Veja

Feb 20, 2023

Veja is a French footwear and accessories brand selling a collection of sustainable sneakers for men and women. It sells eco-friendly shoes, bags, and accessories in 3,000 retailers in 60+ countries.

Its products are made with organic materials, fair trade sourcing, and transparency. Veja already sold more than 8 million pairs of sneakers worldwide.

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Sustainability Rating: 6/10

Rating FAQ

Category: Shoes, accessories, bags

For: Men, women, children

Type: Sportswear, sneakers

Style: Casual

Quality: Medium

Price: $$

Sizes: 35-41 (EU), 5-8 (US)

Fabrics: Cotton, rubber, polyurethane, polyester, nylon, jute

100% Organic: No

100% Vegan: No

Ethical & Fair: Yes

Recycling: Yes

Producing Country: Brazil

Certifications: GOTS, B Corp, SMETA, Sedex

Sustainability Practices

"The goal of Veja is to create sneakers with a positive ecological and social impact. Veja has one foot in the fashion industry, and the other one in the transparency. It mixes ecology, innovation, and design [...] to invest our resources on the organic raw materials, production, employees’ and farmers’ salaries by cutting the advertising and communication budget."

- Sébastien Kopp, Veja Co-Founder and Creative Director

Veja is one of the few good places where you can buy sustainable and vegan sneakers. Many A-list celebrities and social media personalities such as Duchess of Sussex Rachel Meghan Markle and British actress Emma Watson wear Veja sneakers.

Veja aims to make the most ecological sneakers possible. It uses a fair proportion of organic materials such as organic cotton, jute, and natural rubber, or recycled materials such as recycled cotton and recycled polyester.

Veja also uses many synthetic materials without relevant certifications, some made from natural and renewable resources, others petroleum-based such as polyester.

Veja publishes a list of all its manufacturers and many of its processing facilities on its corporate website. It aims to create an environment where everyone feels free to speak up.

The French shoe retailer does show some labor certification standards that could ensure good working conditions, decent living wages, health, safety, and other crucial rights for workers in its supply chain.

Veja has a code of conduct that applies to all its suppliers and subcontractors. It assesses compliance with its Code of Conduct by informal visits or third-party audits with or without notice.

Veja doesn't use exotic animal skin, hair, fur, or angora. But it uses leather from southern Brazil to manufacture many of its products.

Leather is an animal-derived material that is cruel and unethical. It also harms the environment by producing greenhouse gases and waste. More sustainable alternatives exist.

Sustainability Goals

Veja wants to find 100% bio-based alternatives to its synthetic materials. The brand is also actively looking for solutions to reach 100% recycling but has no timeline or science-based target to improve in the future.