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The Click Times: The ‘Plant Pacer’, a pair of sneakers made entirely of plant leather and with no of plastic, has been introduced by California-based sustainable footwear company Allbirds.
A innovation that comes after many other environmentally friendly materials that Allbirds have already incorporated, like extra-fine New Zealand merino wool, eucalyptus fibre mesh, and the sugarcane-based “SweetFoam” used to make shoe soles.
Plant Leather was created in collaboration with Natural Fiber Welding, a company that develops new materials. According to a press release from Allbirds, it is a novel material for the footwear industry that is “really durable substitute leather, 100% plastic-free, 100% vegan, with only natural components such as rubber and vegetable oils, and agricultural by-products such as rice husk and citrus peel.”
Rice husk and citrus peels are used to make the new Allbirds sneaker.
Allbirds has two new sneakers that employ its eco-awareness after creating what it calls the first leather substitute made completely of plant-based materials last year. The Plant Pacer, a 100% plant-based and leather-free shoe manufactured with a natural combination of rubber, plant oils, rice husk, and citrus peels, was just released by the sustainable footwear company. The effect on its carbon footprint is astounding: compared to sneakers made of animal leather, it emits 88 percent less carbon, while synthetic pleathers emit 75 percent less. Meanwhile, organic cotton is being used to create a canvas version.
The Plant Pacer’s creation was aided by material innovation start-up Natural Fiber Welding, which worked on the development of the plant-based leather. Allbirds initially committed $2 million in past February to assist the development of the novel material, named Mirum, with the intention of releasing a sneaker later that year. However, it took longer than expected to adapt the innovative material to a new design and wear-test the style. Even so, it represents progress in the fashion and footwear industries’ adoption of all-natural substitutes for vegan leathers made of plastic, which frequently come from fossil fuels and are a great example of greenwashing.
Based in San Francisco With 46 outlets under its own brand and an online store, Allbirds serves in 35 countries.
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