Tuesday February 9th, 2010
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How to Shop for SHOES
Posted by LIME Team on July 31, 2007 - 9:43am.
Unlike beauty products or food items, shoes don’t come with an ingredients label. It’s impossible to tell just by looking what kind of glue was used, the factory conditions they were made under, and how much, if any, of the materials were recycled or are recyclable. The sad truth is that the creation of most shoes made in the U.S.—more than 95 percent—began somewhere in a slaughterhouse and ended in a toxic chrome leather tannery. But good news! After years of turning out hemp flip flops, the sustainable and socially conscious shoe industry is making its mark on the fashion scene.
For those looking for non-leather options, the offerings are increasingly diverse and creative—think pleather Mary Jane pumps and 1950s inspired high top sneakers. However, just because a shoe is leather free doesn’t mean it's eco-friendly, especially if it’s made with PVC (Polyvinyl chloride). A type of plastic most often used in shoes, PVC releases potent carcinogens during the manufacturing process and can be harmful to the immune system. Softer plastics also contain phthalates, which have been found to cause breast and liver cancer, and birth defects in lab animals.
Leather lovers can do their part to protect the environment by looking for manufacturers who forgo the process of tanning show leather. The softening process not only uses chromium, which leaves a highly toxic footprint on the surrounding area, it’s also extremely energy intensive. Look for vegetable-tanned/chrome free shoes or even better, those made with recycled leather.
Finally toluene, an ingredient in the glue used in most shoes, poses a serious health risk to workers in contact with the glue. Not only is it a skin, eye, and respiratory irritant, but extended exposure can also cause damage to the liver, kidney, nervous system, and birth defects. Your heart (and feet!) will feel much better if you choose shoes that are made with water-based glues.
| SHOE CHEAT SHEET | |
 | For Dressy try: Charmone |
 | For Comfort try: Green Toe by Simple |
 | For Work-Appropriate try: Novacas (means no cows!) |
 | For Fun & Funky try: Terra Plana |
 | For Travel Shoes try: TOM's |
 | For Sweet Kicks try: Veja |
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For me it alvays had be hard to shop for shoes and find ones I really like and they pass.
1000 Games
for me too...its really difficult to find shoes of my choice..........hardly like any....
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This is great and brilliant work by Lime team, I appreciate them. To buy and select pair of shoes is difficult for me because I like to wear only comfortable shoes but it should be new designed. I have bought China Leather Shoes they are comfortable and pure leather shoes, but they are little bit expensive to me. Thanks again Lime team for giving this sheet and great article.