Aldo Debuts Sustainable Sneakers Made From Recycled Plastic Bottles & Lake Algae 

Aldo has announced its first-ever sustainable shoe. The RPPL sneaker — pronounced like Ripple — is made from low-impact and recycled materials.

The RPPL collection of men’s and women’s shoes will keep an estimated 46 tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere thanks to its green techniques.

The sole of the sneaker is created using lake algae biomass instead of petroleum, which is commonly used instead. The knit upper is formed from recycled plastic bottles, using three to six bottles per shoe depending on the size.

The fall collection features colors in red, black, gray, faded black and pink.

The shoe box itself is made from 100% recycled materials as packaging can cause an enormous amount of waste, too. According to the EPA, packaging accounts for about 30% of America’s trash by volume, or around 78 million tons per year, and even though 53% of that gets recycled, the rest goes into landfills.

Aldo is among a list of brands that have taken the sustainable route when it comes to footwear. Earlier this month, Nike announced its Maharishi Air Max 90 would be featuring a 100% cotton upper that’s naturally dyed with pomegranate and turmeric.

In addition, brands like Allbirds and Nothing New are working towards reducing fashion and footwear’s negative impact on the environment with their sustainable materials.

Want more?

Footwear Has a Waste Problem — Here’s What Some Brands Are Doing to Help