Adidas and allbirds have collaborated on a shoe with a carbon footprint measured at 2.94kg CO2e. The companies say that the Futurecraft.Footprint was produced with 63 percent lower emissions when compared to a comparable shoe.
The project participants also adopted a lower-carbon development process as teams worked together digitally from initial development to product delivery, accomplished in less than 12 months. The development team made a specific effort to reimagine materials and manufacturing techniques, as well. The midsole compound, for example, was redone with Allbird’s sugarcane-based SweetFoam®; a new material of 70 percent recycled polyester and 30 percent natural Tencel composed the upper.
Brian Grevy, executive board member global brands at adidas, called it “a call-to-action for other brands, and a milestone in the sports industry achieving carbon neutrality.” The ultimate goal for both brands is to produce a running shoe with no carbon footprint.