adidas & Allbirds: The Race Against Climate Change

As a former professional athlete, I know about competition. For almost a decade, my career was defined by “winning” and “losing”. But when I joined forces with my co-founder Joey to start Allbirds in 2016, I realized we were involved in a very different game — one that we can’t afford to lose.

Climate change is perhaps the greatest opponent we’ve ever faced. For the 7 billion of us living on this planet, the clock is ticking, and everyday we fail to act is a day we get closer to an irreversible tipping point. The stakes are high, and if we fail, the consequences will be monumental and universal. The good news is that there is a path towards victory, but we can only get there if we work together and run faster.

That’s why we’ve joined forces with an unlikely partner — adidas, one of the world’s largest and most innovative sportswear brands. Over the next year, we’re committing to combining our talents and resources to create the lowest carbon footprint performance shoe ever, with the ultimate goal of a net-zero product.

For two competitors, this is an unprecedented journey. We don’t know what the final product will look like, be made of, or how it’ll be constructed. We’ll have to rethink supply chains and materials and push ourselves technically and creatively to develop an entirely new type of shoe.

We invite you all to follow along with us — we’ll be providing updates on our progress and sharing insights along the way. The challenges are substantial and success is far from assured, but together, we think we can make a difference.