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This is the ‘world’s first net-zero carbon shoe’ says Allbirds

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Allbirds has shown off a new trainer that boasts a bioplastic sole at the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen. It claims the product will be entirely net-zero across its lifetime.

Looking for eco-conscious footwear to splash your cash on?

Allbirds claims to have developed the first ever ‘net-zero carbon shoe’ that will be available commercially early next year. Called Moonshot, the shoe was revealed at the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen and is made from wool and bioplastic.

Moonshot is a progression from 2021’s Futurecraft.Footprint, a shoe that was considered only to be ‘low’ carbon. It was made by reducing the amount of separate components needed from 65 to only seven.

 

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This time round, the sneaker incorporates a woolly sock-style design sourced from a regenerative farm in New Zealand. This farm is Lake Hawea Station, which uses sustainable land management practices to capture more carbon than it emits, offsetting any other emissions emitted during the shoe’s lifetime.

Speaking to Dezeen, co-founder Tim Brown said that ‘the future of fashion’ is the ‘currently untapped opportunities for naturally derived, net-zero products.’

Interestingly, Moonshot features no laces or eyelets, and integrates its insole directly into the knitted upper. This means that, much like Allbirds’ 2021 shoe, separate components are kept to a minimum.

Allbirds is hoping that it can provide a new template for how carbon benefits are considered within a material’s lifecycle assessment (LCA). Currently, benefits of sustainable land management such as replanting native trees and rotational grazing are not considered for LCAs. Usually, only the emissions from the production of a material are taken into account.

Aileen Lerch is the sustainability manager at Allbirds. She says that ‘frequently, the way that the carbon intensity of wool is looked at is just acknowledging the emissions, so that completely disregards any of the removals happening on the farm.’ She adds that ‘we think this is a huge, missed opportunity.’

 

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While this may be exciting news for fashion and provides a well-intended push toward positive change, consumers should be wary of greenwashing and remain dubious toward claims of ‘net-zero’.

For example, while Moonshot uses sustainable wool, it had to be blended with recycled nylon and polyester to reach acceptable standards of durability and stretch. 70% of the plastics used are bioplastic, an increase of 52% compared to the 2021 shoe. It’s still impressive stuff – but it’s worth keeping in mind.

Allbirds is also open-sourcing the tools and research it used to create Moonshot in order to encourage other companies to improve on its work. It also became the first fashion brand to provide carbon labelling for all its products in 2020.

Hopefully we see more brands take this opportunity to improve, especially as the clothing industry continues to be a huge environmental problem across the globe. We’ll need to do more to combat the influencers currently taking trips to SHEIN factories.

Editor In Chief London, UK

I’m Charlie (He/Him), the Editor In Chief at Thred. I studied English at the University of Birmingham and as a music and gaming enthusiast, I’m a nerd for pop culture. You can find me curating playlists, designing article headline images, and sipping cider on a Thursday. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.

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