Lace Up - What Your Shoes Aren’t Telling You

In this episode, we’re stepping into the world of shoes. But first—what if we didn’t wear them at all? Walking barefoot: more natural, cheaper, and maybe even healthier. Still, for most of us, shoes are a daily essential. So what are they really doing to our bodies? From high heels to running shoes to flip-flops, we break down the health impacts of what we put on our feet.

Then there’s the environmental side. We buy a lot of shoes—and all those plastics, dyes, and synthetic materials add up fast, leaving a much bigger footprint than we might think.

But it’s not all bad news. A wave of innovative, sustainable brands is changing the game—rethinking how shoes are made, from safer materials to better working conditions. We’ll explore alternatives like cotton, bamboo, cork, natural foams, and more—solutions that are easier on the planet, kinder to workers, and that don’t rely on animal exploitation.

Because in the end, the choice is yours: what kind of footprint do you want to leave behind?

References:

Shoe consumption per age https://www.restonyc.com/what-age-buys-the-most-shoes/

Bare feet, minimal footwear and conventional footwear health impacts https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11899058/

Effects of footwear on biomechanics of the body https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844025012514

The effects of grounding, walking barefoot https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4378297/

Hill shoes health issues https://footwearmagazine.com/cleveland-clinic-high-heels-foot-problems/

Flip flops health isuues https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5862437/

CO2eq emissions per product https://www.co2everything.com/a-z

CO2 emissions of shoes production https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/14/6094

Environmental impacts of shoes https://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/49925/20220315/the-impact-of-the-shoe-industry-on-the-environment.htm

Kangoroos killed for leather for shoes The Truth About Leather & How it is Made | Animals Australia