Nothing is everything.
And if we don't say anything, then we don't mean anything. As in zero. Nix. Nada. Because when we published the Allbirds Flight Plan in 2021, this was a big part of our commitment: We want to halve our carbon footprint by the end of 2025 and then reduce it to almost zero by 2030.
On the way to nothing.
By 2023, we will have reduced our average carbon footprint per product by 22%, bringing us closer to our Flight Plan target for 2025. Short-term, tangible progress is important to us. Because every little step counts. And our small contribution is a big part of our mission to reverse climate change through better business practices.
WITH BETTER BUSINESS PRACTICES
AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
But what are "better business practices"? More and more companies are jumping on the sustainability bandwagon. It can sometimes be difficult to understand what exactly is meant by sustainability. That's why we want to explain our vision in simple terms:
- introduce a 3-step approach that we can use to check ourselves
- set the priorities for reducing our footprint
- commit to concrete changes by 2025
The fashion industry emits 2.1 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every year. This is equivalent to the pollution caused by 456,707,817 cars in the same period. Why so much? Because our industry is crazy about oil: to power its production facilities, to ship its goods and to manufacture its materials. In other words, most of what we wear is made from plastic - and plastic is made from petroleum.
But plastic has not always been in vogue. In fact, humanity has only really become obsessed with plastic in the last 80 years or so. So we ask ourselves: "Wouldn't it be better if we made things out of natural materials again? Like we did back then?"
Climate change is a complex issue, which is why we focus on the things we can control: getting our emissions to zero. We do this with a data-driven approach, investing in projects, systems and tools that maximize our potential to make a positive impact. Today, we have a three-part approach to tackling our climate impact: We measure our emissions, reduce our footprint and support the removal of CO2 emissions from the atmosphere.
Reduce
We are constantly working to reduce our impact on the climate. We want to drive this reduction in CO2 emissions through our involvement in regenerative agriculture, renewable raw materials and responsible energy sources.
Regenerative agriculture →
Equalize
In addition to our longer-term climate targets, we also support nature-based CO2 removal projects that are closely linked to our value chain.
Fairs
We measure everything that contributes to our carbon footprint: from the flooring in our production facilities to the lighting in our headquarters.
What's in a footprint →
Reduce
We are constantly working to reduce our impact on the climate. We want to drive this reduction in CO2 emissions through our involvement in regenerative agriculture, renewable raw materials and responsible energy sources.
Regenerative agriculture →
Equalize
In addition to our longer-term climate targets, we also support nature-based CO2 removal projects that are closely linked to our value chain.
Fairs
We measure everything that contributes to our carbon footprint: from the flooring in our production facilities to the lighting in our headquarters.
What's in a footprint →
To truly improve, we believe we need to do more than just measure and reduce our impact. We therefore focus on strategies that reduce our footprint, with a particular focus on measures in our value chain.
Responsible energy use
We want to use cleaner fuels and electricity and generally use less of both.
Learn more →
Regenerative methods
We want to change our farming methods so that they create healthy soil and even remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
Learn more →
Renewable raw materials
We want to replace petroleum-based materials with natural and recycled materials.
Learn more →
Responsible energy use
We want to use cleaner fuels and electricity and generally use less of both.
Learn more →
Regenerative methods
We want to change our farming methods so that they create healthy soil and even remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
Learn more →
Renewable raw materials
We want to replace petroleum-based materials with natural and recycled materials.
Learn more →
As I said, reducing our environmental impact has been our priority from day one.
MAR. 2016
Founded as a public benefit corporation
We wanted to ensure that the planet would be one of our most important stakeholders from day one. Shortly after, we received our B Corp certification.
MAR. 2016
Market launch of the Wool Runner
The impetus to use natural materials to replace the conventional, petroleum-based plastics normally found in shoes.
MAR. 2018
Market launch of the Tree Runner
The first shoe certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and a lighter, airier alternative to the cozy Wool Runner.
AUG. 2018
Market launch of SweetFoam®
Our revolutionary sugar cane material for our midsoles, made with the world's first CO2-negative, environmentally friendly EVA.
APR. 2019
Carbon neutral company
With an internal CO2 tax, we hold ourselves accountable for our environmental impact.
AUG. 2019
Market launch of Trino®
When we couldn't find yarns that met our standards for comfort and sustainability, we created our own yarn from eucalyptus fibers and merino wool.
DEC. 2019
Renewed B Corp certification
We are focusing more and more on becoming a company that benefits both people and the planet.
APR. 2020
Introduction of the CO2 footprint label
We are the world's first fashion brand to label 100% of its products with a carbon footprint - like a nutrition label for your closet.
APR. 2020
Announcement of the cooperation with Adidas
To create the sports shoe with the smallest CO2 footprint ever, it is better to work together than against each other.
OCT. 2020
Market launch of TrinoXO™
We have developed TrinoXO™ with chitosan, a natural, odor-inhibiting material made from discarded snow crab shells. This is the first time that chitosan has been used in a garment.
FEB. 2021
Announcement from Plant Leather
Our 100% natural, plant-based leather alternative that emits 40x less CO2 than conventional leather.
APR. 2021
Calculating the CO2 footprint becomes open source
Because our model for calculating the carbon footprint of everything we buy is of little use if we keep it to ourselves, we have made it public.
OCT. 2022
12% reduction in our CO2 footprint per product
The 2021 Flight Status is our version of a sustainability report and shows that we have reduced our average carbon footprint per product by 12%.
APR. 2023
2022 Flight Status (aka our sustainability report)
Our annual flight plan updates continue: in 2022, we recorded a 19% reduction in our average carbon footprint per product.
Empty words are of little use. And there have been many of them in recent years. Unfortunately, there has been less action. That's why we're focusing on 2025 and committing to a 5-year to-do list of targets that you can use to hold us accountable.
One of the reasons why climate change is such an important issue is that everything is affected by it. This is why we are not stopping at our three commitments, but also expanding our work to the the following fundamental areas.
Regenerative agriculture
We want to change our farming methods to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
Allbirds wool is obtained from 100% renewable sources
By the end of 2025, we will have changed our wool supply chain so that we only buy wool from renewable sources.
Eliminate 100% of emissions from wool production
By the end of 2025, our farms will switch to a regenerative model for wool production. This will ultimately even turn them into carbon sinks.
Renewable raw materials
We replace petroleum-based materials with natural ones.
75% sustainably sourced natural & recycled materials
We want to take a big step towards our goal of sourcing materials without fossil fuels.
Reduce the CO2 footprint of raw materials by 25%
It's not enough to simply ensure that materials are natural, which is why we also make sure they have a low carbon footprint.
Use 25% less raw materials for all products
In short, we want to use fewer materials from the outset and thus follow our mantra "How can we achieve more with less?".
Double the lifespan of shoes and clothing
We want to extend the durability of our materials so that our products can be used for longer.
Responsible energy use
We use less and cleaner fuel and electricity.
100% renewable energy for "owned & operated" buildings
We want to switch to renewable energies in our offices, stores and distribution centers.
100% renewable energies at our end product manufacturers
We want to help our plant partners convert their production facilities to renewable energies.
Permanently shipping more than 95% of goods by ship
We want to ship as much as possible by ship, as this saves both costs and CO2 compared to shipping by air.
All customers wash at 30° & 50% air dry laundry
We want to provide our customers with information and encourage them to care for their products in a sustainable way and thus reduce their environmental impact.
This is what our work looks like
We know that saving our planet requires more than just crossing our fingers and hoping for the best. That's why we're showing you here how our 2025 commitments will contribute to the 50% reduction we love to talk about.
The Allbirds philosophy
Comfortably through the day
Light, springy and really comfortable - with Allbirds shoes you can get through everyday life effortlessly. Simply slip them on in seconds and enjoy the comfort.
Sustainable with every step
From materials to transportation, we are working to reduce our carbon footprint to zero. Because we are responsible now and must achieve our climate targets now - not in 30 years' time.
Materials from nature
Wherever possible, we replace petroleum-based plastics with natural alternatives. These include wool, eucalyptus fibers and sugar cane. And because these materials are soft, airy and environmentally friendly, it's a real win-win situation.
