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EPISODE 106 FEATURES TIM BROWN AND JOEY ZWILLINGER

WHAT’S Allbirds? Basically, a billion-dollar B Corp with a bold carbon neutral strategy, and an obsession with new gen bio materials. But you probably already knew that. The brand has been profiled in the New Yorker and Forbes. TIME magazine called Allbirds “the world’s most comfortable shoes”, and fans include presidents, prime ministers and Hollywood stars.

Meet the visionary duo behind the San Francisco-based startup everyone’s talking about. Hear how co-founders Joey Zwillinger and Tim Brown set out to shake up the way sneakers get made and marketed, and put sustainability at the core of their business.

TIM BROWN (pictured above) is a former pro footballer (so knows a thing or two about shoes), an entrepreneur and a Kiwi (so knows a thing or two about wool). He moved to the US on a scholarship to play football for the University of Cincinnati, where he studied design. His concept for a wool sneaker in neutral colours with no logos seemed like a bad idea… until it didn’t. Allbirds quickly sold more than 1 million pairs. JOEY ZWILLINGER (below) is a  biotech engineer with a background as an investor and an algae obsession. They met through their wives who were roommates in college.

A-Z

ALLBIRDS gets its name from Tim’s NZ heritage. When people first arrived in that country, there were all birds, no mammals.

For more on the B CORP movement listen to Episode 46 with Lily Cole.

BRING YOUR DOG TO WORK In the US, June 22 is Take Your Dog to Work day, except when every day is, like at Allbirds HQ. “According to Forbes, Pet-friendly companies with open door policies that let dog owners to take their dogs to work often cite benefits such as a stress relief as one of the reasons for allowing dogs in the office. Some also highlight that dogs at work help employees break the ice during tense meetings and encourage more friendly socializing in the office.” More here.

CARBON FUND Allbirds provides a score for each product, as well as their business as a whole. Customers have the option to choose how they offset their purchase. As of 2019, “For every tonne of carbon we emit as a business—from the sheep on our farms to the lightbulbs in our headquarters—we’ll pay to take a tonne of carbon out of the atmosphere. It’s almost like we’re giving the planet an IOU, then immediately paying it back. At first, we’ll do this by purchasing credits from third-party verified emissions reduction projects, commonly known as ‘carbon offsets.’ These projects do things like protect trees that capture and store carbon, build wind energy, and prevent harmful greenhouse gasses from entering our atmosphere.” Reduction is also an essential part of the strategy.

The FASHIONISTA article Clare mentions is here.

CELEBRITIES Fans of Allbirds include, but are not limited to, Leo DC (who reportedly became an investor), Obama, Matthew McConaughey, SJP, Jennifer Garner, Gwyneth... and you, probably.

In some fashion circles COMFORT is a dirty word, at least it used to be. But working differently means dressing differently, and today it’s not just tech bros wearing sneakers to the office. Companies like Allbirds are riding the wave as society moves away from formal dressing.

COPYCATS Good idea, will follow.

MERINO WOOL Wool is a natural, biodegradable, renewable fibre that needs only water, food and sunlight to grow. But what about animal welfare and land management? New Zealand’s ZQ standard addresses animal welfare, traceability, quality and social responsibility. More here.

PRODUCT FIRST Repeat after us: sustainability is vital, but it ain’t what drives sales.

“You can’t sell sustainability… you can sell great products that are sustainable.” Joe Zwillinger

The SHOE INDUSTRY is big. Huge. Think more than 20 billion pairs every year. Most sneakers are made from synthetic materials derived from petrochemicals. Now the race is on to make them more sustainable, whether by looking at zero-waste production (Nike Flyknit), end of life innovation (Adidas Future Loop) or addressing materials and ethical production as the likes of Veja and Allbirds do. (You can hear the Veja story in Episode 38)

SUGAR CANE waste is used to make the ‘Sweetfoam’ in the midsole in an Allbirds shoe. It’s a bioplastic alternative to the EVA most commonly used in sneaker soles, and they’ve made the tech open source.

MUSIC is by Montaigne, who sang this special acoustic version of “Because I love You” from her album Glorious Heights, just for us.

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Clare & the Wardrobe Crisis team x