Allbirds releases the first ever net-zero carbon shoe

It may have an unusual name, but the M0.0NSHOT Zero from Allbirds is an easy choice for consumers who want to save the environment. This innovative shoe is the world’s first net-zero carbon footwear, combining cutting-edge technology with age-old agricultural practices by using carbon-negative materials like regenerative wool.

More and more brands are producing sustainable shoes. Asics has started producing its first locally produced sneaker to reduce pollution from transports as much as possible, and Swedish Icebug launched its first FSC-certified collection in 2024.

The limited-edition M0.0NSHOT Zero will be available in select cities, including New York, London, Dubai, Tokyo and Seoul, Allbirds said.

“M0.0NSHOT Zero is the ultimate pursuit of product purity, stripping away everything superfluous to let the wool be the hero,” said Jamie McLellan, Designer at Allbirds. “We needed to use more regenerative wool to counter other parts of the carbon equation. We used wool to wrap the entire upper and midsole, giving the shoe a modern look that feels appropriate for footwear of the future.”

Nature-based farming techniques 

The carbon-negative, regenerative wool is sourced exclusively from New Zealand’s Lake Hawea Station (LHS), a farm that sequesters more carbon than it emits through regenerative practices. LHS is a leader in the movement to return to nature-based farming techniques, Allbirds said.

“There is a tremendous creative opportunity to develop and express an entirely new design language as we imagine and bring to life a more sustainable future,” said Tim Brown, co-founder of Allbirds. “M0.0NSHOT Zero is just the first step. We believe we have only scratched the surface of what is possible when we make a tangible commitment to making things better, today.”

For brands looking for help or resources to follow suit, Allbirds has released an open-source, free toolkit that uncovers the key innovations that made this milestone possible. It details cutting-edge methods and materials, such as bio-based midsole foam, methane-capturing bioplastic and carbon-negative Green PE packaging made from sugarcane. The toolkit is available on the Allbirds website.

M0.0NSHOT’s product carbon footprint calculation

• Allbirds started by working with the New Zealand Merino Company’s regenerative wool program, ZQRX, to source M0.0NSHOT’s wool from Lake Hawea Station.
• It calculated the specific farm-level carbon footprint of Lake Hawea Station. The organizational carbon footprint that forms the starting point for the allocation was developed independently of this project and verified by Toitū Envirocare, a New Zealand-based B Corp and carbon certification business.
• It collaborated with the New Zealand Merino Company to translate this farm footprint into a product-level wool material carbon intensity for M0.0NSHOT.
• This new wool carbon intensity was used to calculate the product’s carbon footprint with the Allbirds Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Tool, with modifications. The initial Allbirds LCA Tool was third-party verified against the requirements of ISO 14067, which specifies principles, requirements and guidelines for calculating the carbon footprint of a product.
• The carbon footprint of M0.0NSHOT accounts for on-farm carbon sequestration, in addition to emissions, which is a deviation from standard industry practice. As a result, the calculated carbon footprint for M0.0NSHOT, unlike Allbirds’ standard products, is not fully aligned with ISO 14067.
• However, Allbirds believes this wool carbon intensity value captures a more comprehensive model of the total emissions fluxes happening on-farm.