Rothys Flats Review: Recycled Shoes

A Review of The Goods

Rothy’s has been advertising like crazy, nearly everyone knows about the brand making shoes from plastic water bottles. While it’s definitely a cute niche, we wondered how these shoes would hold up to wear, and well, if we could actually wear a shoe made of plastic all day.

We were surprised with the results.

Rothy’s has styles ranging from sneakers to downtown loafers to cute mules, but all of the are flats. They’re also all made with a woven fabric—that’s the plastic. It can feel a bit scratchy at first, but after a few wears the material loosens up and you’re left with a pretty darn comfortable recycled shoe.

As much as OneDey is a site about sustainable living, I was most excited about the possibility of a washable shoe. Like many other millennial ladies, I am a fan of the white sneaker. Cuz they go with everything and they’re classy, obviously.

The white sneakers by Rothy’s are as classy as they come, looking almost like a cross between a boat shoe and a sneaker. They have heavier, thicker soles than their loafer version, but are still washable. I’ve only tossed mine in the wash a couple times, and I’m not saying they come out sparkly white, but it’s almost as good as busting out a new pair.

The Green

We cover Rothy’s in depth, check out our full company review.

Rothys Flats Product quality and ingredients sustainability

• They pioneered a new technology to weave this plastic material into shoes
• Not all of the shoe is made from plastic, it includes algae in the insole, but the outer sole is comprised of only 35% renewable materials. This is a start, but you wouldn’t guess it given the positioning of the brand
• Rothy’s puts in effort to ensure less waste is created in the production process. They calculate a 30% reduction in waste

Packaging/shipping materials and practices sustainability

• The shoe boxes come in paper, but they don’t say whether that paper is recycled. It’s coated, so jury’s out
• The factory will be zero waste in 2022, but no mention of offsetting shipping emissions.

We also tried Rothys masks, and are now hooked!