When it comes to living a vegan lifestyle, it involves more than just food choices. Footwear is a part of your new lifestyle. You’ll need to find shoes that are made of synthetic or natural materials rather than any animal material, which includes the hide, bones, hair, fur, and shell. Below are five guidelines to help you know what to look for.

1. Know What Materials to Look For

You have a clear idea of the materials that you’re supposed to be avoiding when it comes to picking out your shoes. Now, it’s time to learn about what materials you should be looking for. These include synthetic materials, cotton, hemp, and bamboo. Cotton, hemp, and bamboo shoes are particularly eco-friendly, but shoes with synthetic materials will likely last longer. Find a good balance between the two.

2. Checking the Tab

On the back of the shoe tab or on the sole of the shoe, there is usually a list of materials in the shoe. This is something that you’re going to need to pay attention to when picking out your next pair of shoes. If the label says that the shoe is made from 100 percent synthetic materials or is ‘all manmade’, then you can consider the shoe vegan.

3. Understand the Symbols

If you’ve looked at the tab label of your shoes before, you’ve probably noticed that there are several symbols, but you might not have understood them. These symbols tell you what your shoe is made of and what part of the shoe contains what.

A diamond or a woven pattern indicates that the materials used are synthetic or natural. Both of these are vegan, so they are good to get. The hide symbol, which looks a bit like a puzzle piece, indicates that the piece is leather or if it has a diamond in the middle of it, coated leather. These are not vegan and you should avoid them if you’re trying to maintain a vegan lifestyle.

4. Do Some Research

While you can search for vegan footwear at your local shoe stores, it can take extra time and patience. There is an easier way. You can hop online and check out the stores which offer vegan shoe options. You can order from their online websites or simply write down a list of the shoe manufactures who offer vegan-only products. This way, next time you know what brands to look for at the store.

Some companies will carry only vegan footwear. Others will have certain lines or styles of shoes that are footwear, like vegan ballet flats. Both are good options that you should research.

5. You Can Always Contact Customer Service

If you’ve found a pair of shoes that you want to buy but aren’t sure whether or not they’re vegan. To be sure before you buy, you can simply talk to the manufacturer’s customer service department. Vegan-friendly brands can help you to learn more about why their products are animal-free and give you even more tips for identifying the right vegan shoes for you. Most customer service departments will have a phone number or email address where you can get ahold of them.

If you’ve decided to opt for a vegan lifestyle, it requires more than just a diet change. When it comes to purchasing items like clothes and shoes, you need to ensure that your options are vegan-friendly. The above tips should help you to find the right animal-free shoes that fit your style.