Footwear and clothing brands Adidas and Allbirds have announced the first product from their collaboration -- a shoe which has less than 3 kg footprint. It weighs 2.94 kg CO2e/pair and is created with 63 per cent less emissions.
The Adidas release states that this product -- branded as FUTURECRAFT.FOOTPRINT -- lays bare a new approach to sustainable design and alternate manufacturing method which can help in reducing carbon impact.
“Seeing the possibilities of accelerating carbon neutral future for sports and style, the two companies teamed up to forge a unique partnership: opening up their materials, supply chains and innovations to each other,” it adds.
The release also notes that Allbirds and Adidas' counterparts across departments -- like product design, material innovation, sustainability and supply chain -- studied every component and all aspects of sustainable manufacturing. They reimagined materials, manufacturing and packaging in 12 months time whilst achieving the target of a low-carbon shoe.
What is this low carbon shoe by Adidas and Allbirds made of? The midsole is made using Allbirds’ sugarcane-based SweetFoam. Its upper material is made using 70 per cent recycled polyester and 30 per cent Tencel, a material made using wood pulp.
According to Allbirds’ Head of Design Jamie McLellan, upper and outside construction of the shoe is inspired by the Tangram Principle wherein all individual parts have very little scrap during production to reduce waste.
“With this project, less really was more. To keep minimalist not only in materials but also in construction, we went to extremes and left only what we really needed on the shoe to keep the performance properties,” added Florence Rohart, Sr. Footwear Designer at adidas.
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