{"id":49788,"date":"2025-02-24T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thegreenlist.nl\/?p=49788"},"modified":"2026-01-23T14:13:46","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T13:13:46","slug":"microplastics-from-your-shoe-soles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thegreenlist.nl\/en\/microplastics-van-je-schoenzolen\/","title":{"rendered":"Microplastics from your shoe soles?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Oh dear, you've just bought a pair of fine, perhaps second-hand footwear, turns out there's a new problem: the shoe soles! The soles of many shoes are a major environmental problem. They are often made of synthetic materials such as plastic, which contributes to the spread of microplastics in the environment. What about this?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Yikes, shoe soles releasing microplastics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic, usually smaller than five millimetres, that are popping up in our environment worldwide and are a growing problem. They are created by the wearing down or breaking down of larger plastic objects, such as car tyres that lose tiny particles while driving, or by washing synthetic clothes, where millions of fibres end up in the water. Find out more in our article on synthetic clothing and microplastics.<\/a> Litter that slowly crumbles is also a culprit, and to make things a tad worse, microplastics are deliberately added in a lot of make-up and personal care products to make it more spreadable or give it a coarser texture - like toothpaste. (A microplastic-free toothpaste tip is ReBloom<\/a>, in case you were startled by this post by now). But even our shoe soles contribute to the microplastic problem, and not by much, it turns out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Shoe<\/figure><\/div>
\"Sustainable<\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The soles of your shoes play an important role in the spread of microplastics.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shoe sole as a contributor to the microplastics problem<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A German study<\/a> concluded that wear from shoe soles ranks seventh among the major contributors to microplastics. That is more than, for example, microplastics from plastic packaging (rank eight), washing clothes (rank 10) and microplastics from cosmetics (rank 17). This is something you don't read much about, while there are alternatives. So if you have the option, preferably choose shoes with a sole made of a natural material. Ultimately, all these microplastics - including from our shoes - end up in our rivers, oceans and even in our food, with potentially harmful consequences for people and nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Durable shoe soles: materials, materials, materials!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We would thegreenlist.nl<\/em> wouldn't be if we didn't also come up with some tips. Because yes, you can also choose shoe soles that are more sustainable. Or well, you can check what the sole is made of when buying new shoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n