Allbirds unveils the world’s first net-zero carbon shoe

Sustainable footwear brand Allbirds have unveiled what it is calling the world’s first net zero carbon shoe alongside an entire toolkit to allow the rest of the footwear industry to copy its innovation.

The high-top ‘M0.0NSHOT' boasts a carbon footprint of net 0.0 kg CO2e, which is about 14 kg CO2e based on the brand’s calculations that it adds will be achieved without relying on a single carbon offset.

The ‘M0.0NSHOT’ utilises a lot of the brand's learnings in recent years and features its innovative midsole SuperLight foam, a carbon-negative bio-based midsole foam made with sugarcane that is 70 percent bio-based content, compared to most industry foams that are primarily synthetic material. While the carbon-negative bioplastic eyelets are made from microorganisms that convert methane into a polymer that can be moulded like plastics, without the corresponding carbon footprint, and the upper is made from carbon-negative regenerative wool sourced from Lake Hawea Station.

In addition, Allbirds adds that the shoes, which will be launching commercially in spring 2024, will also have the most carbon-efficient packaging they’ve ever had by using vacuum-packed in sugarcane-based polyethylene, a carbon-neutral material that will reduce weight and space required for transportation.

Jamie McLellan, design lead on the project at Allbirds, said in a statement: “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.

“As we thought about this ‘shoe of the future’, we were clear that M0.0NSHOT couldn’t look like something from the past. We’ve not just reimagined the science of a sustainable shoe, we’ve reimagined the design, too.”

Allbirds reveals open-sourced toolkit to replicate its first net-zero carbon shoe

The innovative sneaker was unveiled at the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen, where Allbirds’ co-founder Tim Brown offered up an open-sourced toolkit to the ‘M0.0NSHOT’ methodology, detailing every step of the process, including materials, manufacturing, transportation, end-of-life, and carbon footprint calculation.

“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,” said Brown, co-founder and chief innovation officer at Allbirds. “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.”

Following the M0.0NSHOT’s reveal at the Global Fashion Summit, Allbirds will be showcasing the sneaker exclusively at Selfridges in London as the brand takes over the department store’s Wonder Room with a carbon-themed pop-up from July 3 to August 6.