9 Best Sustainable Doc Martens Alternatives: Vegan Boots Like Dr. Martens [2026]
We carefully vet all products and brands featured on Ecothes using our rating guidelines. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you if you buy through our links.
The 8-eye boot with the yellow stitch is one of the most copied shoes on earth, and people who look for Doc Martens alternatives usually want a boot without leather, or one that lasts the way Docs used to before production left England.
We compared 9 sustainable alternatives to Dr. Martens. The first question for each was whether it can be resoled. The second was what the upper is made from, because PVC “vegan leather” doesn’t count. Every boot here is vegan, and two are built in the same Northamptonshire town as the original Docs.
Our Favorite Doc Martens Alternatives
Here’s how the 9 alternatives compare at a glance:
| Brand | Upper material | Resoleable | Price | Made in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solovair Vegan | Recycled synthetic and plant-based | Yes (Goodyear welt) | $229–239 | England |
| Vegetarian Shoes Airseal Boulder Boot | Vegetan Micro (water-resistant microfibre) | Yes (Goodyear welt) | £149 | England |
| Will’s Vegan Store Rangers | Italian vegan leather, 69% bio-based | No | $120–140 | Portugal, Italy |
| Nae Diram Combat Boot | Vegan microfibre, apple and pineapple leathers | No | $150–190 | Portugal |
| Bhava Rally Combat Hiker | Italian vegan leather, PVC-free | No | $289 | Spain |
| Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather | AppleSkin™ apple-waste leather | Some styles | $200–260 | Italy, Portugal |
| Minuit sur Terre | Grape, apple and grain-based vegan leather | No | €150–200 | Portugal |
| Matt & Nat | Recycled and plant-based vegan leather | No | $150–200 | China |
| Bourgeois Boheme | Italian vegan leather, some Piñatex | Some styles | £180–250 | Portugal |
Prices are approximate, checked September 2026, and vary by style and region.
Are Dr. Martens sustainable?
Dr. Martens started in 1960 in Wollaston, Northamptonshire, and for decades the 1460 was a Goodyear-welted work boot you could resole. Today the vast majority of Docs are made in Vietnam, Thailand and China with a heat-sealed sole rather than a stitched welt, so most pairs can’t be resoled. The Made in England line still is, at roughly double the price.
On materials, the standard boot is leather with a PVC sole. The vegan range uses a polyurethane-based synthetic, which is better than PVC but still fossil-fuel plastic. To its credit, Dr. Martens publishes a detailed sustainability report: it has committed to a sustainable vegan upper by 2028, a PVC-free outsole by 2035, and fully sustainable materials by 2040, and it’s trialling a reclaimed leather made from recycled Docs.
Those are targets, not today’s boots. If you want the look now from a boot with a stitched welt or a plant-based upper, these are the alternatives.
The 9 Best Sustainable Boots Like Doc Martens
1. Solovair Vegan
Sustainability: Goodyear-welted and fully resoleable, handmade in Wollaston, Northamptonshire since 1881, vegan uppers from recycled synthetic and plant-based materials, REACH compliant
Best for: The boot Dr. Martens used to be: resoleable, made in England, built for decades
Price: $229 for the 8-eye derby boot, $239 for the 11-eye
Ships to: USA, UK, EU and worldwide
Solovair is the boot Doc Martens fans switch to when they learn the history. NPS Shoes has made welted boots in Wollaston since 1881, and it was the factory that produced Dr. Martens under licence from 1960 until the 1990s. When Dr. Martens moved production abroad, NPS kept making the same boot under its own Solovair name, still in the same town.
The vegan range covers the 8-eye and 11-eye derby boots, a dealer (Chelsea) boot and a brogue boot, all with the air-cushioned sole and the Goodyear welt that means a cobbler can resole them. The uppers combine recycled synthetic material with plant-based content and meet European REACH chemical standards.
At $229 the vegan Solovair costs about the same as a Made in England Doc, and considerably more than a standard one. But it’s a boot you buy once. We’d call it the best Doc Martens alternative on the market.
2. Vegetarian Shoes Airseal Boulder Boot
Sustainability: Vegan since 1990, made in one of England’s oldest shoe factories, Goodyear-welted Airseal soles, water-resistant breathable uppers
Best for: The closest vegan lookalike to the 1460, at a lower price than Solovair
Price: £149 (around £124 excluding VAT outside the UK)
Ships to: Worldwide from the UK
Brighton-based Vegetarian Shoes has been making the Boulder Boot since the early 1990s, and it is the boot most people mean when they say “vegan Doc Martens”. The eight-eyelet pattern, the part-bellows tongue and the translucent Airseal sole are all straight out of the classic British work-boot tradition, and the boots are made in an English factory that’s been running for over 135 years.
The uppers are Vegetan Micro, the brand’s toughest water-resistant microfibre, and the Airseal sole is stitched to a Goodyear welt so the boots can be resoled. They need very little breaking in compared with a leather Doc.
At £149 the Boulder is the cheaper of the two Made in England options here. Vegetarian Shoes also collaborates with Solovair on a co-branded range if you want both names on one boot.
Shop Vegetarian Shoes Airseal Boulder Boot
3. Will’s Vegan Store Rangers
Sustainability: Italian vegan leather with 69% bio-based content, recycled insoles and rubber outsoles, recycled laces, carbon-neutral certified, made in Portugal and Italy
Best for: The best-value bio-based alternative to the 1460
Price: Around $120–140
Ships to: Worldwide, with a 365-day returns policy
The Will’s Vegan Store Rangers are a 7-eye boot built to do exactly what a Doc does, at a lower price and with a much better material story. The upper is the brand’s signature Italian vegan leather with 69% bio-based content, double and triple stitched, sitting on a deep recycled insole and a chunky rubber outsole with recycled content. There’s also a Barefoot Rangers version with a zero-drop flexible sole.
Will’s makes everything in Portugal and Italy and gives you a full year to return or exchange a pair. The sole isn’t welted, so these aren’t resoleable, which is the one thing that keeps them from the top spot. Read our Will’s Vegan Store rating.
Shop Will’s Vegan Store Rangers
4. Nae Diram Combat Boot
Sustainability: PETA-approved vegan, water-resistant uppers, anti-slip lug sole, EVA footbed, ethical production in Portugal
Best for: A chunky vegan combat boot in the 1460 mould
Price: Around $150–190
Ships to: Worldwide
Portuguese brand Nae has been fully vegan since 2008, and the Diram is its current take on the classic combat boot: a water-resistant lace-up on a chunky lug sole. Nae uses cork, apple leather, pineapple leather and recycled materials across its range and names the family-run factories in northern Portugal where every style is made.
The Diram isn’t welted, but the construction is solid and the price undercuts both Made in England options. Nae also makes a platform lace-up and a Chelsea version if you’d rather have the Jadon or 2976 look. See our Nae rating.
5. Bhava Rally Combat Hiker
Sustainability: Italian vegan leathers free from PVC, formaldehyde, phthalates and chrome, removable cork insoles, small-batch artisan production in Alicante, Spain
Best for: A premium combat boot with a cork footbed
Price: $289
Ships to: Worldwide
New York label Bhava makes its boots in small batches in Alicante, Spain, and the Rally Combat Hiker is the one to look at if you want the Doc silhouette with a much better footbed. Every pair comes with a removable cork insole plus a spare organic-cotton-lined insole for winter.
Bhava is strict about chemistry: its Italian vegan leathers are certified free from PVC, formaldehyde, phthalates, azo dyes and chrome. The price is the highest here, but the brand’s boots are known for lasting, and we’ve featured Bhava in our repairable shoes guide. Read our Bhava rating.
6. Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather
Sustainability: AppleSkin™ (now Uppeal) vegan leather made in Italy from apple harvest waste, Oeko-Tex certified materials, made in Italy and Portugal
Best for: The most fashion-forward apple-leather alternative to the 1460 and Jadon
Price: Around $200–260
Ships to: Europe, North America, Australia and more
Parisian brand Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather makes lace-up and platform boots from AppleSkin™, a bio-based vegan leather produced in Italy from apple cores, seeds and peel left over from the juice industry. The Blaze lace-up and Dakota styles are the closest to a Doc, with chunky soles and a polished finish.
Everything is made in Italy and Portugal from Oeko-Tex certified materials, and the brand has been vegan since it launched in 2011. It’s pricier than Will’s or Nae, but the materials are the most innovative on this list.
Shop Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather
7. Minuit sur Terre
Sustainability: PETA-approved vegan leathers made from grape pomace, apple waste and grain, Oeko-Tex 100 certified, recycled laces, made near Porto
Best for: French-designed lace-up and Chelsea boots from plant-waste leathers
Price: Around €150–200
Ships to: Worldwide
Bordeaux-based Minuit sur Terre is one of the few brands using grape-pomace leather, a by-product of the wine industry, alongside apple and grain-based materials. Its lace-up and Chelsea boots are Oeko-Tex 100 certified and PETA-approved, and the laces are recycled from plastic bottles collected in the Mediterranean.
The boots are made near Porto in Portugal, chosen for its shoemaking expertise and its proximity to France to cut transport emissions. Styling is cleaner and more refined than a Doc, so this is the pick if you want the boot shape without the punk edge.
8. Matt & Nat
Sustainability: 100% vegan since 1995, recycled and plant-based materials, PETA-approved, recycled-bottle linings
Best for: Widely available vegan combat and Chelsea boots
Price: Around $150–200
Ships to: Worldwide
Montreal’s Matt & Nat is the most widely stocked brand here, and its combat boots and lug-sole Chelseas are an easy Doc swap if you want to try on in person. The brand has been fully vegan since 1995 and lines its shoes and bags with fabric made from recycled plastic bottles.
The trade-off is that some Matt & Nat styles still use a high share of virgin polyurethane, and production is in China with less factory transparency than the European brands above. Read our Matt & Nat rating.
9. Bourgeois Boheme
Sustainability: Vegan since 2005, Italian vegan leathers and Piñatex pineapple leather, made in Portugal, PETA-approved
Best for: A dressier, London-designed alternative to the 1460 and 2976
Price: Around £180–250
Ships to: Worldwide
London label Bourgeois Boheme has been making vegan shoes in Portugal since 2005, and its lace-up and Chelsea boots are the smartest-looking Doc alternatives on this list. The brand works with Italian vegan leathers and, on some styles, Piñatex, the pineapple-leaf material.
Prices sit at the top of the range alongside Bhava and Good Guys, but the boots are handmade, PETA-approved and designed to be worn for years. See our Bourgeois Boheme rating.
How to choose a Doc Martens alternative
Look for a stitched welt. A Goodyear welt is the difference between a boot you resole and a boot you throw away. Only Solovair and Vegetarian Shoes offer it here, which is why they’re our top two.
“Vegan leather” needs a second question. Ask what it’s made from. Bio-based (Will’s, 69%), apple (Good Guys, Nae), grape (Minuit sur Terre) and pineapple (Bourgeois Boheme) are meaningfully better than plain polyurethane, and all of them are better than PVC.
Buy once. A £150–230 boot that lasts ten years costs less per wear than a $170 Doc replaced every three. Run the numbers with our cost per wear calculator.
Sizing. Solovair and Vegetarian Shoes use UK sizing and run roomy, like a Doc. Will’s and Nae run true to size. All of these need less breaking in than a leather 1460.
Frequently Asked Questions
What boots are most similar to Doc Martens?
Solovair is the most similar. Its factory in Wollaston made Dr. Martens under licence for over 30 years and still builds the same welted, air-cushioned boot. The Vegetarian Shoes Boulder Boot is the closest vegan lookalike, and Will’s Vegan Store Rangers are the best-value 7-eye alternative.
Are Dr. Martens vegan boots sustainable?
They’re vegan, but not yet sustainable. The current vegan range uses a polyurethane-based synthetic on a PVC sole, and most pairs can’t be resoled. Dr. Martens has committed to a sustainable vegan upper by 2028 and a PVC-free sole by 2035.
Can Doc Martens be resoled?
Only the Made in England line, which is Goodyear welted. Standard Docs have a heat-sealed sole and can’t be resoled. Solovair and Vegetarian Shoes boots are welted and resoleable, which is why they last longer.
Are there cheaper alternatives to Doc Martens?
Will’s Vegan Store Rangers (around $120–140) and the Vegetarian Shoes Boulder Boot (£149) both come in under the price of a standard 1460, and both use better materials than Dr. Martens’ vegan range.
Who made Doc Martens in England?
From 1960 to the 1990s, NPS Shoes in Wollaston, Northamptonshire made Dr. Martens under licence. When production moved overseas, NPS continued making the same boot as Solovair, which it still handmakes in Wollaston today, including a vegan range.
Wrapping Up: The Best Boots Like Doc Martens
A pair of Docs used to be a lifetime purchase. The brands that still deliver on that are the ones making welted boots in England, and the vegan specialists using plant-based leathers. Our top three:
- Best overall: Solovair Vegan. Goodyear welted and resoleable, handmade in the town where Docs were born.
- Closest vegan lookalike: Vegetarian Shoes Boulder Boot. Made in England, £149.
- Best value: Will’s Vegan Store Rangers. A 69% bio-based upper for around $130.
Looking for alternatives to other shoe brands? Read our guides to sustainable alternatives to Blundstone, Converse, Allbirds and Vans, or browse our full round-ups of vegan combat boots and vegan Chelsea boots.
![10 Best Sustainable Blundstone Alternatives: Boots Like Blundstones [2026]](/images/blog/shoes-like-blundstone.webp)