Cover The best new eco-friendly luxury shoes to get (Photo: Ermenegildo Zegna)

Trainers, usually made from plastics or leather, are quickly becoming the go-to item to improve from environmentally conscious brands like Stella McCartney and Nike

The Hong Kong Marathon went off without a hitch this Sunday, and professional and amateur runners alike all wore their highest performance kit to go the distance, the most important being their trainers.
 
Current trainer designs rely on using materials like rubber or foam because they are light and can create a comfortable shoe. However, the uncomfortable truth is that many of these shoes require new materials and will eventually contribute to the vast amount of waste that cannot decompose.
 
To address these concerns, more brands are creating performance and casual trainers with recycled and eco-friendly materials, and here are five companies taking that step in a greener direction.

See more: Louis Vuitton Collaborates With Nike On Air Force 1 Sneakers

Stella McCartney

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Above Stella McCartney's Reclypse trainer (Photo: Stella McCartney)
Tatler Asia
Above Stella McCartney's Reclypse trainer (Photo: Stella McCartney)

The newest Reclypse trainers from Stella McCartney’s autumn/winter 2021 collection are 100 per cent vegan. Every part of this shoe uses different renewable materials: the upper is made from recycled polyester, the platform sole contains plant-based materials, and the lining is Econyl-regenerated nylon sourced from waste like carpets and fishing nets.
 
Available in four colourways, the Reclypse is another addition to McCartney’s cruelty-free footwear, which include the Elyse platform shoe that utilises a sustainable wooden sole, and the Loop sneaker which is fully recyclable.
 
Get them here.

Nike

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Above Nike's Air Zoom Alphafly Next Nature trainer (Photo: Nike)
Tatler Asia
Above Nike's Air Zoom Alphafly Next Nature trainer (Photo: Nike)

The Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next Nature is the brand’s most sustainably-minded performance shoe. Composed of 50 per cent total recycled content by weight, it is a big step for Nike and their Move to Zero initiative that aims to achieve zero carbon and zero waste.
 
In this case, the Alphafly Next Nature uses leftover waste from Nike airbag production in the 3D-printing process that creates the textile for the brand’s hybrid Flyprint and Flyknit upper.

This trainer will be available for purchase later this year.

Ermenegildo Zegna

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Above Ermenegildo Zegna's Triple Stitch sneaker (Photo: Ermenegildo Zegna)
Tatler Asia
Above Ermenegildo Zegna's Triple Stitch sneaker (Photo: Ermenegildo Zegna)

Artistic director Alessandro Sartori helped to launch Ermenegildo Zegna’s sustainability initiative, Use The Existing, and developed processes for greener production with the group‘s textile division so that eventually they can reduce their final waste to zero.
 
The brand’s Triple Stitch Sneaker has been given a sustainable upgrade: it features a soft wool upper made from recovered 14milmil14 fibre threads (superfine merino wool fibres measuring 14 micron in diameter) and fabrics from all phases of the production process to make use of leftover materials.
 
Get them here.

Hogan

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Above Hogan's 3-R sneaker (Photo: Hogan)
Tatler Asia
Above Hogan's 3-R sneaker (Photo: Hogan)

Hogan’s 3-R collection takes the reduce, reuse, recycle model seriously and has created a shoe made of recycled materials, including a blend of regenerated leathers and recycled plastic.
 
The outersole of the trainer is 3D printed using industrial waste materials, both preventing them from ending up in a landfill and ensuring a lightweight design. The signature H logo stretches across the upper and sole, and comes in multiple colour ways.
 
Get them here.

Løci

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Above Løci's 100 per cent vegan trainers (Photo: Løci)
Tatler Asia
Above Løci's 100 per cent vegan trainers (Photo: Løci)

Løci is the latest brand dedicated to creating stylish shoes that are 100 per cent vegan. All trainers are made using recycled ocean plastic sourced from the Mediterranean and Atlantic Coast of Africa. In addition, 10 per cent of profits from every pair purchased is donated to building ocean conservation sites and protecting endangered ocean species.
 
With 11 different two-tone colour palettes available in Løci’s core collection, and a pastel-coloured capsule collection designed by actress and environmentalist Nikki Reed, there is something for everyone.
 
Get them here.

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