Allbirds Launches Carbon-Neutral Sneakers
Allbirds is rolling out what it is calling the world’s first net zero shoe.
The company’s new M0.0NSHOT hightop sneakers use specially sourced materials to achieve a carbon footprint of net 0.0 kg CO2. What’s more, Allbirds is calling on the rest of the fashion world to copy its method and is giving away the “recipe” for public use.
Slated to hit shelves in Spring 2024, the shoes are composed of a variety of carbon-negative merino wool, sugarcane-derived green EVA, and even a logo made with methane-capture bioplastic. The sneakers are the result of longtime efforts from the company to reduce carbon emissions, which included the 2018 development of its carbon-neutral, biobased SuperLight foam.
“We didn’t just make the world’s first net zero carbon shoe. We also made the second, third, fourth net zero carbon shoe, and so on, as we explored different prototypes to create an appropriate visual identity for this milestone,” said Jamie McLellan, design lead on the project at Allbirds, in a statement.
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In the hope of inspiring other companies to implement similar, sustainable processes, Allbirds has put the methodology together as an open-source project through its 'Recipe B0.0K.' This toolkit provides a comprehensive guide to every stage of the M0.0NSHOT process, covering aspects such as materials, manufacturing, transportation, end-of-life considerations, and carbon footprint calculations.
“Unlike the space ‘race’, this is a relay – we’re all on the same side,” said Allbirds’s co-founder Tim Brown at the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen, adding that the company’s efforts would be “meaning” without others following suit. “[W]hich is why we felt compelled to open-source our learnings, so others can pick up the baton and take us forward.”
This article originally appeared on CGT, a sister publication of RIS News.
