Sunset Picks Fleks Recycled-Foam Shoes as Best Travel Footwear

1. Fleks Peunte/Puente clog — Sunset’s pick for best travel footwear ($150)

Sunset’s pick crowns a surprisingly simple idea: take production leftovers and make something you actually want to wear. Fleks—founded by industry vet Leah Larson and built around an ocean‑protection identity—collects leftover performance foam “the kind typically destined for landfills” and “transforms it into what it calls FLEKSfoam.” Underfoot, “each pair is made with recycled material that’s gathered, ground down, and remolded into their FLEKSfoam,” and the brand says the midsoles “contain up to 85 percent recycled content, reimagining what would have been production waste into a cushy, supportive base.” The process is also framed as less intensive than conventional foam manufacture: “Unlike traditional foam manufacturing, which can be water‑intensive, the Fleks process uses significantly less water and skips harsh solvents altogether.” That combination—high recycled content with a lower‑impact process—explains why Sunset positions the clog as a travel shoe that reads both practical and considered.

The product in Sunset’s roundup appears as the Fleks Peunte Clog (also spelled Puente in other lines), listed at $150; the copy describes a “fuzzy, fur‑lined forest green Puente clog” that’s “cozy like UGGs and look[s] similar to the ubiquitous Birkenstocks but have much more style—and they’re sustainable.” The silhouette is praised as “clean and sculptural, slightly elevated, and modern enough to wear beyond the house (though they’re equally good there, too),” which aligns with the reviewer’s lived test: “I’ve found myself wearing these on dog walks around the city, at the airport, to the farmers market, and to warm up after cold winter surfs here in San Francisco. And they always get compliments.” In short: the Fleks clog is presented as a comfort‑first travel shoe that doesn’t sacrifice aesthetics for sustainability—a balance Sunset calls “surprisingly hard to get right in the footwear world.”

If you’re sizing up travel footwear with a sustainability lens, Fleks sits amid a clear movement toward recycled and bio‑based materials that now includes several distinct strategies. Thousand Fell emphasizes circularity—“designed for complete circularity, these sneakers can be returned to the company for recycling into new shoes”—and retails in the $119–$149 range. Saola, priced $99–$139, pairs a conservation story with materials like recycled plastic bottles, algae foam, and organic cotton and donates to wildlife conservation; one summary lists a 1% revenue donation as part of its impact profile. Rothy’s converts single‑use plastic bottles into thread—“to turn water bottles into shoes, Rothy’s takes little flakes from single‑use plastic bottles, presses those flakes into little beads, then transforms the beads into threads”—and Packhacker notes roughly “about 13 bottles are kept from landfills with each pair of these sneakers,” while some Rothy’s inner soles use recycled foam derived in part from bio‑based castor oil. Allbirds leans into sugarcane SweetFoam for midsoles and FSC‑certified eucalyptus fibers; its construction includes recycled‑bottle laces and bio‑TPU eyelets. On the more technical end, Packhacker highlights Vibram’s EcoStep Natural outsoles and CORDURA® RE/CORE™ uppers made from 100% rPET as performance‑minded, travel‑ready choices that “will give you a pep in your step” and allow you to “go for a run once you arrive,” underscoring that many sustainable options now prioritize durability and versatility.

Those material moves matter because they translate into concrete consumer benefits: Solartechonline’s overview stresses that “recycled foam from manufacturing scraps creates comfortable midsoles while diverting waste from landfills,” that “post‑consumer rubber from tires and industrial waste is processed into high‑quality outsoles that often outperform virgin rubber,” and that “bio‑based synthetics derived from algae, castor beans, and other renewable sources offer performance benefits without petroleum dependence.” The site also reported flat‑out that “Yes, sustainable athletic shoes now match or exceed traditional performance metrics,” adding that “our testing showed sustainable running shoes performing identically to conventional alternatives,” a point that removes a common objection for travelers who need cushioning and longevity in a single pair.

Practical circularity programs round out the landscape: Thousand Fell’s return‑for‑recycling model, Teva’s TevaForever program (which “accepts any style of your well‑loved Teva travel shoes” and notes the fast‑drying webbing “is made with recycled plastic, saving four plastic bottles from landfills”), and Fleks’ own reuse of production foam into FLEKSfoam. These programs differ in scope—Rothy’s is pursuing LEED and TRUE certifications and Allbirds publishes emissions data as a Certified B Corp—but they signal the same shift: travel shoes are now engineered with end‑of‑life and material transparency in mind.

A few specific metrics make these choices tangible at the register: Fleks’ midsole claim of “up to 85 percent recycled content,” Thousand Fell’s $119–$149 price band, Saola’s $99–$139 range, and Fleks’ $150 price for the Peunte/Puente clog give a clear sense of where the Fleks pick sits within the market. If you prize circularity over novelty, Thousand Fell’s return scheme is appealing; if you want a breathable, warm‑weather travel shoe with conservation ties, Saola is the economical choice; if you want knit‑comfort and an explicit bottles‑saved metric, Rothy’s remains a strong contender. But for anyone who wants a single shoe that reads like a travel essential—parkable in an airport, cozy on a post‑flight walk, and defensible on environmental grounds—Sunset’s selection of the Fleks clog makes a precise case: thoughtful materials (FLEKSfoam), a coherent mission (Leah Larson’s ocean focus), a wearable silhouette, and a mid‑range price that positions it as accessible luxury for the traveler who values intention as much as function.

Whether you call the clog Peunte or Puente (both spellings appear in the reporting), the bottom line is the same: Fleks demonstrates that recycled‑foam construction can feel indulgent underfoot without asking you to compromise on style or travel utility—an important marker for gifting and packing alike.