The eco-friendly shoe brand has received investment from the Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
Allbirds, a San Francisco-based shoe company, use a number of sustainable materials to make their shoes. They have three different types of material :
The Tree shoes are sourced from South African farms that minimise fertiliser and rely on rainwater. This means that, compared to traditional cotton materials, manufacturing uses 95 per cent less water. The Sugar shoes are sourced from Southern Brazil, the sugar cane is a renewable source that grows quickly, removing carbon from the atmosphere in the process. It is a self-sufficient material that is transformed into their SweetFoam shoe sole.
They use recycled plastic bottles for the shoelaces, castor bean oil for the soles and their packaging is made from 90 per cent recycled cardboard
The brand was founded by native New Zealander, Tim Brown. After years of research he was joined by Joey Zwillinger, an engineer and renewables expert.
Brown voiced his concern on the impact of shoe production on the environment, he said: “Outside of the fossil fuel industry, the fashion industry is the largest contributor of carbon emissions into the environment.
Roger Federer teamed up with Swiss brand On. The duo launched a tennis-inspired vegan leather sneaker called The Roger. Roger Federer invested in Swiss running brand On.
Both On and Roger have their home and heart in the Swiss mountains. “We love to explore and aspire to protect the incredible natural beauty that surrounds us, hence this new generation of tennis-inspired sneakers has been created with sustainability in mind.” said On Co-Founder David Allemann.
THE ROGER is crafted using vegan leather and has been designed for lightness to reduce material consumption. Vegan leather has approximately 30% of the footprint of animal leather. The upper features recycled materials too, with the mesh around the collar, the lining and the laces are all made from 100% recycled polyester. The result is a tennis-inspired sneaker with a significantly reduced environmental footprint.
As consumers become increasingly conscious of their fashion choices, several brands have quickly begun to roll out plant-based, vegan-friendly and sustainable designs.
