We are often asked which of our shoes/socks/energy gels (etc) are suitable for vegans/vegetarians. The answer is simply this: if we stock it, it must be vegan!
We want to see more transparency and clarity from manufacturers though, so we contacted ALL our brands in 2021 to ask them what their official vegan stance is, and what they would like us to tell YOU!
Below are points of information and vegan statements we received back from those brands:
ALTRA: In January 2024 Altra told us: “All Altra shoes are definitely vegan-friendly”. They are working to obtain certification from their factory to this effect too.
In January 2024 I received the following update: Unfortunately there is no update on the pilot certification program*, as we are still waiting for the results. None of our road running or trail running product for the S24 season contain leather, suede, wool, or silk.
BROOKS: This fabulous brand has always held it’s ethical shoe status with pride, and has been able to state for the past decade that all materials, dyes and glues are animal-free. It has even had ambassadors such as famous ultra-running vegan Scott Jurek!
Brooks take environmental issues very seriously, and are big on recycling, low carbon-footprint, community opportunities and Social Responsibility. This is what they say: We have issued two Reports. This first highlights, besides animal well-being, lots of human and social actions and measures taken in the past years, as well as long term objectives as a company (link is here but may be invisible!): https://www.brooksrunning.com/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-BrooksRunning-Library/default/dw9eb1ab50/images/meetbrooks/pdfs/2019-Running-Responsibly-Report.pdf
We have also developed a strong and engaging code of conduct for our Tier 1 (our direct suppliers) and Tier 2 (the suppliers of our suppliers) to make sure they respect social, environmental, and animal-welfare standards:
“Responsible Sourcing of Materials: Suppliers must respect animal welfare and adopt responsible and ethical practices based on best available standards.” https://www.brooksrunning.com/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-BrooksRunning-Library/default/dw3227b882/images/meetbrooks/pdfs/Code-of-Conduct-May-2016.pdf
HILLY: Hilly is a subsidiary of Ronhill Clothing and deals exclusively with the production of socks. Hilly uses the “Fair Wear” guarantee (see Ronhill below). There are a few lines that contain wool, but we do not stock them.
HOKA: Hoka clearly label vegan shoes on their website, and confirmed with us in June 2021 that ALL their running shoes are vegan (plus the Speedgoat Mid trail boot) right down to the glues and dyes.
In June 2021 we received this statement from them: “There’s no official statement from HOKA on vegan products due to fact there is no official definition of the term “vegan” for marketing of shoes, but the term is widely accepted to mean “free of animal products.” Thus, to meet the FTC’s mandate to be truthful and non-deceptive in advertising, we must be sure that absolutely no animal products or by-products are used in the shoe or in the manufacturing process. Hoka shoes confirmed to be vegan have absolutely no animal products or by-products used in the shoe or the manufacturing process – this includes glues, composition of materials and finishing agents. In terms of the shoes that are vegan friendly in our range, all our products are vegan friendly except some trend and hike products. For clarity on our website there is a sub category on the bottom of both the men’s and women’s footwear drop down menu on the home page.“
MIZUNO: Mizuno made vegans all over the world happy a few months ago when it made a public Vegan Statement on social media to the effect that ALL their running & trail shoes are 100% vegan 🙂
Here is the Press release from 19th March 2021: “We are incredibly proud to announce that our entire running footwear range is now 100% vegan friendly. Consumers can pick any shoe from our considerable running range, certain in the knowledge that they don’t contain animal products or animal-derived ingredients. It also means, importantly, that no animals or animal products are used in any part of our running shoes’ creation. Providing a running shoe to suit everyone doesn’t just mean catering for different technique, gait, speed, or surface; the running market is very knowledgeable and the decision-making regarding purchasing product is increasingly sophisticated. We are therefore delighted to provide an exciting range that combines established Mizuno technologies with the highest quality, vegan friendly materials. A range for runners of all standards and needs, whether they are vegan or not.”
There is also a statement relating to Mizuno’s Sustainability goals on their website: https://emea.mizuno.com/uk/en-gb/our-sustainability.html
ON: We started dealing with this Swiss brand in 2018, and at that stage we were reassured that the entire range was already vegan-friendly. They are also working hard to create “bio-based” yarns and fibres for their shoes and clothing. As far as I can see the only non animal-friendly product in the range is a beanie containing wool, and even then they are very mindful about the horrors of the wool industry and careful about how the wool is sourced – the ONLY brand to have told me that! There is a whole page about it on their website: https://www.on-running.com/en-gb/articles/preferred-materials
ON’s official statement in June 2021 is this: ‘All the materials are vegan. When it comes to adhesives, we do not actively source any animal-derived adhesives. We are working on getting 100% transparency into the adhesive supply chain. At max there might be very small traces left.’
RONHILL: Ronhill have been making clothing under their “Fairwear” label for a long time. This means that they control the factories in which their clothing is made, and guarantee fair wages and decent working conditions for those employed in them. The other great news is that Ronhill has launched a new line called “Revive”, and all items in the Revive range are made from a yarn created by recycled plastic! Occasionally an item appears containing wool, but in the main they are technical animal-friendly and runner-friendly yarns!
SAUCONY: One of our stalwart brands, and we were assured many years ago of Saucony’s ethical stance. Sadly we discovered leather in a children’s running shoe a few years ago (and sent them all back!) but we were assured this was just a one-off for this particular model. Saucony’s adult shoes are vegan-friendly and they have also started doing recycled uppers in some models too! Look out for the RFG (recycle for good) models for the most biodegradable and environmentally friendly models possible.
Here is Saucony’s statement for 2021: “Our performance shoes are all vegan friendly in the products used. The “suede” in some of the styles is actually fake suede made with vegan components. We can guarantee that the materials used for the production of our performance styles are vegan, but because we don’t own the factories, we cannot guarantee the processes.”