Altra
| Category | Score | % | Callout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon & Emissions | 6 / 20 | 30% | ⚠ Gap |
| Nature, Biodiversity & Materials | 6 / 20 | 30% | ⚠ Gap |
| People & Supply Chain | 8 / 20 | 40% | — |
| Business Ethos & Governance | 2 / 15 | 13% | ⚠ Gap |
| Transparency & Accountability | 2 / 10 | 20% | ⚠ Gap |
| Footwear | 4 / 15 | 27% | ⚠ Gap |
What Altra does well
Altra, a VF Corporation subsidiary, scores well where VF's own policies reach it. VF's binding Animal-Derived Materials Policy - mandatory across all VF brands under contract - excludes kangaroo leather10, bans exotic skins, and requires RDS-certified11 down, and VF's audited supplier programme extends real teeth to Altra's supply chain, with over a thousand supplier audits across the group in the most recent year. Altra's own FAQ page is refreshingly honest in one respect - it declines to label any shoe "vegan," stating plainly that dyes, finishes and adhesives are too hard to verify to make that claim safely, rather than making an unverifiable marketing promise.
Where the gaps are
Altra itself publishes almost nothing distinct from its parent: no brand-specific emissions data, no factory list, no living wage benchmark, and no repair or resale programme, even though VF runs these for sibling brands like Timberland and The North Face. Its labour and supply chain record is the one bright spot in this assessment, and it belongs to VF rather than Altra; almost everything else here comes back thin.
Verdict: Buy this if you trust VF's binding parent-level protections - Altra itself discloses almost nothing a reader can independently check.
See how Altra compares. This profile is one of several assessments in our Sustainable Running Shoes Buying Guide, or browse the full Brand Directory to search and filter across every brand we've assessed.