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Allbirds, a sustainable shoe brand, has announced a $2 million investment in plant-based leather made from natural fibers. This is with a view to developing the ‘world’s first’ 100 percent natural plant-based leather.
As a result, the brand hopes to become carbon neutral.
Plant-based leather
Plant-based leather made from vegetable oil, natural rubber, and other bio-ingredients is the most sustainable and scalable leather alternative, the brand claims.
Allbirds uses fabrics made from renewable energy, including eucalyptus trees and sugarcane. Other materials used in its products include recycled bottles and recycled cardboard.
The carbon impact of the plant-based leather is 40 times lower than animal leather. In addition, it is 17 times lower than synthetic leather made from plastic, Allbirds claims.
Sustainable
The investment with Natural Fiber Welding (NFW) will support a more environmentally friendly fashion industry, the CEO of Allbirds claims.
Luke Haverhals, CEO of NFW, said: “Humanity’s dependence on plastic and other petroleum-based products has created a scarcity mindset, which is unsustainable both for everyone’s quality of life and the future of this planet.
“A new era, one of abundance, will come from the creation of technologies based on sustainable and regenerative methods.”
The companies hope they can eliminate the industry’s ‘dependence’ on fossil fuels, whilst providing quality products.
Vegan leather industry
The vegan leather industry will hit almost $90 billion by 2025, a report claimed last year. This is due to evolving consumer trends.
Moreover, another report found a skyrocket in internet searches for ‘vegan leather’.
Also in recent years, sportswear giant Adidas unveiled plans to ‘replace plastic for good’ in order to help the planet. Demand resulted in a hike in page views for the brand’s recycled plastic sneakers.
