorganisms to break down PU with successful results. It's important to note, too, that modern forms of PU are known as ‘biodegradable PU,’ as technology has advanced the production of this material. PU is now widely biodegradable.
As well as the plastics, new materials introduced to produce vegan footwear include corn and cork, which are 100% biodegradable.
Shop Supadance for Vegan Dance Shoes!
Here at Supadance, we’re proud to offer vegan shoe options, giving every shopper the opportunity to wear our awesome dance shoes.
Get in touch with us if you’re after vegan dance shoes and let our experts help you find the perfect fit.