In short, no. Cariuma is not a vegan sneaker company. It is, however, moving in that direction. In 2020, 43 percent of the Cariuma collection was vegan. In 2022, this increased to 65 percent. Cariuma still uses animal leather, however. And, as we know, animal leather has a huge environmental footprint. This is because even when farmed ‘ethically’, the animals often used for leather (namely cows) emit methane (a greenhouse gas), require vast tracts of land for grazing, require massive water inputs, and the leather itself is not ‘natural’ as it is processed using a slew of toxic chemicals that prevent it biodegrading. Note, too, that Cariuma offers vegan ‘leather’ footwear that is water-repellent. These shoes are made with unspecified ‘vegan leather’ and it’s not clear how they repel water.