CCILU is a Fully Vegan Brand

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Brand Highlights

According to CCILU, every one of us ingests 5 grams of microplastic from the ocean every week because the bottles we throw away end up as part of our food chain... that's like eating one credit card every week! CCILU is trying to do something about it by removing plastic from the oceans and turning them into shoes.

About CCILU Vegan Shoes

Founded by Wilson Hsu in 2011, CCILU (“CHEE-Loo”- meaning "liberate" in Japanese) is a Japanese footwear brand known for creating technologies focusing on lightweight, comfortable and sustainable footwear, socks as well as face masks.

Are CCILU shoes waterproof?

According to CCILU, their Xpresole Panto boots are tested in water and proven to keep your socks dry through 100,000-steps. Other shoes, boots and sandals in their catalogue are listed as water-repellant. Fortunately, each model of shoe on their website will list its various water-repelling properties (if applicable).

Are CCILU shoes eco-friendly/sustainable?

CCILU claims to be focused on sustainability, and they certainly make many efforts in that area. For example, their listed brand goals include: minimizing the plastics dumped into our oceans; minimizing our ingestion of micro-plastics from the ocean; minimizing petroleum consumption by the footwear industry; minimizing the overall carbon footprint by the footwear industry. Their primary approach to meeting these goals is by using upcycled spent coffee grounds (SCGs), ocean plastic bottles and waste from the fishing industry as well as the semiconductor industry to produce their shoes.

Does CCILU use green shipping methods?

It's unclear from their website if CCILU uses net-zero or negative emissions shipping partners, either domestically or internationally. We have asked them for clarification and are currently awaiting reply. UPDATE: Wilson Hsu, the Founder of CCILU, has informed us that "for some products; and in some markets" they do use net-zero or negative emissions partners.

Does CCILU use eco-friendly packaging?

It's unclear from their website if CCILU uses recycled, recyclable, compostable, or other forms of eco-friendly and sustainable packaging. We have asked them for details regarding the materials they use for packaging, and are currently awaiting reply.

Are CCILU shoes recyclable or compostable?

It’s unclear from the information available on their website if CCILU’s shoes are recyclable or compostable. We have asked for clarification from the CCILU team and are currently awaiting reply. UPDATE: CCILU has informed us that they are working on a technology to recycle the old pairs of their shoes, and turn them into new ones.

How should I dispose of my worn out CCILU shoes?

We have asked the CCILU team if they currently have, or are developing, a shoe recycling program, and are awaiting reply. In the meantime, we recommend either donating them to someone in need, or taking them to a clothing recycling depot (if available in your city), which can strip them down to their recyclable components. UPDATE: CCILU has informed us that they are concurrently working on 2 new processes to handle the old pairs: The first, is pyrolysis tech – turn the old footwear into renewable energy (diesel). They are now piloting this in Taiwan. The 2nd, is clozeloop® tech – recycling old pairs and turning them into new pairs, which is still a work in progress, but should be ready very soon, according to the company.

Where can I buy CCILU shoes, boots and sandals?

CCILU is now a global brand that's sold in more than 60 countries, with 40+ CCILU stores in Asia and a permanent presence established in North America, under the CCILU USA banner. You can get CCILU's shoes online from their own website, as well as from their Amazon store.

Do CCILU shoes ever go on sale?

Yes! CCILU offers a 15% discount off of your first purchase when you subscribe to their newsletter, and currently uses the code 2for40off (applied at checkout) to get 40% off when you buy two pairs of shoes.


What materials are used to make CCILU shoes?

Every major component (upper, insole and outsole) in their GreenPlax® footwear is made from recycled plastic bottles pulled from the ocean. Their XpreSole® shoes are made from spent coffee grounds. Some of their shoes are made with what the company describes as an "eco-friendly composite", although it's not clear what it's actually composed of. Each product listing on their website will give an overview of the technologies/materials used to make their shoes, although diving deeper into what those materials are can be difficult, depending on the material. All of their dyes and adhesives are 100% vegan.

Where are CCILU shoes made?

CCILU states that their demonstration factory and supply chain are in Taiwan, where they utilize centralized resources to produce the shoe material master batch, and have their production done in Asia. Their recycled materials are all sourced from Taiwan.

Are CCILU shoes ethically made?

Being that their shoes are made in Asia, it's difficult as an outside, non-certifying party to verify as to whether or not CCILU ensures its factory enforces all international and local labour laws to provide a safe and fair working environment for their workers. The Founder, Wilson Hsu, has told us that they do indeed have practices in place to ensure fair and safe working conditions for their labour force, although he hasn't specified as to what those are.

Is CCILU a charitable company?

Yes! When they set out to establish CCILU USA, they donated 100,000 pairs of new CCILU shoes, as sponsor of the Soles4Souls Travel Program, which means they've given shoes to those in need in Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Guatemala, Ecuador and Costa Rica. They also annually give gifts of new shoes to teachers in honour of Teacher Appreciation Week.

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

CCILU appears to employ some elements of a circular economy, such as using upcycled, recycled and increasingly sustainable and high-quality materials.

CCILU Product Range

CCILU makes functional footwear with a plethora of technical features (which vary by model, and can include being waterproof, dirt-proof, ultra lightweight, pressure-point massaging, easy to clean, and antimicrobial, among others). The styles, sandals and boots of the shoes vary from model to model, but can be described as modern, ultra-modern, high-tech, minimalist, clog-style, with most having a "Lego-dot" style to the sole.