Allbirds launches Lyocell sneakers made of wood pulp

By

Cassidy Mantor

Published
Mar 15, 2018

Sustainable footwear brand Allbirds has launched a new collection of sneakers made from a textile derived from eucalyptus tree pulp. The Tree Collection is naturally moisture wicking and reduces water use by 95%.

Allbirds' new Tree Collection uses Tencel Lyocell sourced from South Africa. The brand reports that eucalyptus tree pulp uses just 5% of the water needed to manufacture a typical pair of sneakers. Manufacturing using Lyocell also cuts Allbirds' carbon footprint in half.

Allbirds co-founder Tim Brown said in a release, "Sometimes when you hear sustainability, you assume a tradeoff in quality, or some sort of sacrifice, or a price premium," claiming that this is not the case for the Tree Collection.

The collection follows Allbirds minimalist aesthetic and focus on comfort which have helped the brand gain a cult following from NY to Silicon Valley. In addition to the brand's previously released silhouettes of sustainable wool running shoes and slip-ons, Allbirds has introduced a boat shoe silhouette in the new collection.

Brown explains of the new boat shoe, "We’ve tried to update the silhouette and the function of the shoe to be a casual, comfortable, fun silhouette for warmer months."

Allbirds claims that the Tree Collection is the product of a clean closed-loop process. Eucalyptus tree pulp is a naturally-derived, renewable material and Tencel Lyocell is both naturally moisture wicking and breathable.

Brown notes that the Tree Collection launch is a moment to demonstrate how sustainable materials can be used in fashion. He commented, "They can be used not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because they can make better products."

Allbirds Tree Runners and Skippers are now available for preorder with May ship dates. They are priced under $100.