SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES

Renewable Materials

Our Goals for Dec. 2025
  • 75% sustainably sourced natural and recycled materials
  • Reduce the carbon footprint of raw materials by 25%
  • Reduce raw materials use by 25% across footwear and apparel products
  • Double the lifetime of footwear and apparel products
Why We Care
Roughly 57% of footwear and 64% of apparel is made from synthetic materials. The problem with synthetic materials? They’re made from plastics. Plastics come from oil. And oil is a fossil fuel that’s accelerating climate change. What’s even weirder about the link between fashion and fossil fuels is that these materials weren’t widely used in our industry until the 1980s. But we’ve quickly become dependent on them. The reliance on fossil fuels is accelerating climate change, creating negative impacts on waste, biodiversity, and more. Which is why we need to transition back to renewable, natural materials.

What We’re Doing

From day one, we’ve always sought to replace petroleum-based synthetic materials with natural alternatives whenever we can. When we haven’t found suitable alternatives, we’ve either invented our own—like SweetFoam®, our shoe sole material derived from the world’s first carbon negative green EVA—or invested in novel solutions, like Plant Leather, our 100% natural, plant-based leather. Of course, all of this comes with challenges. To help increase durability, we use recycled synthetics to bolster natural material content where we need to, and are innovating around new technologies to increase the performance and longevity of natural materials. On top of that, we know two important truths: we should be minimizing the amount of material we use in the first place to create lighter products, so we're working to redesign packaging and eliminate manufacturing waste. And in the spirit of fewer, better things, we should aim to  keep products in use longer, so we continue to think how we can give them new life when you're done using them.

The Allbirds Approach

  • Wear-All-Day Comfort

    Lightweight, bouncy, and wildly comfortable, Allbirds shoes make any outing feel effortless. Slip in, lace up, or slide them on and enjoy the comfy support.

  • Sustainability In Every Step

    From materials to transport, we’re working to reduce our carbon footprint to near zero. Holding ourselves accountable and striving for climate goals isn’t a 30-year goal—it’s now.

  • Materials From The Earth

    We replace petroleum-based synthetics with natural alternatives wherever we can. Like using wool, tree fiber, and sugar cane. They’re soft, breathable, and better for the planet—win, win, win.