Adidas and Allbirds just announced a partnership to create a performance sneaker with the lowest carbon footprint ever — here's why it's a big deal for the footwear industry

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• The footwear industry emits 700 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually — and now two of the most impactful sustainable footwear brands are teaming up to help reduce that number.
• Adidas and Allbirds announced a collaborative partnership that will focus on manufacturing and supply chain processes as well as renewable materials, with the end goal of creating a performance shoe with the lowest carbon footprint ever.

On an annual basis, the footwear industry emits 700 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the environment, making it by far one of the most harmful industries for our planet.

In an effort to reduce (and hopefully one day reverse) the negative effects, many footwear companies have placed a focus on producing more sustainable sneakers using recycled and renewable materials — and now two of the most impactful brands are teaming up to take those efforts a step further.

On May 28, Adidas and Allbirds announced a collaborative project aimed to accelerate solutions for reducing the industry's alarming emissions numbers. Together, the two brands plan to work on innovative manufacturing and supply chain processes and explore new resources for renewable materials, with the goal of creating a performance shoe with the lowest carbon footprint ever recorded.

While the partnership may come as a surprise to many, both brands have made a major impact on the sneaker industry in their own right, especially when it comes to sustainability.

"Our brands don't want to just participate in the sustainability conversation, we want to continue being catalysts and creators of substantial improvement," says James Carnes, VP of Adidas Brand Strategy. "The recent progress that our brands have made in the name of sustainable innovation has created the perfect momentum for this partnership to influence industry practices forever."

As one of the biggest sneaker brands in the world, Adidas brings decades of sportswear and performance experience to the table. Additionally, the Three Stripes has set a goal of using 100% recycled polyester in its products by 2024 and has created several initiatives to help make that goal possible. You can learn more about Adidas' sustainability efforts here.

Allbirds, on the other hand, has made some of the most trendy casual sneakers in recent history. Touted as "the world's most comfortable shoes," the brand is always mindful of using environmentally-friendly materials. Just a few weeks ago, Allbirds also released its first performance running shoe.

"Our great hope is that this partnership will catalyze other people to share both their best ideas and research so that we can work together in the fight to live more sustainably," says Tim Brown, co-CEO of Allbirds. "This is a problem that won't be solved by one company alone."

While there is currently no specific product information on the Adidas x Allbirds collaboration, we anticipate a release sometime in 2021. For now, you can shop sustainable sneakers at Adidas and Allbirds.

Shop sustainable footwear at Adidas now.

Shop sustainable footwear at Allbirds now.

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