Walking boots - mini report

The walking boot market is dominated by smaller companies. Although many don’t have particularly muddy records most of them aren’t squeaky clean either. Of the brands covered only Vaude, Blacks, Berghaus, Brasher, Hi-Tec, Merrell, North Face and Peter Storm are made by companies with supplier codes of conduct, and none of these are independently monitored and verified. Vegetarian Shoes claims that most of its shoes are made in England and Europe so receives ECRA’s best rating in this category.

Consumers wanting to avoid the animal welfare implications of leather may wish to choose boots from Vegetarian Shoes or Ethical Wares which both make solely vegan/vegetarian footwear. Some readers may be concerned about the environmental implications of choosing synthetic products over leather, especially PVC which Greenpeace considers the most harmful of plastics.
However it must be borne in mind that the leather industry is highly polluting using a cocktail of harmful chemicals including trivalent chromium sulphate, sodium sulphide, sodium sulfhydrate, arsenic and cyanide. Tannery effluent also contains large amounts of other pollutants, such as protein, hair, salt, lime sludge and acids. Investigations into tanneries in India revealed extensive chromium contamination of soils, surface water and groundwater.

Polyurethane (PU) sold under the brand name ‘Lorica’ is a breathable alternative to PVC and is considered less harmful by Greenpeace. Vegetarian Shoes sell PU boots. Ethical Wares sell hemp boots, which may be less sturdy but are a much more environmentally friendly alternative.