Allbirds annouces M0.0NSHOT, world’s first net-zero carbon shoe

Earlier this week Allbirds announced the world’s first net-zero carbon shoe, “M0.0NSHOT.” Allbirds made this breakthrough shoe with zero CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalents), compared to the industry average carbon footprint of 14kg CO2e for shoes. They achieved this through a complete review of the manufacturing method and supply chain without relying on carbon offsetting. With the aim of shaking up the shoe industry, Allbirds intends to make the process and methods for achieving net-zero with M0.0NSHOT open-source.

M0.0NSHOT is the culmination of years of systematic CO2 reduction efforts in Allbirds’ business and products since its founding. In 2018, they developed SweetFoam, the world’s first carbon-negative material used in the sole of “M0.0NSHOT”, derived from sugarcane. In 2022, the Allbirds Futures Team, an internal innovation team, took on this challenge and designed and announced the M0.0NSHOT, leveraging all of the brand’s previous learnings and collaborations.

The following elements make it possible for the M0.0NSHOT to create a net-zero carbon shoe: a carbon-negative upper that uses merino wool produced by regenerative agriculture at New Zealand’s Lake Hawea Station (LHS), a carbon-negative midsole foam made of Super Light Foam that is composed of 80% bio-based material from sugarcane, a carbon-negative bioplastic made in collaboration with Mango Materials, which converts methane, a greenhouse gas present in sheep burps, into a polymer that can be molded like plastic to reduce the carbon footprint, and a carbon-negative green polyethylene vacuum pack made from sugarcane for packaging to reduce transportation space, weight, and carbon footprint.

Allbirds is also developing a new method to quantify the carbon footprint of their products in partnership with LHS and New Zealand Merino Wool, which considers both the CO2 emissions and CO2 absorption of materials and processes to more accurately assess the overall CO2 emissions that impact climate change. In other words, there are elements in the shoe production that emit CO2 and elements that absorb CO2, resulting in a net-zero carbon shoe.

Allbirds has partnered with Lake Hawea Station (LHS) and New Zealand Merino Wool to develop a new method of quantifying the carbon footprint of their products. This method considers both the CO₂ emissions and absorption of materials and processes, allowing for a more accurate assessment of the overall CO2 emissions that contribute to climate change. In other words, while there are elements of CO₂ emissions in the production of these shoes, there are also elements of CO2 absorption, resulting in a net zero carbon footprint.

M0.0NSHOT will be revealed in June, and the shoes are slated for sales in Japan by spring of 2024.

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