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Jelly shoes are still having a moment — and a handful of brands are now making them from hemp, ocean plastic, and recycled materials for a footprint as soft and comfy as the shoe itself.
The jelly shoe is back — not in a tentative “spotted on one Depop listing” way, but in the full-throated, runway-confirmed, resort-collection kind of way. What nobody talked about when jellies hit peak cultural saturation in 1994, or again in 2025, is what they’re actually made of. The answer is mostly PVC, and there’s a real conversation worth having about that now.
“[PVC] is a material so bad that even major plastics users such as the Coca-Cola Company, Danone and Henkel support calling it problematic and unnecessary (as per the US Plastics Pact’s ‘Problem and Unnecessary Material List’ report),” Sara Brosché, campaign manager at IPEN (International Pollutants Elimination Network), told Vogue last year.
The better news is that a handful of brands have spent years reformulating the jelly at the material level — replacing or significantly reducing PVC with hemp, plant-based compounds, recycled factory waste, and ocean-recovered plastic. Among them: the French family label Plasticana, the long-established Brazilian brand Melissa, UK-based Juju Footwear, footwear staple Rothy’s, and ocean-recovery label Nuoceans. The eco jelly is no longer a concept — it’s a real category.
Paulo Pedó Filho, chief executive and brand director at Melissa, has been direct about the distinction: “There is a huge difference between our material and traditional plastic shoes.” That difference — which varies significantly from brand to brand — is the story.
The fastest check is the material label — if it just says PVC with no further detail, assume it’s virgin plastic, the most resource-intensive and least recyclable version of the material. Better brands will specify: recycled PVC, bio-based PVC, hemp-PVC blend, TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane, a cleaner alternative), or ocean-bound/ocean-recovered plastic.
Certifications worth trusting include ISCC Plus, which verifies recycled and bio-based inputs, and OceanCycle, which confirms marine plastic sourcing. One distinction worth noting: “recyclable” on a label means the shoe theoretically can be recycled — not that it will be, or that the infrastructure exists in your area to do it. “Made with recycled content” or “take-back program included” is the more meaningful claim. Brands doing this honestly tend to publish their material percentages and sustainability pages openly; if a brand’s website has nothing beyond vague language about “caring for the planet,” that’s a signal in itself.
How to wear jelly shoes
Clear and translucent-ish jellies function as a neutral, working easily with linen trousers, slip midis, and tailored blazer-and-shorts combinations — anything where you’d normally reach for a strappy sandal or minimalist flat. The earth-toned styles coming out of Plasticana, whose natural hues derive from hemp sugars, sit particularly well against raw fabrics: cotton gauze, linen, raw silk.
For something cleaner and more editorial, a single-color jelly in bone, ecru, or a deep tonal shade worn against a matching head-to-toe palette removes visual noise and lets the shoe stand on its own. The current moment for pairing jellies with a subtle anklet or a low cotton sock works best with wide-leg trousers or a floaty skirt, where the silhouette has room to breathe.
Eco jelly shoe brands
Worth stating upfront: “recyclable” and “actually recycled” remain two very different things in footwear, particularly where PVC is involved. The brands below range from genuinely circular to plant-based to ocean-recovery — each addressing the same problem from a different angle.
Plasticana
The most interesting material story in this space comes from a French family business based near Nantes. Plasticana produces its Sunchanvre and Sandana jelly sandals from a blend of 100 percent recycled PVC and French-grown hemp, which absorbs carbon during growth and reduces the fossil fuel load normally associated with plastic production. The color in each pair comes from natural sugars in the hemp, producing subtle variation between batches. The silhouette — adjustable ankle buckle, latticed toe box — reads more Marais market than environmental statement, which is exactly right. Stockists include Reliquary in San Francisco and Straw London as well as Salter House.
Melissa
The Brazilian brand has been making jelly shoes since 1979 and has substantially reworked its proprietary MelFlex compound over the decades. The current formula is 25 percent plant-based, drawing from sugarcane and vegetable oils, and carries USDA certification for bio-based content. The brand reports that 30 percent of each shoe is made from recycled factory waste, its production facilities run on 100 percent renewable energy, and 90 percent of its 2022 production waste was reincorporated rather than landfilled. It has collaborated with Marc Jacobs and Rombaut, among others — though MelFlex remains predominantly PVC.
Juju Footwear
Made in Northampton — the historical center of British shoemaking — since 1986, Juju takes the most genuinely circular approach in this group. It sources its PVC materials within England, grinds down old and unsold shoes, and uses that reclaimed material to make new ones. All products are phthalate-free and carry ISCC Plus certification, which independently verifies the use of recycled and bio-based inputs.
Tory Burch
Made from TPU, the Tory Burch Mellow collection is focused on comfort and ease for your feet as well as the planet. The backless Mary Jane jelly is a lightweight slip-on that pairs a delicate, adjustable strap with the waterproof construction of classic children’s shoes. You’ll want to wear these day and night for a look that’s chic and comfortable.
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