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What goes into making a shoe? While most of us are focused on the style, fit and performance, the materials used rarely raise eyebrows. Yet, similar to how the materials in our clothing can impact the environment from the use of fossil fuels to water pollution, what goes into our shoes also has an environmental impact. “The other thing that I think we need to keep in mind is not so much what goes into our shoes, but what does not go into them.” Steve Hamel, the founder of the sustainable shoe brand Third Mind spent almost two years perfecting not only the fit and performance of his men’s casual dress shoes, but also the materials that do and do not go into them. That translates into a knitted upper, laces and footbeds made from recycled fibers and primers and glues that are made without volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
As far as style goes, Third Mind has that down. The Wellness Feed team was able to test drive the Fred Wing Tip in black. As men’s casual dress shoes it complimented a variety of style options from business casual to a straight up suit and tie. And while the shoe runs longer than expected and a size down was needed, the width was perfect and overall they were comfortable. To learn more about the materials, we reached out to Steve to gain a deeper insight into what it takes to create shoes made from recycled materials.
How long did it take to develop your first shoe from recycled materials?
It took about a year and half. Getting the materials was one thing, but verifying that the specific components were indeed made from recycled materials took visits to factories, and lots of records needed to be checked.
What initiatives have you taken since then to become more sustainable?
The biggest challenge has been finding a soling material to replace EVA that offers comfort and is not a oil based product. In addition, we are looking into ways to be more responsible into the life cycle of the product. The other thing that I think we need to keep in mind is not so much what goes into our shoes, but what does not go into them. If you compare our shoes to almost all other dress shoes, we use no leather.
What sustainable initiatives do your factories in China take?
Ways to decrease our carbon footprint through hydro-electric power as well as solar; using water curtains to keep things cool rather than traditional air conditioning when practical; water recycling at the factory that supplies lace and web taping.
How does Third Mind measure its environmental impact?
By being as responsible as possible. I focus on processes that are sound rather than look at things after the fact and then try to improve. After all, if the processes are correct, then we will get wonderful results.
How do you think consumer goods can directly benefit current and future generations?
Ironically, I am not all that into consumerism, but I think if a product is solving a problem, then it is good for the consumer. I believe that consumers will benefit by being able to dress up, look good, but also feel good.
The Day Tripper Collection has an inspiring story. Why did you decide to pay homage to Gilbert Baker?
I will veer away from Gilbert Baker here, and tell you the original story as I developed the Day Tripper Collection. At the time product was being developed, I was living in China. After I saw my first dress shoe samples in black, I happened to be visiting our knit supplier (the supplier that actually knits the uppers), and I took a mental snap shot of how many spools of thread were used on the machine. That night, I was brainstorming on my own, and I stumbled upon an article about Tim Cook. At that moment, it just occurred to me that I grew up in one of the only countries in which a gay man could rise to the helm of one of the biggest and most valuable companies in the world. I just thought that it would be amazing if I could come up with some type of a rainbow shoe to pay tribute to the struggles that that community has gone through. I started thinking about how to set up the knit machines to take seven colors. The next day, I went back to the knit factory, and worked on samples for the product. They were great to work with, and voila, the Day Tripper Collection was born. As a next step, I used reflective TPU as a signal to say, “this is a reflection of who I am”. I am so proud of all the product I have developed, but this collection is the only one that is a salute to a specific group.
What obstacles do you face making shoes from 100% recycled materials?
On the footbed foam, we did have to take function into account. We are working on a material that is 100% recycled, but I found the downside is more glues needed to be used, therefore, impacting breathability. As for the rubber welt, we did several time consuming experiments with rubber that included not only more recycled content but by trying to substitute rubber with other “filler” type product, but it affected durability in a negative way.
What is the best way to recycle (dispose of) Third Mind shoes?
One of the reasons I included a shoe tree made from 100% recycled plastic is if consumers make use of the shoe tree on a regular basis, then the shoes will last longer. As for disposing product at the end of the lifecycle, I have hit somewhat of a roadblock on that, and do not have an immediate solution. I initially wanted to set something up to send them back to us, but the transportation of doing that is not very sustainable. We have had a lot of internal discussion on that, but unfortunately, we have yet to come up with sound solutions.
How are you sustainable in your everyday life?
By getting my kids involved. They don’t have our bad habits, and they can come up with some really good ideas such as a compost pile. The one idea that got me into shape was I needed to build a pretty long wall. While on a trip to Home Depot, I was explaining the cost of transportation of things like brick and cinderblock, and my daughter came up with the idea of harvesting rocks from a nearby riverbed to build a wall. It came out looking fantastic. I also have plans to convert over to solar power at my home, and am working on that. The kids also now prefer to wear hand-me-downs or second hand clothing to buying new (except their shoes). Focusing on building a better future with kids can be really empowering.
Read more about sustainable men’s fashion:
From Boots To Puffer Coats; Sustainable Men’s Brands For All Your Winter Gear
8 Sustainable Men’s Jewelry Brands To Step Up Your Jewelry Game
