NAE Vegan Shoes is a Fully Vegan Brand

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NAE Vegan Shoes Brand Overview

"NAE stands for No Animal Exploitation. The name carries our mission: to propose an animal-friendly and ecological alternative against human exploitation. Our shoes and accessories are manufactured in certified and ethical factories in Portugal." - NAE Vegan Shoes team

About NAE Vegan Shoes

Founded in 2008 by Paula Pérez, NAE Vegan Shoes is an ethically vegan Portuguese footwear brand that employs fair labour and uses a variety of eco-friendly materials. They also have a variety of other sustainable programs in place, such as using 100% recyclable packaging with tape made from kraft paper and natural rubber adhesive, as well as a partnership with DHL GoGreen.

Is NAE Vegan Shoes an ethically vegan brand?

NAE Vegan Shoes is an intentionally and ethically vegan brand, rather than one that uses vegan materials out of convenience, or for other reasons. According to the brand, "Our founders were driven by a personal need and duty of reducing the horrific impact on animal lives."

What materials are used to make NAE Vegan Shoes?

NAE uses a variety of innovative plant-based leathers, natural materials, and man-made synthetics to make their shoes. A unique feature we found on their website, that we don't see a lot when researching shoe brands, is the ability to shop by primary material on their #NAEMATERIALS page. Some of the primary materials they use include: Piñatex; organic cotton; cork; vegan leather; apple skin; recycled PET; and corn. For their laces, NAE uses waxed cotton filled with recycled polyester, for their soles they use TR (thermoplastic rubber), and for their lining they use a variety of materials, depending on the model (for example, polyurethane and microfibre). NAE also lists a breakdown of the materials used in each shoe on that shoe's product page.

Are NAE Vegan Shoes eco-friendly/sustainable?

NAE Vegan Shoes would be considered quite sustainable, as the materials they use are mostly certified in some sort of sustainability capacity. For example, their cork is FSC certified, their synthetic leather is certified by the OEKO-TEX Standard 100, their organic cotton is GOTS certified, and their recycled PET (from plastic bottles) is GRS certified.
With regard to their plant-based leathers, these materials are fairly eco-friendly, and are considered much more sustainable than animal leather, and virgin plastics, although they typically do not degrade outside of controlled industrial conditions due to the plastics (bio-based, recycled, or otherwise) added to them. The science used in these leathers is steadily advancing however, and over time they have been using fewer plastics and other stabilizers. They are also known to use less CO2 during creation than animal-derived and synthetic leathers.

Does production of NAE Vegan Shoes create a lot of CO2 emissions?

From a carbon footprint standpoint, it's difficult to asses the impact that NAE Vegan Shoes has, and what they do to remediate it. NAE Vegan Shoes does not currently provide data as to their environmental impact or remediation efforts, so it's difficult to accurately asses them in these areas.

Does NAE Vegan Shoes use green shipping methods?

Yes! NAE has informed us that they're partnered with DHL GoGreen, which is largely considered to be the gold standard when it comes to green shipping.

Does NAE Vegan Shoes use eco-friendly packaging?

Yes! According to the brand, "Every element of our packaging is 100% recyclable. We even use eco-friendly tape made from kraft paper and natural rubber adhesive."

How should I dispose of my worn out NAE Vegan Shoes?

According to the brand, "We are working on a project for recycling our shoes. What we are doing first is recover and donation. With the shoes that some customers send us back, we try to recover them and donate locally."

Where can I buy NAE Vegan Shoes?

NAE Vegan Shoes can be purchased from their website, and can be shipped worldwide. NAE has a flagship store in Lisbon, Portugal, and work with over 100 multi-brand retailer partners (mainly in Europe, although there are a few in the United States). NAE Vegan Shoes can also be purchased from online marketplaces, such as Amazon, Avocadostore, and Zalando.

Do NAE Vegan Shoes ever go on sale?

Yes - there’s a “Sale” section of their website, and we noticed sales in the area of 40% when we visited. There is also an option for getting a 10% discount code when you sign up to their newsletter.

Where are NAE Vegan Shoes made?

NAE Vegan Shoes are manufactured in four factories in the north of Portugal and in two factories in Spain.

Are NAE Vegan Shoes ethically made?

Yes - Since NAE Vegan Shoes are made in Spain and Portugal, their labourers are protected by the stringent labour laws of the European Union, which also include strong health and safety regulations.

Does NAE promote ‘slow fashion’ or a ‘circular economy’?

NAE Vegan Shoes incorporates several elements of a circular economy/slow fashion model, such as: employing fair labour; making their shoes close to where they are based; using organic natural materials; using innovative plant-based leathers; using eco-friendly packing materials (even their tape!); partnering with DHL GoGreen; and working to introduce a shoe recycling program.

Is NAE a charitable company?

Yes - According to the brand, "We donate shoes to local charity organizations."

NAE Vegan Shoes Product Range

NAE Vegan Shoes makes a very wide variety of women's, men's and unisex footwear in both canvas/textile and leather-look models, at an upper-mid price point. Offering both casual and dressy styles, their look is largely elegant, with models ranging from bold to minimalist, and from trendy to retro. Their current lineup includes: