Eco Friendly Shoes

I saw an article on this shoe company in the Toronto Star (Friday January 25, 2008 issue) and thought it was very cool. Right below is a scan of the shoe they included in the article. Written below is my summary of the article.

Italian-based shoe company U Roads is using a familiar logo on its shoes, one that symbolizes being Eco friendly: Reduce, reuse, recycle.

All of the soles on the shoes are made with recycled tire. Some detailing also uses recycled tires. This is why most of the shoes have the embossed or engraved reduce, reuse, recycle logo.

Unlike many shoe companies, who have their products made in China or third world countries, U Roads shoes are handcrafted in Italy as well as Spain.

U Roads offeres modern and sleek runnners, flats, heels and dress shoes for men and women that range from $160 to $240.

The brand may not be 100% organic, but it is the only shoe company recognized by the United Nations Environmental Programme because the products are made with post-consumer recycled materials. Even the packaging is made from recycled paper.

For those who do not wear leather, there are styles that are made from canvas.

Now here is where I start to question the part about U Roads offering modern and sleek for men and women. I search U Roads websites collection and noticed that most of the shoes don't overly look like the one featured in the article. Many runners look rather... clunky and cheap. The article even boasted that while other brands that use recycled materials sacrifice style for the environment and produce chunky, clunky lace-ups and sandals, U Roads does not. I don't think that is 100% true. You decide what you think. Below are three shoes I've decided to include that I got from their website.