Adidas, Allbirds Team in Race for Low-Carbon Impact Sports Shoe

In a collaboration unveiled today, Adidas and Allbirds will endeavor to bring a sports performance shoe with the “lowest ever carbon footprint” to market by 2021. Last month, Allbirds launched its “Tread Lighter” program and carbon footprint numbers, which now appear on every product, online and at retail so customers know each shoe’s carbon impact throughout its life cycle. The initiative is what Joey Zwillinger, cofounder of Allbirds, calls the “next chapter” — following the achievement of becoming fully carbon-neutral last year. Meanwhile, Adidas committed to a 30 percent reduction in its carbon footprint by 2030, with its sights set on reaching carbon neutrality by 2050 as part of its End Plastic Waste initiative. The latest partnership between Adidas and Allbirds will involve each exploring innovations across their entire supply chains, specifically in manufacturing, transportation and renewable energy and materials. Citing a 2018 global impact study by Quantis stating 700 million metric tons of carbon dioxide are emitted by the footwear industry annually, each brand aims to take advantage of setting a “new standard” in the footwear industry’s fight against climate change. “Our brands don’t want to just participate in the sustainability conversation, we want to continue being catalysts and creators of substantial improvement,” James

Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

from WWDWWD https://ift.tt/2XQ5Ecb