We all know that the fashion industry has a huge negative impact on the environment.
But did you know that the footwear sector alone creates over 700 million tonnes of CO2e every single year!
A single pair of running shoes alone comes with a footprint (no pun intended) of up to 13.6 KG of CO2e, the same as going on a 20-mile drive.
To address this issue and to bring a more planet-friendly, sustainable alternative to the market, sportswear giants Adidas have teamed up with Allbirds to co-design a new pair of kicks!
The Adidas-Allbirds Futurecraft Footprint is designed from the ground up to have the lowest footprint possible.
Whilst Adidas admit this is not the final answer, they have been able to reduce the footprint of their running shoe down to just 2.94 KG of CO2e.
That’s an incredible reduction of over 78% for this new and innovative pair of kicks.
Adidas and Allbirds have worked together and examined the whole supply chain of their Futurecraft Footprint.
The upper is made from 70% Adidas Primegreen – which is recycled polyester and 30% Tencel, a natural material that comes from the Eucalyptus tree.
The running shoes are also only available in pure white as traditional dyeing causes a much higher footprint as it is energy-intensive.
The midsole is made from Allbirds low emission sugarcane base ‘Sweetfoam’ rather than the high footprint thermoplastic normally used.
The innovation doesn’t stop at the actual kicks, Adidas have created a new shoebox design that saves weight and emissions.
They have switched their sea freight to bio-fuel that comes from recycled cooking oil and together, have even made sure the kicks are as recyclable as possible.
Sam Handy, VP of design for Adidas Running was very proud of the achievements this collaboration has made.
‘In just over a year we have essentially reduced our personal best for a comparable style of shoe – the Adizero RC3 – by 63 per cent. The key innovation has been the approach and the collaboration. We took the best sustainable materials and then combined that with some very traditional methods of manufacturing, like the stitching seen in the upper of the shoe, to bring the carbon footprint down as much as possible.’
The Futurecraft Footprint will debut this month with a 100-pair raffle for Adidas Creators Club members, followed by a global release of 10,000 pairs later this year, and a full release in early 2022.
‘As a trainer-head myself, I was always aware of the impact my love of footwear has, which is why I always sold my trainers on. Now I am excited to buy my first pair of Futurecraft Footprints. This just goes to show that innovation happens when businesses turn away from competition and turn to collaboration! Well done, Adidas and Allbirds for taking another step to a more sustainable future.’
Richard Dickson – Cofounder, Play It Green.
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