Words by Smiley Team
Adidas alongside eco-conscious shoe brand Allbirds has launched the first in a collaboration, Futurecraft Footprint. This new shoe is designed so that it emits just 2.94kg of CO2 per pair, making it the lowest carbon emitting shoe the two companies have managed to produce as part of their mission to create zero carbon footwear.
By developing this new design they have reduced carbon emissions from the production process by 63 per cent.
“Our partnership with allbirds is a beacon of what can happen when competing brands from the same industry see the possibilities in coming together to design,” said Brian Grevy at Adidas.
He added: “By truly co-creating and providing each other with open access to knowledge and resources – such as allbirds’ knowledge of carbon calculation and experience with natural materials, and adidas’ capabilities in manufacturing and performance footwear – this is a call-to-action for other brands, and a milestone in the sports industry achieving carbon neutrality.”
In 12 months the two companies worked diligently to reimagine every part of the production process and how they source materials to reduce the impact of their standard shoe design as much as possible.
The shoe’s upper material is made with 70 per cent recycled polyester and 30 per cent natural Tencel, a material made from wood pulp.
“We believe that the challenge of solving climate change is the problem of our generation and solving it will not be done alone. We need to find new business models, new innovations and new ways of working together,” said co-founder and co-CEO of Allbirds Tim Brown.
“Our partnership with Adidas is an example of that. Over the past year, our two teams have raced as one to create a shoe as close to zero carbon emissions as we could possibly achieve. The results are an exciting step forward, and hopefully, an example for others to follow.”
“With this project, less really was more,” said a senior footwear designer at Adidas, Florence Rohart. “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.”
“Both the upper and the outside construction are inspired by the Tangram Principle, with all individual parts in their entirety achieving as little scrap as possible in production in order to reduce waste,” added head of design at Allbirds Jamie McLellan.
The companies released the shoe in May with a raffle of 100 pairs to Adidas Creators Club members. This will be followed by a release of 10,000 pairs, and a wider release in the summer of 2022.
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