I’ve noticed the words “green” and “recycled” creeping into the descriptions of hiking and camping boots recently. My immediate thought was that the boots wouldn’t be as hardy or long-wearing as your usual waterproof hiking boots. But, being a bit of a greenie myself, I thought I’d have a look into who is making these new boots and out of what.

Green hiking boots model finn - Source © patagonia

environmentally friendly hiking boots model finn - Source © patagonia

Patagonia is a brand that springs to mind immediately as it is known for its sustainable values. The Patagonia Finn hiking shoe is made from a 30% recycled rubber outsole. Other parts of the shoe are also made from various recycled materials. It has had rave reviews, making it a popular all-terrain hiking shoe with excellent traction, grip and comfort.

environemntally friendly hiking boots model earthkeeper - source © timberland

environmentally friendly hiking boots model earthkeeper - source © timberland

Timberland have also taken the plunge and developed a shoe that is made from recycled materials. Their Earthkeeper range looks good, and has strong eco-credentials using organic cotton on the upper and recycled rubber on the outersoles. The boots all look pretty nice, but I’m not convinced that this particular range would withstand tricky terrain or heavy hiking use.

I know that Keen and Teva have recycled ranges but they don’t seem to have hit the UK shores yet which is a shame as the boots look great. I think that by the end of next year, we are going to see a sharp increase in hiking boots constructed from recycled bits and pieces.

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