Need some new hiking boots that will help keep your feet warm and supported in the winter months? If so, you should check out the Weekend Boot from Canadian footwear company Alice + Whittles.
The Weekend Boot is a sturdy ankle boot that is entirely vegan, with no animal products used in the glue that holds it together. The upper is made from 95 percent repurposed marine plastics collected by fishermen while the inside lining of the boot is made from recycled synthetic wool. As for the sole, it’s made from a mix of natural and sustainable rubber, of which 45 percent is recycled. The Weekend Boot also uses no virgin plastic at all.
As Katherine Martinko poignantly points out on Treehugger, this is a clever way to use post-consumer plastic. Rather than turn it into a softer polyester fabric, using recycled plastic to make a dense, tough material for footwear gives the recycled material a far longer lifespan.
The Toronto-based company behind the Weekend Boot is a husband-and-wife duo that currently makes rain boots from fairly traded natural rubber, as well as sneakers from post-industrial leather upcycled from car seat cutoffs. Their supply chain is currently 90 percent sustainable and fully traceable. That said, the company says it won’t stop till it gets to 100 percent sustainable.
Image source: Alice + Whittles
