What does this brand sell?
When NAE Vegan Shoes® was created, the founders were driven by a personal need and duty of reducing the horrific impact on animal lives. This was way back in 2008. NAE stands for “No Animal Exploitation” – emphasising their vegan philosophy and aiming to find alternatives to animal products. Their products are made from natural materials, as well as recycled and synthetic ones.
“To propose an animal-friendly and ecological alternative against human exploitation.”
No information has been found on the achieved sustainable milestones
No information has been found on their future plans
No information has been found on any awards received
A physical store can be found in Lisbon, Portugal. You can find the address here
A physical store can be found in Lisbon, Portugal. You can find the address here
Packaging consists of recycled cardboard boxes, kraft wrapping paper, and tape from kraft paper and natural rubber adhesive.
Standard 100 label by OEKO-TEX & REACH (vegan leather)
Global Recycled Standard (Recycled PET)
Global Organic Textile Standard (organic cotton)
Packaging consists of recycled cardboard boxes, kraft wrapping paper, and tape from kraft paper and natural rubber adhesive.
Standard 100 label by OEKO-TEX & REACH (vegan leather)
Global Recycled Standard (Recycled PET)
Global Organic Textile Standard (organic cotton)
Philippines – Piñatex
The countries were the rest of the raw materials come from are unknown.
Portugal (4 factories) and Spain (2 factories)
Men Shoes = EUR 135.00
Boots = EUR 130.00
Women Sneakers = EUR 64.35
Vegan Wallet = EUR 49.00
One of the materials NAE Vegan uses is cork, which is a tree that absorbs a lot of CO2 annually, therefore minimising the carbon footprint that this industry has (or even turning it positive). The extraction of cork from the tree is non-invasive and respectful to the tree’s harvest cycles. Moreover, growing organic cotton emits about 46% less CO2 compared to conventional cotton production.
Another one of their product, caleed Steam Bioeco, which is obtained partially from corn and recycled polyester, reduces 63% of greenhouse gas emissions (CO2) compared to nylon 6,6 polymer.
The process of creating piñatex costs little energy, as the fibres are extracted using semi-automatic machines. The fibres are dried naturally by the sun, and only in the rainy seasons, drying ovens are used.
Another one of their product, caleed Steam Bioeco, which is obtained partially from corn and recycled polyester, reduces 40% of energy consumption compared to nylon 6,6 polymer.
The cork, piñatex, and organic cotton all have a reduced water consumption compared to more conventional materials. The cork extraction process does not prompt water waste or ocean pollution. The piñatex manufacturers wash the leaves in river water, thereby reducing water usage and preventing pollution. Organic cotton can use up to 91% less water as mostly rainfall is used to grow the cotton, and little irrigation is used. On the other hand, recycling PET does require a considerable amount of water to wash the products before recycling.
No animals are hurt during the manufacturing process of these products.
NAE Vegan uses waste streams such as piñatex to create new products and give discarded pineapple leaves a second life. As well as using waste streams, they use recycled materials including rPET to give new life to single-use plastic. They believe that we should recycle the plastic that already exists, as well as ending single-use plastics. Moreover, they use recycled cotton, polyester, and nylon when possible.
Even though synthetic vegan leather alternatives can be made of raw materials originating from petroleum, which is very polluting to extract, NAE uses Eco Microfiber which is OEKO-TEX certified. That means that this textile is free of chromium 6, which is the most harmful chemical for the environment and consumers. The material consist of a relatively low (10%) percentage of a water-based, solvent-free polyurethane which base originates from the oil industry.
However, no chemicals are used in the cork, piñatex, and organic cotton.
Organic cotton is grown with natural fertilisers rather than toxic ones.
NAE has their ethical guidelines laid out in their code of ethics and professional conduct, and guarantee social security, equal treatment, freedom of speech, freedom of association, and the right to strike.
You can find their Ethical Code report online, outlining the guidelines that reflect the brand's conduct.