Allbirds Wants Others To Copy Its Open-Source, Zero-Carbon High Top Sneakers
If there’s one thing Allbirds is known for, it’s its innovative eco-friendly sneakers. Now, the brand has launched its latest design, the high-top M0.0NSHOT, which doesn’t boast a completely zero-carbon footprint but comes with open-source instructions to be replicated.
The sock-like shoe features an upper made from merino wool sourced from regenerative sheep-raising farms in New Zealand, while the mid-sole comprises a carbon-sequestering material dubbed Superlight Foam, a different iteration of the brand’s initial SweetFoam.
Back in 2018, Allbirds made the production instructions for the sugar cane-derived SweetFoam, which was initially developed by biotechnology firm Braskem, open-source as well. Other components of the Moonshot make use of Mango Materials, which use captured methane as feedstock to form bioplastic.
While many companies rely on purchasing carbon offsets to get to carbon zero, the sportswear firm says its actual logistics and production processes help minimize its footprint. It points to emissions reductions related to how it sources wool material as a key factor.
The brand launched the “recipe” for the sneakers at a design summit in Copenhagen, which will provide other manufacturers with information on how to select the right materials, evaluate their carbon footprint, incorporate them into the final product, and how to transport the goods best.
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“This is one small step for Allbirds—but it could be one giant leap for the footwear industry, if others join us. Unlike the space ‘race’, this is a relay—we’re all on the same side,” explained Allbirds Co-Founder Tim Brown.
“M0.0NSHOT is Allbirds’s greatest achievement, but it’s meaningless without others taking action: which is why we felt compelled to open-source our learnings, so others can pick up the baton and take us forward.”
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[via GreenBiz and Retail Dive, images via Allbirds]
