SUSTAINABLE STEAL: VEGAN DOC MARTENS
Julia has been wearing doc martens since she was a teenager in Paris. Now, we’re thrilled the company behind the everyday combat boot is making vegan options.
TEXT Logan Verlaque IMAGE Masha Maltsava
doc has gone vegan.
The company that put the combat boot on the street has been around for over half a century now, but only launched its vegan shoe collection in 2011. As animal activism and environmental concerns have increased over the recent years, Doc Martens has seen a 279% increase in pairs of vegan shoes sold between 2017 and 2019.
When it comes to the nitty gritty, here are the facts: Doc Martens’ Vegan Collection is made mostly out of a polyurethane blend. Polyurethane is less toxic to produce than PVC (and more breathable!), and some countries even have regulations on their factories, including vent controls to limit the amount of emissions. Synthetically made vegan leathers will only continue to become more advanced when it comes to sustainable and eco-friendly methods.
Yet, being completely transparent, there is some ongoing debate about whether or not vegan leather products are more environmentally friendly than their cow-based counterparts. We do know that in terms of animal welfare vegan anything is king. The question becomes: how eco-safe are the plastic materials used in place of leather?
According to the United Nations, animal agriculture (which includes meat and leather harvesting) is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions, while transportation exhaust only account for 13%. Additionally, land clearing to make room for animals to graze is responsible for a large percentage of deforestation. And let’s not forget that 2,500 gallons of water are needed to produce 1 pound of beef. Leather tanneries are also responsible for a great deal of pollution, in fact, it is one of the top ten causes of pollution today.
All in all, we’d say go for the vegan option when it is available. Doc Martens’ vegan boots do not compromise aesthetics for sustainability, which is what we are all about.
