Together, they’re “unlocking” the best practices for sneaker production across every part of the supply chain. “We both have a number of different tools and innovations in our stable, and it was really easy to start a conversation about how we could bring them together,” Carnes says. “Adidas brought the tools we have, like recycling with Parley, and Allbirds brought their carbon rating system and their sustainable wool and sugarcane foam, and we laid those out as options. That was just the first step, making a shoe with low-carbon materials. The next is [figuring out] the processes, the packaging, and delivering it to the customer with the lowest amount of fuel and energy.”
“There’s a [carbon] number for every component and every process, and you have to add it up so the number gets as close to zero as possible,” Allbirds cofounder Tim Brown adds. “The idea that the rules are very clearly defined is exciting, and we’re adding this new constraint of carbon accounting. You start to understand that every component you add, or the way the foam is molded, it all has an impact. We’re working together towards a clear goal, bringing what we both have to offer and thinking about how those [capabilities] can be combined in unique and different ways to create a product that works. But I think the metaphor of running a two-minute mile is absolutely appropriate,” he continues. “What we’re going after is extraordinarily difficult.”
It’s unclear when the sneaker will be finished and ready for the consumer market, but in the meantime, Carnes and Brown hope their partnership inspires other businesses to work together in ways they hadn’t previously imagined. “We want to be an example that it can be done, that it isn’t just an experiment,” Carnes says. “When you think about competition, you just have to change your perspective. We’re competing in the same race against time, the thing that’s sitting between us and a better future. We’re not really competing with each other anymore—we’re competing with this external force. We hope more companies will think about that and [realize] that if you work together and one of you wins, then you all win.”
“Climate change is a global problem that knows no borders, will wait for no one, and will challenge everyone,” Brown adds. “It’s going to be incumbent on countries, governments, companies, and individuals to solve the problem—it’s not going to be fixed by one person. We’re all in this race together.”
Will other brands follow Adidas and Allbirds’ lead? We can only hope. Now is hardly the time for egos and pointless fixations on image and exclusivity. The climate crisis looms larger by the day, and if the past two months of COVID-19 lockdowns have taught us anything, it’s that we can achieve more by banding together.