Allbirds releases open source carbon footprint calculator

Allbirds has released an open-source tool for fashion brands to calculate their carbon footprint.

In a statement on its website the San Francisco-based footwear B Corp said it is aware “sharing proprietary information might not make the most business sense. But the global climate crisis is bigger than business. And if competition got us into this mess, perhaps collaboration can get us out.”

Called the life cycle assessment (LCA) tool, it calculates the carbon footprint of its products, identifies hotspots, and drives emissions reductions. In partnership with SCS Global Services the data specific to Allbirds supply chain can be identified. A manual with tips and tricks on how to factor in emissions from materials, manufacturing, transportation, consumer use, and end-of-life has also been made available.

In an email to fashion executives at companies including Adidas, Burberry, Levi’s, H&M and Gucci, the message said ahead of Earth Day “we’re giving our Carbon Footprint away to the entire fashion industry. The spreadsheets we use to calculate emissions. A guide to help you get started. Even the label designs. It’s all yours for the taking at FreeTheFootprint.com .”

“For too long, many brands have focused on marketing sustainability rather than actually implementing holistic, high-impact solutions, and to an extent, it’s worked,” Allbirds co-founder and co-CEO Joey Zwillinger said in a statement. “If we want to continue pushing fashion toward a more sustainable future, we need brands to take responsibility for what they share with consumers. Having a key, universal identifier like Carbon Footprint to evaluate sustainability claims and force accountability from businesses is critical to drowning out the noise.”